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Mile Jedinak has barely taken a moment to stop and reflect on his remarkable footballing rise.
The Socceroos captain is far too busy for that and there’s too much still to achieve.
“I don’t really have the time,” Jedinak says as he leans back in a padded leather chair in the air-conditioned foyer of the Socceroos’ plush Abu Dhabi hotel.
“It just seems like it’s full steam ahead because, yeah it’s been great but as anyone would know, I’m very driven.
“I want more.”
A decade ago, Jedinak was a handy NSL player who couldn’t get an A-League contract.
At 30, he captains his country, club and is becoming one of the most respected players in arguably the world’s best league.
The path to the top is not easy for Australian footballers but Jedinak, like a small but elite group of players before him, has shown what is possible with persistence, patience and hard work.
Jedinak will never be as flashy as famous Socceroos exports like Harry Kewell, Mark Viduka or Tim Cahill and he’s probably not as naturally talented.
But at a time where Australia’s presence in the English Premier League has dwindled dramatically, Jedinak’s is carrying the flag impressively in his own unique way.
Playing in the unfashionable defensive midfield position with his club Crystal Palace, Jedinak rarely makes the highlight reel (though he did score in back-to-back Premier League matches last month) but away from the spotlight he shines.
Jedinak’s work rate, physicality, defensive anticipation and leadership earned him the club’s player of the year award when Palace were promoted in 2012/13 while many pundits had him in their best Premier League team of the year as the club defied expectations to finish 11th last season.
Jedinak has carried that form into 2014/15, clearly leading the league in tackles per game and ranking fourth in interceptions.
Statistics website WhoScored rates him as the seventh-best performed player in the league after seven games, behind only the likes of superstars Diego Costa, Angel Di Maria and Eden Hazard.
Regularly coming up against the world’s best players has gradually become second nature for a Jedinak as he forged his path to the top during three years with the Central Coast Mariners and two seasons in Turkey before signing with Palace in 2011.
“I never really felt intimidated by anybody on the field,” says Jedinak.
“But I think it’s more the fact that once you get games under your belt at that level, you do get more comfortable.
“You almost feel you’ve earned this right to get out there so why not just go out there and show your stuff?”
Jedinak’s influence both on and off the field have made him a manager’s dream.
He was first handed the captain’s armband at Palace by Dougie Freedman in 2012 and quickly won over the club’s three managers since.
Ian Holloway described him as one of the best players he’d ever worked with; a leader who wouldn’t panic “if a bomb dropped right next to him.”
Tony Pullis described Jedinak as “a real soldier” and current manager Neil Warnock has quickly come to realise “on and off the field everything revolves around him.”
When Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou decided Lucas Neill was no longer in his plans, he opted for Jedinak as his new skipper ahead of the more experienced Cahill and Mark Bresciano (though both work with Jedinak in Australia’s leadership group).
Five months on – after a tumultuous World Cup campaign – Postecoglou has no doubt he made the right choice in picking the unassuming and measured Jedinak, whose captaincy approach is very much lead-by-example.
“I think they key to leadership is being yourself. You don’t try to be what other people want you to be,” Postecoglou said.
“Mile is being himself and that’s not outwardly demonstrative but he certainly engages with the whole group and if something needs to be said, he says it.
“More importantly, when actions are needed he’s the first one to put himself forward.”
At 30, Jedinak is likely in his peak years as a footballer and many around him believe his best is still ahead.
“I’m excited by what’s next for him and what he’s going to achieve,” says Cahill, Australia’s most decorated footballer.
“He’s someone that keeps going about his business and someone that really deserves all the accolades he gets.”
Jedinak himself says there are “countless” things he still wants to achieve with club and country.
Given his form, it would not be a surprise if a bigger club came calling in the future and it’s something the ambitious Jedinak is open to.
“It’s a natural thing to think bigger and if that means going somewhere else or doing something with Palace then so be it,” he said.
“It’s always about pushing the limits and getting to the highest level and sometimes that means going somewhere to reach it but at this stage I’m really enjoying myself.”
Jedinak has the opportunity to make history by leading Australia to a first piece of major silverware at the Asian Cup on home soil in January.
But, typical of a man who wants more, he’s already thinking about the next step.
“If we’re able do well in the Asian Cup and go to the latter stages, that’ll be fantastic,” Jedinak said.
“Beyond that we need to keep making steps forward and the will be to qualify for the next World Cup.
“If I can play some part in that, that’ll be amazing.”
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