Michael Santalab has called time as captain-coach of South Coast United. Picture: KIRK GILMOUR
PREMIER LEAGUE
He's represented his country at under-age level, played in a National Soccer League grand final and been crowned the Illawarra Premier League's leading player.
It's not a bad resume to have and one Michael Santalab will take into retirement with him after calling time on his distinguished playing and coaching career.
The 33-year-old confirmed this season would be his last with South Coast United. .
Santalab's eight years at the helm of the Kembla Grange-based club is the longest stint at the one club of any of the Illawarra Premier League's present coaches.
"We haven't got the biggest budget going around and to see what we've done over the last eight years - make the finals a couple of times, win a few fair play awards and not avoid the drop - is pretty rewarding," he said.
"It would have been a couple of years in the making [retirement decision] I'd say from my bad knee injury a few years ago."
Santalab's glittering playing career included two separate stints with Sydney United in the old National Soccer League, including a minor premiership and grand final appearance in his first season in 1996-97. In between Santalab spent two years with the Parramatta Power while earning selection in the Olyroos squad.
But perhaps his steepest learning curve was when he joined Malaysian side Johor FC in 2004 and created a little slice of history in doing so.
"I was only the second foreign captain at the club in its history," Santalab said. "That was a pretty big year as well. I learnt a lot about myself as a player and as a person.
"It was one of those boxes I wanted to tick off before I finished my accounting stuff."
Santalab's return to the Illawarra was highlighted when he won the George Naylor Medal in 2008, edging out Chris Smith.
"The George Naylor [medal] was pretty big on a personal level," he said. "It's always nice to get a bit of personal recognition and that was one of the highlights of the career," he said.
South Coast United officials are expected to ramp up their search for Santalab's successor in the next month.