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I was sipping some green tea inside my favourite Japanese tea house the other day, when the conversation turned to a familiar topic: namely who should be Japan’s new coach.
My mate Taka owns the joint and when he suggested Dragan Stojkovic, I almost snorted kukicha out my nostrils and all over his flashy new counter.
Stojkovic is a living legend in Japan, and the former Yugoslavia skipper is currently attempting to lead his beloved Nagoya Grampus to a first ever J. League title as coach.
But while ‘Piksi’ is an expert man motivator, he lacks the kind of tactical nous required to develop young players into top talents at international level.
So why does Stojkovic’s name come up every time someone mentions Japanese football?
The answer is because he made a real mark on the J. League, overshadowing Gary Lineker as Nagoya’s greatest ever player.
Stojkovic’s legacy left me wondering which A-League players will leave a similar mark on the competition in years to come.
The fact we still talk about Dwight Yorke’s impact on Sydney FC some five seasons after the Sky Blues first lifted the title suggests that truly influential players on the league have been few and far between.
I watched every home game from the Sydney Football Stadium in the Sky Blues’ debut winning season, and there’s no doubt that Yorke was a vital component of coach Pierre Littbarski’s successful side.
Another player I believe has left an indelible mark on the league is Kevin Muscat, so it’s real a shame the Melbourne Victory talisman so consistently embroils himself in unnecessary off-the-ball feuds.
His recent stoush with Eric Akoto was as ugly as it was unnecessary, and even if the Fury defender was wrong to shove Muscat to the ground, surely the former Socceroos hard man should be big enough not to have to bait players throughout every game.
His team-mate Archie Thompson has had a more positive effect in his guise as a regular goalscorer over the years, and like his now retired Sydney FC counterpart Steve Corica, Thompson has proved a real success since his return from Europe.
But what of the rest of the teams, including the A-League’s only other champions Newcastle Jets?
I thought Matt Thompson bore all the hallmarks of a champion player with the Novocastrians, so here’s hoping he can continue his personal development down south at Melbourne Heart.
The Glory have also had numerous star players over the years, and although veteran Jamie Harnwell continues to do the job at both ends for the Western Australian side, surely owner Tony Sage is looking for Robbie Fowler to leave an impression on his success-starved club?
Travis Dodd is another player I have a tremendous amount of time for – even if the Adelaide United flyer is incredibly injury-prone – while Brisbane Roar captain Matt McKay is yet another who could etch his name into the history books.
Yet, while those mentioned are all solid professionals, they’re not exactly in the same ilk as the likes of Stojkovic, Zico or Dunga.
And that’s surely where the much-maligned marquee policy has failed, given that the foreign stars who turned out in the early days of the J. League helped influence the likes of Toshiya Fujita, Yutaka Akita and Masashi Nakayama to become legendary players in their own right.
It’s still early days, of course, and there’s plenty of time for the current generation of A-League players to earn their place in the pantheon of Australian football heroes.
But I’m interested to hear who you think will rise to the challenge, as we seek out some heroes to be remembered in the same reverential tones as the great Piksi Stojkovic is in his adopted homeland Japan.