Keeper Michael Turnbull has revealed he turned down a contract offer from a German Bundesliga club to stay with Brisbane Strikers.
The Queensland NPL club is just 90 minutes away from a quarter-final berth in the competition if they can beat giant-killers Adelaide City on Tuesday night.
And the Strikers will be thankful to have their 33-year-old shot-stopper on board after his eye-catching form caught the attention of a few clubs abroad.
Turnbull, whose career has seen him play all over Australia as well as with Roma, Standard Liege and Bristol City in Europe, rejected an advance from Germany to stay at the club as they look to make a mark on the national stage again.
“My performances have been good and a lot of people I used to play in Europe with have got in contact with me,” Turnbull told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
“They effectively started to speak to some people and I got an offer from a Bundesliga club.
“At this stage I said to them I’m looking to stay in Australia and I don’t really want to go back to Europe.”
Things are also going well for Turnbull off the field, with his real estate business in Brisbane thriving.
But he would love nothing more than getting a crack in the Hyundai A-League and if he can help the Strikers go deep into the Westfield FFA Cup, that dream could become a reality.
“Everyone’s goal is to play in a top division in Europe and if I was younger it would have been a no-brainer - I would have jumped at the opportunity,” he said.
“But because I’m a little bit older now I always saw myself retiring and playing in Australia anyway, so hopefully I can pick up interest from the A-League. I think the A-League has a really bright future and I’d love to be part of it.”
The Strikers’ clash with Damien Mori’s City is one of four eye-catching round of 16 ties to be played on Tuesday night.
Canberra outfit Tuggeranong United host A-League giants Melbourne Victory, Central Coast Mariners travel to Brisbane to face Olympic FC while NSW NPL grand finalists Sydney Olympic take on Victoria’s Bentleigh Greens.
