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Milligan reveals why he's playing on with Socceroos

While Mile Jedinak decided to hang up the boots from international football this week, Socceroos stalwart Mark Milligan has revealed how close he came to doing the same - only to decide to push on for one final international tournament.

Mile Jedinak Socceroos Mark Milligan

Socceroos stalwart Mark Milligan Source: Getty Images

Milligan was widely reported to be retiring after the 2018 FIFA World Cup but after a lengthy period in contemplation, the 33-year old decided he still had much to offer the national team heading into January's AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

He confirmed the news to national coach Graham Arnold last month and on Friday night was officially named in the Socceroos' squad to face Kuwait on October 15.

Speaking exclusively to The World Game, the new Hibernian midfielder revealed that a combination of his renewed enjoyment of playing – and his excellent physical condition – swayed him away from hanging up the boots for Australia.

"I think being able to move to Europe and after being over here for a month or so, I know I have something to offer. The Asian Cup is only two months away and I've made that clear to 'Arnie' that I'm 100 per cent committed," Milligan said.

"Obviously retirement was a possibility and they were private discussions I was having with family members, mostly in the lead up to the last World Cup.

"In the final decision, a lot of things come into play. When I sat down after the World Cup, I only wanted to stay involved if my heart was in it, my body was up to it and I was still good enough to give absolutely everything at that level.

"I've been around the national team for 13 years and it requires a lot of sacrifice and a lot of hard work. It's not always been smooth sailing – and it does take a lot out of you physically and mentally, especially with the amount of travel that we do. There was a lot to weigh up."
Milligan enjoyed arguably the tournament of his career in Russia, playing all three games as a makeshift centre-half and forming an outstanding partnership with Trent Sainsbury. However, those performances didn't sway Milligan's decision.

"To be honest, that actually wasn't the deciding factor," he said.

"The lead up to a World Cup and then playing in the tournament is very demanding on your body. So was more a question of fitness – I wanted to make sure I was getting through every session and match and recovering in peak condition.

"The way I was backing up and getting through games actually gave me a lot of confidence. The amount of joy I got from playing – even in the lead up when the work was incredibly hard – told me it would be the wrong decision to call it quits."
Milligan's decision to switch from Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership has also played a role in making him feel refreshed and revitalised.

He's made an exceptional start to life with the Edinburgh-based club, marshaling the midfield with total authority and playing a major role in their rise to second on the league table.

"Hibs actually first approached my agents during the World Cup but first I wanted to have a chat with my family about how we'd map out this next stage of my career. So the first couple of times they came at me, I actually said no," Milligan said.

"I honesty wanted to take my time and take a look at all the offers one-by-one. And over the weeks that followed, I was fortunate to get quite a bit of interest from Europe.

"I spoke to a few different clubs but I wanted something where I'd be pushed to play at my best and Hibs' interest just got stronger as time went on. In the end, it was a move that made the most sense."

The decision couldn't have worked out better. Hibernian's progressive style suits Milligan, who is tasked with guarding the defence, winning the ball and picking the passes that will ignite attacking moves.

"Our team tries to play football and we have some very good players in the team. It's obviously very quick and very physical, which I expected, but there's a lot of good football being played," he said.

"But the best thing is the passion around the club. It blows you away. When you play here, you really feel like you're playing for a big club."

While Milligan hasn't ruled out returning to the A-League to finish his career, it's certainly not on his radar for the coming years.

"I'm not going to say 'never' to anything in the future, because you can't be sure of the future," Milligan said.

"But for now, I've waited a long time to get over here, so I'm only focused on getting myself into good form and peak fitness here. I feel I'm coming into a year where I can win things for both club and country. It doesn't get much more exciting than that."


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5 min read
Published 6 October 2018 8:50am
By Sebastian Hassett

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