After two impressive seasons at Melbourne Victory, Subway Socceroos midfielder Ryan Teague has sealed a move back to Europe, inking a three-year deal with Belgian side KV Mechelen.
In many ways, Teague’s career path showcases a blueprint that is becoming common in Australian football as talented Isuzu UTE A-League youngsters navigate their football journeys.
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In January, 2020 the wider Australian football public was alerted to the talents of a curly haired midfielder who, having been with the Sydney FC academy since it’s formation in 2015, was signed by Portuguese side FC Familicao for a six-figure fee after starring for the Joeys at the U17 World Cup.
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At the time of his signing, Teague had played roughly 10 minutes of senior football for the Sky Blues but that didn’t stop the Portuguese Super Liga side and world famous football agent Jorge Mendes from splashing out to take the talented midfielder to Portugal.
The first Australian signed by Mendes and his Gestifute football agency, Teague soon realised how challenging European football can be.
Training and playing with the club’s U23 side, the Sydneysider was then loaned out to third tier side S.C. Covilhã for a season in order to gain first team experience.
However, despite initially being highlighted as one of the most promising talents in the Famalicao academy and enjoying a solid run of games on loan, Teague fell down the pecking order, bringing him to a critical juncture in his young career.
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Should he return to Australia or search for another opening in Europe that might be more fruitful than his first experience on the continent?
Teague ultimately came home to join Victory and two incredible seasons later he is returning to Europe with 59 matches and nearly 5,000 minutes of senior football under his belt.
He’s also earned a call-up to the Socceroos, winning three caps to date.
In recent years, several other Australian players have returned to the Isuzu UTE A-League to relaunch their careers and found themselves in the national team and eventually back abroad as a result.
A blistering start to life in the Isuzu UTE A-League with the Mariners saw a teenage Sam Silvera snapped up by Portuguese side Pacos De Ferreira, only for him to return to these shores in a bid to relaunch his career, something he did with great success after being bought by EFL Championship side Middlesbrough following the Mariners’ 2022-23 championship win.
Teague’s former Victory teammate Daniel Arzani is a classic example of someone who went overseas early but struggled to hold down a regular spot and eventually returned to the Isuzu UTE A-League to reboot their career. Three seasons later and he’s now getting ready to play in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds with Hungarian powerhouse Ferencvaros.
Cast your mind back further and there’s Brandon Borrello. Bursting onto the scene with Brisbane Roar, Borrello was soon whisked away to German football and clubs such as Kaiserslautern, SC Freiburg and Dynamo Dresden before ultimately returning to Australia with the Western Sydney Wanderers. Now, he’s back as a regular again with the Socceroos.
Whilst all three cases above are slightly different in that injuries or club politics may have played a part in defining those players’ stints in Europe, what they all have in common is that the players who came back to Australia thrived.
And there are plenty of others.
With so many players now heading off overseas after getting their start in the Isuzu UTE A-League, it’s only natural that a fair few will return after making the move too soon.
Turned down by former club Sydney FC, Teague subsequently picked Melbourne Victory over Adelaide United and it proved to be the perfect fit.
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But what Teague’s case really highlights is that the Isuzu UTE A-League is not only the perfect place to launch your career, but it’s also the ideal landing spot for players looking to reboot their careers as well.
And so, five-and-a-half years after moving to Europe to begin what he hoped would be a fruitful career, Teague is now back where he’ll feel he belongs and he’s mapped out a blueprint for plenty of others to follow in the process.
