.jpg) Muscat in 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Vincent Muscat[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1973-08-07)7 August 1973 (age 52)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Crawley, England | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Defender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Shanghai Port (head coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Sunshine George Cross | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | AIS | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1989–1990 | Sunshine George Cross | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Heidelberg United | 19 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1996 | South Melbourne | 70 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Crystal Palace | 53 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2002 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 180 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Rangers | 22 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Millwall | 53 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2011 | Melbourne Victory | 113 | (28) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Sunshine George Cross | 3 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 522 | (48) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1993 | Australia U-20 | 9 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1996 | Australia U-23 | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–2006 | Australia | 46 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Melbourne Victory (interim) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2019 | Melbourne Victory | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Sint-Truiden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Yokohama F. Marinos | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Shanghai Port | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kevin Vincent Muscat (born 7 August 1973) is an English-born Australian professionalmanager and formerplayer who currently managesChinese Super League clubShanghai Port. He played as adefender, and represented theAustralia national team at international level winning 46 caps between 1994 and 2006.
After beginning his professional career in theAustralian National Soccer League withSunshine George Cross in 1989, Muscat played eight seasons in the United Kingdom withCrystal Palace,Wolverhampton Wanderers,Rangers andMillwall. He returned to Australia in 2005 for the first time since leaving South Melbourne in 1996 to captain Melbourne Victory in theinaugural season of the A-league. His playing style was brutal defence with little regard for accumulating yellow cards or avoiding injury to opponents. He ended his A-League career in disgrace after injuringAdrian Zahra with a tackle that was widely described as an assault by the football media.
Muscat retired from professional football in March 2011 after Melbourne Victory's2011 AFC Champions League campaign, citing his growing frustration at his inability to keep pace with the game.[2][3][4] Muscat briefly rejoined his former club Sunshine George Cross for part of the 2011 Victorian State League Division 1 season.[5] Muscat is Melbourne Victory's all time top scoring defender, with 35 goals in all competitions.[6]
During his international career, Muscat represented theAustralia U-20 side at the1991 FIFA World Youth Championship inPortugal and the1993 FIFA World Youth Championship in Australia. He represented theAustralia U-23 side at the1996 Summer Olympics. After making his full international debut for Australia in September 1994 againstKuwait, Muscat represented the national side at the1997 FIFA Confederations Cup,2000 OFC Nations Cup,2001 FIFA Confederations Cup and the2005 FIFA Confederations Cup.
After several seasons as an assistant coach, Muscat was appointed head coach at Melbourne Victory in October 2013. He coached Victory to the2014–15 A-League Premiership, the2014–15 A-League Championship and success in the2015 FFA Cup. He left the role in 2019.
Born inCrawley,West Sussex, in England fromMaltese descent,[1] Muscat began his career as a junior atAustralian National Soccer League (NSL) clubSunshine George Cross, making his first senior appearances for the club in the 1989–90 season at 16 years old.[7] He moved from Sunshine to theAustralian Institute of Sport in 1990 and was awarded the Weinstein Medal as theVictorian Junior Player of the year.[8]
He continued playing in the NSL forHeidelberg United in the 1991–92 season before earning a move to Australian powerhouseSouth Melbourne Hellas.[7] Mostly deployed as a left-back, Muscat's aggressiveness and defensive awareness made him a standout performer in the league which attracted international attention. During his time at South, he was called up to the Olyroos.
In 1995–96 he trialled atSheffield United under managerDave Bassett but decided to stay at South Melbourne.[9] After further impressive performances with South Melbourne and the Olyroos, he attracted the interest of many overseas clubs. His performances for South culminated in a senior international call-up by Eddie Thompson for the Australian National Team. By August 1996 Bassett had taken the helm atCrystal Palace and signed Muscat for the south London club[9] for £35,000 from South Melbourne Hellas.[10] In his departure Muscat thanked the South Melbourne fans for their support towards him.[11]
Muscat was part of the Palace team that subsequently won promotion to the EnglishPremier League, defeating Sheffield United in the 1997 play-off final atWembley.[12] Muscat obtained a reputation as a 'hard man' at Palace and was constantly targeted by the media and opposing fans for his style of play. He made nine Premier League appearances for Palace before moving to First DivisionWolverhampton Wanderers for £200,000 in October 1997.[10]
Muscat remained at Wolves for five seasons before moving to Scotland to joinRangers on a free transfer in July 2002.[7]
Muscat was part of the Rangers squad which won a treble of domestic trophies in 2002–03 season.[13] He helped the club's defence keep six consecutive clean sheets in the league between 25 August 2002 and 28 September 2002.[14] Muscat would end his career in Scotland having played 29 times for Rangers.
On 29 August 2003, Muscat signed forMillwall in the EnglishFirst Division on a three-year contract; it was his fourth and final British club.[15] He was part of the team that reached theFA Cup final in2004, though his season ended with a knee ligament injury in the semi-final win overSunderland, through a collision withGeorge McCartney.[16]
On 5 May 2005, Muscat agreed to a three-year deal atMelbourne Victory FC in the newA-League.[17] He was the club's inaugural captain in the 2005–06 season. Under Victory manager Ernie Merrick, Muscat, a defender for virtually his entire career, moved to midfield for the 2006–07 season. He remained the captain until 2011.
In February 2011, Muscat announced his intention to retire from club football after the conclusion of the2011 Asian Champions League.[18] His decision to finish was fast-tracked by an infamous tackle he committed in aMelbourne derby on 22 January 2011, which resulted in a season-ending eight-week ban from the A-League.[19] Muscat played out his competitive career in the2011 AFC Champions League under the captaincy of centre-backAdrian Leijer, despite having previously referred to the competition as "not all that enjoyable".[20] Muscat regained the captaincy for his farewell match inMelbourne, a 1–1 draw againstJ-League sideGamba Osaka.[21] Muscat scored on his return to Sunshine George Cross in a 3–1 loss toAltona Magic in August 2011.[22]
Muscat represented Australia at Under-20 level at theWorld Youth Cup finals in Portugal in 1991 and Australia in 1993,[23] and at Under-23 level at the1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. He made his full international debut in September 1994 againstKuwait, and went on to make 51 appearances for thenational team,[24] includingConfederations Cup tournaments in 1997, 2001 and 2005.[23] Muscatcaptained the national team five times from April 2001 and scored a critical penalty in the 1–0 home leg of Australia's unsuccessful play-off against Uruguay for a place in the finals of the2002 FIFA World Cup.
Muscat was dropped from the squad when coachGuus Hiddink took over in 2005 and played no part in Australia's subsequent qualification for the 2006 World Cup, but was recalled later in 2006 byGraham Arnold and captained Australia in its 2–0Asian Cup qualifier against Kuwait.[25] In 2008, newly appointed coachPim Verbeek selected Muscat in a squad of 22A-League based players to prepare for2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, but he did not play in any subsequent fixtures.
In 1996, Muscat was sent off in his first season in the UK in a match involvingCrystal Palace andNorwich City after body checking Norwich playerDarren Eadie which then sparked a 21-man melee where punches were thrown. Two other players were also sent off in the incident.[26]
Muscat was branded a "lowlife" and a "nobody" byNottingham Forest strikerIan Wright, in September 1999. Wright said he was about to shoot when he heardDougie Freedman, Forest's other striker, shout "leave it". Wright stepped over the ball to allow Freedman to hit it, but instead Muscat cleared the ball; according to Wright, Muscat impersonated Freedman.[27]
Muscat was dubbed the "most hated man in football" byBirmingham City playerMartin Grainger in 2000 after a reckless tackle against international teammate,Stan Lazaridis.[28] He seriously injured bothCraig Bellamy andChristophe Dugarry, the latter in a friendly international between Australia andFrance in 2001 with a sliding tackle from behind.[28] The French managerRoger Lemerre dubbed the tackle "an act of brutality".[28][29]
In March 2002, Muscat was sent off after nine minutes in a match againstGrimsby Town for elbowing Grimsby strikerMichael Boulding. Wolves lost the match and Muscat was suspended for three matches following the incident.[30]
In 2003, after only three weeks since signing for Millwall, Muscat was fined and reprimanded by Millwall after a match againstWatford where he gave away a penalty and was sent off for stamping onWatford'sDanny Webber. Millwall chief executive, Ken Brown, formally warned Muscat that he would be sacked if he did not "clean up his act." "Kevin's actions were totally unacceptable. We have made him aware that such behavior will not be tolerated. Any repeat of such a deliberate, unprovoked, off-the-ball incident will result in his instant dismissal."[31][32]
In 2004, a lawsuit on Muscat brought by formerCharlton Athletic playerMatty Holmes resulted in a settlement of £250,000 plus costs in favour of Holmes, bringing the estimated settlement to around £750,000. Holmes had to have four operations on his leg following a tackle by Muscat in 1998, and there were initial fears that his leg might have to be amputated. The claim was settled at the High Court without any admission of liability.[33][34] In aLeague Cup tie while at Millwall, he grabbed the throat of Liverpool strikerMilan Baroš.[35] Also in 2004,Iwan Roberts admitted he deliberately stamped on Muscat in a match againstNorwich City in revenge for his attempt to injure Craig Bellamy in 1999. Roberts was subsequently fined and suspended byThe Football Association for his comments.[36]
In March later that year while playing forMillwall, Muscat was red carded and suspended for five games following an altercation in the tunnel at half time withSheffield United goalkeeperPaddy Kenny. United went on to win the game 2–1 despite having to use an outfield player in goal, and as Millwall players were walking off the pitch, Blades managerNeil Warnock was seen shaking players’ hands while also saying “serves you right for f*cking Muscat, that”.[37]
In December 2005, he was the first A-League player to appear before aFFA disciplinary hearing and was subsequently suspended for two matches for "violent conduct".[38] At an A-league game in October 2006 Muscat clashed with thenAdelaide United coachJohn Kosmina, knocking Kosmina from his chair while retrieving the ball. Kosmina responded by grabbing Muscat by the throat, an action for which Kosmina was suspended for four matches.[39][40]
Muscat's dominant personality and aggressive style did win some admirers in theA-League, with former England internationalTerry Butcher stating "Every manager in the A-League would love to have Kevin, and I'm no exception".[41]
In February 2009, Muscat "escaped" further sanction by theFFA for stamping onAdelaide United defender,Daniel Mullen, while challenging for the ball. Due to the referee seeing the incident during the match, as according to A-League protocol, the Match Review Panel had no authority to intervene any further.[42]
In January 2010, Muscat was suspended for two games for elbowingGold Coast United midfielder,Jason Culina, in an off the ball incident.[43]
In October 2010,Manchester United wingerAshley Young recalled he was threatened by Muscat during his first professional match as an 18-year-old. "Kevin Muscat said he would break my legs if I went past him," said Young. Their meeting occurred as they were warming up for an encounter betweenWatford and Millwall back in September 2003, but Muscat was sent off for stamping on Watford'sDanny Webber before Young came on as substitute for Watford.[44]
In January 2011, Muscat was sent off for elbowingAdelaide United midfielderAdam Hughes in the face while following through on a challenge for the ball.[45]
In his first match back from suspension, Muscat was then suspended for eight matches following a tackle onMelbourne Heart playerAdrian Zahra in aMelbourne Derby,.[46][47] The tackle was widely condemned in Australia and around the world, with former SoccerooMark Bosnich calling it a "disgrace".[48][49]
In a professional career spanning 19 years from 1992 to 2011, Muscat received 123 yellow cards and 12 red cards.[50][51][24][52]
In December 2013, the Spanish football websiteEl Gol Digital named Muscat as football's dirtiest ever player.[53]
For the final two years of his playing career, Muscat served as a playing assistant coach underErnie Merrick.[54][55] Due to a clause in his contract with Melbourne Victory, which made him an assistant coach at Melbourne Victory for the next two years after his retirement,[56] Muscat began serving as an assistant coach at Melbourne Victory shortly after his retirement from football. AfterMehmet Durakovic was sacked after a poor run of results, Muscat was appointed as the caretaker coach of Melbourne Victory until he was succeeded by formerIpswich Town andQueens Park Rangers managerJim Magilton. In his only game as Victory manager, Melbourne Victory defeated theNewcastle Jets 2–1, with two own goals from defenderByun Sung-Hwan.[57]
After an underwhelming tenure as Melbourne Victory manager, in which he recorded just two wins in 12 matches, Magilton left the Victory at the conclusion of the2011–12 A-League[58] withBrisbane Roar managerAnge Postecoglou taking the reins at Victory for the beginning of the2012–13 A-League season, signing a three-year contract.[59] After a relatively successful first season in charge of the Victory, in which the Victory finished 3rd on the A-League ladder, and made it to the semi-finals of the A-League finals, Postecoglou was appointed the new manager ofAustralia,[60] with Postecoglou departing the Victory after their Round 3 win against Postecoglou's former club,Brisbane Roar. Having served under four managers since his appointment as assistant coach,[61] Muscat was subsequently appointed as Postecoglou's successor on 31 October 2013, three games into the 2013–14 season, on a two-year contract.[54][62][63][64]
In his first full season as Melbourne Victory manager, and just his second year in charge of the club, Muscat guided Melbourne Victory to an A-League premiership-championship double in 2015, the Victory's third A-League premiership/championship double. Under Muscat, the Victory finished with a regular season record of 15 wins 8 draws and 4 losses, with a final points tally of 53 points, three points ahead of second placedSydney FC and a final goal difference of +25, the highest of any club that season. Muscat guided the Victory to a 3–0 win overMelbourne City in the semi-finals, before recording a 3–0 win over Sydney FC atAAMI Park.
In June 2017, Muscat, along withDarren Davies andRoss Aloisi, were called up by Ange Postecoglou to serve as members of Australia's coaching staff for the2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.[65][66]
On 5 June 2020 Muscat was announced as the manager forBelgian First Division A teamSint-Truidense V.V., however just six months later he was sacked due to poor results.[67]
Muscat was appointed manager ofYokohama F. Marinos in July 2021, succeeding Ange Postecoglou as he had at Melbourne Victory, and won the J1 League title in 2022.[68]
On 17 December 2023 Muscat was appointed manager ofShanghai Port following the departure ofJavier Pereira.[69] Under his management, Shanghai Port won the2024 Chinese Super League season by finishing ahead of their inter-city rivalsShanghai Shenhua by a slim point,[70] as well as winning the2024 Chinese FA Cup.
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sunshine George Cross | 1989–90 | National Soccer League | 9 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | |||
| Heidelberg United | 1991–92 | National Soccer League | 19 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 0 | |||
| South Melbourne | 1992–93 | National Soccer League | 17 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 17 | 0 | |||
| 1993–94[74] | National Soccer League | 24 | 2 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | 27 | 2 | ||||
| 1994–95[75][76] | National Soccer League | 17 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 3 | 24 | 3 | |||
| 1995–96 | National Soccer League | 12 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 70 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 3 | 3 | 80 | 6 | |||
| Crystal Palace | 1996–97 | First Division | 44 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — | 2[d] | 0 | 51 | 3 | |
| 1997–98 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Total | 53 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | 61 | 3 | |||
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 1997–98 | First Division | 24 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 3 | ||
| 1998–99 | First Division | 37 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 43 | 4 | |||
| 1999–2000 | First Division | 45 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 49 | 4 | |||
| 2000–01 | First Division | 37 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 42 | 4 | |||
| 2001–02 | First Division | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
| Total | 180 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 201 | 15 | |||
| Rangers | 2002–03 | Scottish Premier League | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | |
| Millwall | 2003–04 | First Division | 27 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Championship | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | — | 29 | 0 | ||
| Total | 53 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 62 | 0 | |||
| Melbourne Victory | 2005–06 | A-League | 17 | 6 | — | 3 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 6 | |||
| 2006–07 | A-League | 17 | 7 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 3[f] | 0 | 25 | 8 | |||
| 2007–08 | A-League | 17 | 4 | — | 5 | 0 | 6[g] | 2 | — | 28 | 6 | |||
| 2008–09 | A-League | 21 | 5 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 3[f] | 0 | 24 | 5 | |||
| 2009–10 | A-League | 20 | 4 | — | — | 4[g] | 1 | 3[f] | 0 | 27 | 5 | |||
| 2010–11 | A-League | 21 | 2 | — | — | 6[g] | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 5 | |||
| Total | 113 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 151 | 35 | ||
| Sunshine George Cross | 2011[77] | Victorian State League | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 522 | 48 | 23 | 0 | 36 | 3 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 615 | 60 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | |||
| 1994 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1995 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1996 | 5 | 0 | |
| 1997 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 10 | 4 | |
| 2001 | 13 | 5 | |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2005 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2006 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 46 | 10 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 April 1997 | Népstadion,Budapest,Hungary |  Hungary | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 19 June 2000 | Stade Pater,Papeete,Tahiti |  Cook Islands | 2–0 | 17–0 | 2000 OFC Nations Cup |
| 3 | 7–0 | |||||
| 4 | 23 June 2000 |  Solomon Islands | 5–0 | 6–0 | ||
| 5 | 25 June 2000 |  Vanuatu | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 6 | 9 April 2001 | Coffs Harbour International Stadium,Coffs Harbour,Australia |  Tonga | 4–0 | 22–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 7–0 | |||||
| 8 | 12–0 | |||||
| 9 | 19–0 | |||||
| 10 | 20 November 2001 | Melbourne Cricket Ground,Melbourne,Australia |  Uruguay | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Melbourne Victory (interim) |  | 5 January 2012 | 7 January 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 |
| Melbourne Victory | | 31 October 2013 | 20 May 2019 | 214 | 105 | 45 | 64 | 371 | 285 | +86 | 049.07 |
| Sint-Truiden |  | 5 June 2020 | 2 December 2020 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 30 | −11 | 013.33 |
| Yokohama F. Marinos |  | 18 July 2021 | 13 December 2023 | 116 | 67 | 19 | 30 | 217 | 122 | +95 | 057.76 |
| Shanghai Port |  | 17 December 2023 | Present | 82 | 53 | 12 | 17 | 203 | 117 | +86 | 064.63 |
| Total | 428 | 228 | 81 | 119 | 812 | 555 | +257 | 053.27 | |||
South Melbourne FC
Crystal Palace
Rangers
Millwall
Melbourne Victory
Australia
Individual
Melbourne Victory
Yokohama F. Marinos
Shanghai Port
Individual
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)If clawing back a two-goal deficit wasn't difficult enough, Victory was forced to play the final 25 minutes without Muscat. Just eight minutes after his first caution, he tangled with Hughes and a swinging arm floored the Adelaide midfielder, earning the feisty defender his marching orders.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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