After 17 years as a professional footballer, firsts are few and far between for Sydney FC skipper Alex Brosque.

Brosque netted a sublime hat-trick, the first of his A-League career, against Central Coast Mariners over the weekend as he became the fifth oldest player ever to score a treble in the Aussie top flight.

It took persuasion from manager Steve Corica to keep the veteran from retiring after a lengthy season featuring continental commitments took its toll on the now 35-year-old, and yet the evergreen attacker continues to torment defences.

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“The other night was one of those nights, I mean I’ve never had a hat-trick before in the A-League, it took a while to finally get it but it was nice all the same,” Brosque told foxsports.com.au.

“Definitely up there. Purely on the fact that, at 35, things like that are still sort of possible. To have a special night like that, it definitely ranks up there, being my first one. There’s not too many first things you get to experience at 35, but that was definitely one of them so it was nice.”

Brosque has enjoyed a storeyed career in the A-League, as well as spending periods abroad, but it was a move very early in his career that shaped the inspirational captain into the player – and person – he is today.

Brosque first starting playing for Sydney FC in 2006 after joining from Brisbane Roar. Source: AAP

“I think probably my first experience overseas when I went to Belgium and played a season there. It was a real sort of eye-opener for me and in many ways,” he said.

“From a football point of view certainly, but then life experiences and living away from home at 19 or 20 whatever I was.

“I think that was a real, in terms of football and what it means to people overseas compared to maybe here, I think we maybe take a lot for granted in Australia.

“Whereas when you go and play abroad, like I said it was only one season, but you realise how important it is to people all over the world and how lucky that makes us to be able to do it and be able to hang around.

“I think that was, while it didn’t go all that well for me on the park, that was a real eye-opener for me and helped shape who I was as a person on the field in a way. And it sort of allowed me to get that drive and that hunger, to want to continue being a professional as long as I could.”

The veteran believes a lack of overseas experience could be hindering Australia’s youth development, with national teams suffering from a crop of up-and-comers who are ‘babied’ on home shores.

Alex Brosque made 21 appearances for the Roar. Source: Getty Images

“I think it’s hard,” Brosque said.

“We are very lucky here in Australia. We live good lifestyles, there’s so much to do, we have a beautiful country.

“And I think it’s a huge reason why we probably don’t succeed as well as we should internationally at any age.

“It’s something that, if you look at the golden generation of the Socceroos, most of those guys they left home quite young to forge their careers overseas so they battled and they knew what it was like and they were tougher different sort of guys.

“Whereas now we’re trying to keep players in the A-League as long as we can, but I don’t necessarily think that’s always a good thing.

“We get babied a lot and really protected, and we’re not exposed to what it actually means. In a lot of countries around the world, it’s their way of getting out of what they live in and it is a fight every single day for them and we don’t have that here.

“Naturally, if you don’t have that, it’s more of a need and a way out for a lot of people around the world, whereas for us kids if they’re not playing football a lot of kids there’s something else they can be doing. That sort of hunger you can’t teach into someone.

“So, I think an experience in going overseas and seeing what it’s like for young kids, that’s the only way they’ll appreciate and understand but that is hard to do and that’s an entirely different conversation.”

Brosque in action for Marconi Stallions in the NSL. Source: Getty Images

Brosque is coming to end of his career, and will hang his boots up a bona fide Sydney FC legend after a cumulative decade at the club. Over the last 12 months, conversations have taken place to ensure he remains in some capacity after his playing days are over, however the exact nature of the role is yet to be decided.

“I’ve spoken to Terry [McFlynn] a lot over the last 12 months about that, and there’s nothing really in particular that I’m sort of focused on getting into after,” Brosque said.

“I don’t know whether it would be some form of coaching role, or with the youth team or something within the club, I really don’t know yet. The good thing is the club has spoken to me about it and assured me that there will be something there for me afterwards, which is good to know and comforting.”

Current Socceroos skipper Mark Milligan played alongside Brosque in Sydney. Source: Getty Images

The attacker never expected to extend his playing days to this length, in fact, he had planned to retire in his early 30s before returning to the A-League.

“I think it’s hard to regret anything,” Brosque said.

“Every decision you make in football, leads you are to where you are right now. Me where I am now looking back, none of this would have been. I was actually talking to my wife last night about it, saying that while I was in the UAE, my plan there was to stay one more year in the UAE and then possibly retire. It would have taken me to 31, maybe 32 at the time, and in the end, I’ve come back here and played another 5 years and been a part of an incredible team.

“How funny football is and how funny things are. So, I think every decision I’ve made good or bad in the past, has allowed me to stay in the game as long as I have and be as fortunate as what I have been to do a lot of these things. So, there’s nothing in football that I regret, obviously not everything has been good, there’s been some tough moments, hard moments but in the end its all led me to where I am.”

Brosque will play his 176th game for Sydney FC on Wednesday night when the Sky Blues take on ladder leaders Perth in a blockbuster in the west.

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