One minute you’re playing for Melbourne City and preparing for an Asian Cup quarter-final. The next, you’re signing a contract with a Saudi juggernaut. New City captain Aziz Behich speaks to aleagues.com.au about how his loan eventuated and what motivates him ahead of the upcoming season.
A day is a long time in football. Just ask Aziz Behich.
Rewind back to January; Behich and the Subway Socceroos were preparing for a blockbuster AFC Asian Cup quarter-final against South Korea in Qatar.
Then, one morning, the Melbourne City star was notified of interest from Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr – the home of legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo. By that night, the deal was done.
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The sudden loan move – halfway into the 2023-24 Isuzu UTE A-League season after Behich returned to City – came as a shock to many, including the player himself.
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“To be honest, it probably shocked me as much as it did everyone else because it did happen fairly quickly while I was at the Asian Cup,” Behich told aleagues.com.au.
“There was no plan or talk leading into the Asian Cup so I’ve gone into the tournament purely focused on playing for Australia and winning another (title), then coming back to City and doing my job here. It’s not like I’ve packed that it could be (even a) 50-50 chance. There was nothing like that. I went over there with no luggage.
“It literally happened from an interest point of view in the morning and by the evening, it was all negotiated and done.
“Not many people know that. They might’ve thought it was on the cards before. No, it just came up while I was over there. Before it got released prior to the South Korea game, it was pretty much done within 24 hours.”
Behich had only returned to City at the start of the 2023-24 campaign on a two-year deal, which has since been extended until the end of 2026-27.
He admitted there were times he felt the deal would not transpire.
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“It was obviously exciting but as a player, you know when you’re under contract clubs have to agree. It’s not just done within a minute or so,” Behich said. “There was a lot of back and forth.
“At times, I thought it wasn’t going to happen. That’s part of football and I’ll just focus on City when I get back (from the Asian Cup). There was no pushing or anything like that.
“Of course Michael (Petrillo) and the club were great. They wanted my opinion on what I wanted to do – obviously get the best possible deal for the club because I’m still contracted. As long as both parties were happy, it was always going to be a green light.
“At first, I thought it wasn’t going to get released until after we got knocked out of the Asian Cup. That was the initial plan but the club went and released it that night that the papers were done. It all blew up.
“Being in camp, the players were banging on my door because I just went to my room. I’ve been in situations like this with contract stuff. I have enough experience, I knew I still had a job to do against South Korea. I blocked it all out. I had no distractions leading into that South Korea game.”
Once the deal was done, Behich linked up with the likes of Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Marcelo Brozovic and Aymeric Laporte in Riyadh.
Travelling to Saudi Arabia immediately after the Subway Socceroos’ quarter-final loss to Son Heung-min’s South Korea, it was like the first day of school for Behich. Even after a career that has seen him play for the likes of Dutch giants PSV and Turkish outfit Bursaspor.
There was something that stood out immediately in the Al Nassr locker room.
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“I’ve done it so many times in my career but for some reason, it always feels like the first time happening,” Behich reflected.
“I got there earlier than everyone for admin stuff and a tour. They pointed at my locker and right next to me was Ronaldo’s. I thought this was going to be a great first day.
“First day is always tough. You want to impress your teammates at training but at the same time, not put pressure on yourself. I’ve been around a long time and accomplished a lot, so I wasn’t putting too much pressure. Lets just enjoy the ride because this doesn’t come around often and for this to come around at this stage of my career, I must be doing something right.
“To be honest, the group really surprised me. They were really welcoming. It kind of helped because the Saudi boys knew of me through the national team. Then with (Alex) Telles and Talisca, they remembered me from my time in Turkey. I was in Bursaspor, Telles was in Galatasaray and Talisca was in Besiktas which was my derby match.
“They remembered me which kind of helped. It kind of gives you some street credit I should call it coming into a changing room.
“I had a chat with Brad Jones before I flew in too. He had a few friends still there like one of the goalkeepers Waleed (Abdullah). He is a bit of an icon at the club. He straight away came in and put his arm around my shoulder.”
It was an unforgettable experience for the 68-time Australia international.
The 33-year-old was not only able to represent a “massive” club in Al Nassr, but he played alongside five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo – who triggered the influx of stars from across Europe last year.
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“It was great,” Behich said. “He was someone I looked up to because I loved watching (Manchester) United, especially back in the day.
“At his age people see what he’s doing but being there first hand, day to day basis, seeing his preparation and the one-percent things he does, it’s no surprise anymore to me that at his age he’s banging in goals every week and breaking records.
“As a teammate, he was great. I didn’t go there with any expectation about what he’s going to be like, or the other players. He would be a joker at times but the thing I loved was when it was time for business, it was time for business, then the expectation would be very high. Training had to be perfect.
“He knew how to separate that aspect of the game. But when it was time to joke around or we had a team dinner, he was really nice. You could talk to him about anything. We had a few things in common like family stuff etc. I got along really well with him.”
Away from the field, Ronaldo was not the only player to cause a frenzy with fans in public either.
“Before I played my first game in the (AFC) Champions League…. I literally went over there with just a suitcase for the Asian Cup,” Behich said.
“Before my wife came over, I had to go shopping quickly. I went to a mall and had to leave after 20 minutes because one person recognised me and then it was chaos.”
Behich went to Al Nassr with a goal to win the AFC Champions League but that did not happen following a quarter-final defeat to eventual champions Al Ain.
It left a bitter taste in the Aussie’s mouth, though he does still keep in contact with Laporte, Mane and Otavio.
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“Obviously I would’ve liked a happier ending because I went there to win the Champions League, and I got hit with an injury,” he recalled.
“That was a kick in the teeth because that was the first ever injury of my career and it just happened to come at that time. I was doing well and the coach had pulled me aside to say he was happy with my performances.
“They were great with my rehab too, even knowing I was a loan player. They still treated me like I would be there for the next few years.”
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Now, it is all about Melbourne City and the upcoming Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Behich is the new skipper after he was handed the armband following the departure of all-time leading goalscorer Jamie Maclaren.
While he was away for half of last term, Behich witnessed the highs and lows of an inconsistent City team.
City – much changed following significant player turnover and the departure of head coach Rado Vidosic early in the season – showed their might with crushing wins over Brisbane Roar (8-1), Western Sydney Wanderers (7-0) and Perth Glory (8-0) but they only managed to sneak into the top six before losing to Melbourne Victory in an Elimination Final.
“We touched on that with the coaching staff and that was our biggest problem last season right from the beginning – it was our inconsistency of turning up and then not turning up,” Behich said.
“We knew with the quality we had, on our day we could cause a lot of problems for opposition. Those scorelines don’t just happen out of luck. Maybe one time but it’s a few times it happened. The inconsistency is something we touched on at the start of pre-season. It can’t happen because at this level, if you’re off your game, you’ll get punished.
“I left at the halfway stage of the season but I was still following the boys. Just scrapping into the finals, for a club like City, the expectation is much higher than just getting into the finals.
“We knew coming into this pre-season, there was a lot to work on. With the timeframe we have, it’s kind of good in a game that we have time to fix those things – get players in and gel as a team. Last season was different because we started earlier and straight into the Champions League. A lot of travel but no excuse really. We had a lot of quality to do much better last season in my opinion.”
City have been busy this off-season.
There are new signings while the club’s highly-rated academy system has been on display with scholarship deals for Jayden Necovski, Medin Memeti, Harry Shillington, Lawrence Wong and Peter Antoniou.
“The future of the club is the academy and we have a lot of boys train with us,” Behich said.
“There’s a few boys who have been rewarded with contracts.
“When they come in, it’s a big step up for them but my job and the other experienced players is to make them feel comfortable and help them a long the way. A lot of them have been doing well. They’re keeping up with us but it’s all about learning.
“Obviously getting a contract is a big step but it’s just the beginning. At City the expectation is always high. That’s not just with results but day to day and the way we push each other. The expectation that each individual has on themselves, the standard is really high at training too.”
Behich’s CV includes an AFC Asian Cup title with the Socceroos and a Turkish Super Lig title while playing for Istanbul Basaksehir.
But he has never won silverware in the A-Leagues. Doing it with City is the driving factor heading into 2024-25.
“City have set a benchmark over the last few years and it’s going to be no different going into this season,” Behich said.
“It’s something that motivates me everyday. You see big players throughout their careers not get a hand on silverware, so it’s not easy.
“We know it’s going to be hard work but for me, it’s something that motivates me and I really want to do it and I want to do it with City. This club is special to me.
“It would mean a lot to lift the trophy at the end of the season but we can’t look that far ahead. We have to take it step by step.
“It’s going to be a challenging season because the league just gets stronger and stronger.”
City kick off their Isuzu UTE A-League campaign with a trip to face Newcastle Jets on October 19.
