Despite his public persona as the hardest of hard men, Kevin Muscat visibly struggled to keep his emotions in check when discussing his imminent departure from Melbourne Victory.
This came as no surprise to Leigh Broxham, who has probably spent more time at the club with Muscat than anyone else over the past 14 years.
"You see him screaming, you see how passionate he is on game day and how much it means to him," the 31-year-old Broxham said on Monday.
"(The public show of emotion today) was not a surprise; he's a passionate guy.
"You go back to when he retired and a few moments we had with the playing group.
"I've seen it before."
Broxham was a member of the train-on squad when Muscat arrived to great fanfare as Victory's star signing and inaugural captain ahead of the 2005-06 A-League season.
Throughout 14 successful seasons which netted four A-League titles, Broxham and Muscat have been teammates, they have been player and coach, and they remain great mates.
"It sounds cliched but he helped shape me as a person (and) as a player when I was coming though," said Broxham.
"He tested me in the game.
"He took me under his wing and was a mentor for me as player.
"He really helped develop me in the early years of my career and we've become close friends."
Broxham said it was inevitable that there would be changes in the post-Muscat era at the Victory - as always happened when a new coach stepped through the door.
"The club enjoys an attacking philosophy and wants to entertain so I think when they're looking for a coach that's something they'll be looking at," he said.
"Whoever comes in will bring in their own way of playing and tactics and their own players as well.
"There's no doubt it's going to be different.
"It will be a change, but that's football.
"I've been through every coach who has been at the club and they've all been very different."
Australian Associated Press
