He spent only seven months in Australia, but with his hipster beard and tattoos, Vitor Saba quickly became a cult hero for Western Sydney Wanderers fans — especially as he was a part of the squad that won the Asian Champions League in 2014.

But now, just five years on, Saba’s football career is over.

An undiagnosed heart condition - PFO (more commonly known as a hole in the heart) - means the Brazilian has called it quits at the age of just 29.

In actual fact, he officially retired nearly a year ago, but it’s only now his decision has become public knowledge. Saba takes up the story.

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Saba has called time on his football career Source: News Corp Australia

“I returned injured to Fortuna Sittard in Holland after a loan spell in Hong Kong with Eastern FC. I had a hernia, but while I was recovering, I started to feel an “aura” around my eye. With that came vomiting, headaches. This happened three or four times, and I was feeling weird. They gave me a check-up and found PFO,” he said.

Saba’s problem, had first been flagged as a potential issue by a doctor at one of his previous clubs - but he’d been given the OK to play on, with the club believing the risk was minimal.

But the problem had clearly evolved over the years.

“I went back to see the doctor who’d first flagged the issue after the official diagnosis - he wrote a letter to Sittard saying the PFO was now level 3 of 3, and that I needed surgery. The most difficult part was when he said I’d been operating my whole career with just 75% of my aerobic capacity. I had a movie going through my head at that moment. All through my career I had great technique, but I could never keep up with the aerobic level of my teammates. I never imagined it was a problem with my heart,” said Saba.

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Saba lifted the Asian Champions League with the Wanderers in 2014 Source: Getty Images

PFO is a condition connected to the brain. Untreated, it can cause strokes, such as the one suffered by Antonio Cassano in 2011.

But Saba’s situation was complicated by the fact he’d just become a father, and was recovering from the hernia surgery. A further operation would mean six months out, added to the months in rehab he still had to do. He decided that at 28, it wasn’t worth the risk.

“Who was going to give me a shot after one year out? At what level? It was a sad moment, but I didn’t feel like I had to tell the whole world. The truth is nobody - outside your family - really cares. Life goes on” says Saba philosophically.

But football remains a big part of his life. Even before he officially retired, a player agency in Italy had offered him a job, and although he has since split with the company, he remains a player agent to this day, based out of Bergamo.

“I cannot complain. I bring players from Holland or South America to Italy. I have already done one deal in Serie A, but I focus on being an intermediary. I recently did a deal to bring a Colombian - Brayan Vera - to Lecce. I connect the player, his agent and the club, and I get a commission,” said Saba.

But while being an agent earns him his living, there’s one topic that still really fires his passion - and that’s the Wanderers.

Saba pictured with Brendon Santalab during the Sydney derby Source: News Corp Australia

“It was brief, but the connection that I felt with the people, the fans, the players I played with, was amazing. We achieved a miracle in winning the Asian Champions League. The final was tough, we were defending, pressing, pressing. But could it have been more with time”?

“When I left, I put all the blame on Popa (Tony Popovic) for the way he handled it. But now I am more mature, I recognise there was too much ego on both sides, and we both could have done it differently. I could have had more humility to accept the way he wanted me to play. I have massive respect for Popa though - he was definitely the best coach I ever worked with,” said Saba.

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Saba had four goals when he was starting out - to play for his childhood club, Flamengo, to play in Europe, to win an important trophy, and to find one financially lucrative contract. He did all four - and he has a tattoo of the Champions League “star” in red & black, to remind himself of his big moment with the Wanderers.

“You know before I went to Brescia, I had an offer from Wanderers for their first year. Brescia offered me a better deal, but from that moment on, I watched Wanderers, and became a fan. I went to a club I loved already. It was a real fulfilment to play for them, especially in the derbies with full stadiums,” said Saba.

“But when I see them now, I don’t see my Wanderers. It’s not the same identity. I feel it is missing passion. We achieved great things because of the values instilled by Popa. Don’t forget, I am really a fan, and I care about the club. Say what you want about me, but I played for the club with all my heart,” said Saba.

What a pity it is his heart that has brought his career to a premature end.