Brendon Santalab has been an essential member of Western Sydney Wanderers and their success in the Hyundai A-League, with his goal-scoring exploits and winning mentality.
Since joining the Wanderers for the 2013/14 Season, Santalab has built up a reputation as the Hyundai A-League’s ultimate super-sub and is the club’s all-time leading scorer.
We caught up with the 35-year-old, as part of our “Extra Time” series, talking everything from his biggest football inspirations, to his career ambitions before becoming a professional footballer.
He also opened up on the keys to being a successful striker.
“You’ve got to be a sniffer and have a good eye for goal, and a lot of hard work as well,” Santalab said.
“Being a pest up front is important, intimidating the defenders is also important. There’s a lot of mind games that go on during the game. As a striker, if you win the mind battle with the defenders, you’re halfway there.
“There’s a lot of ingredients to a successful striker, and we’ve seen Besart Berisha, James McLaren and Archie Thompson, when he was playing, fantastic players who have achieved a lot up front.”
Watch the full interview in the player above.
