Former Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak has retired from professional football.
Jedinak, 35, announced via Instagram that “it’s now time for a new chapter”, as well as thanking former teammates, players and family.
The Western Sydney native last laced up for Aston Villa in the Championship, before being released in 2019.
A Former Central Coast Mariner, Jedinak made more than 80 appearances in the A-League before joining Turkish side Gençlerbirliği in 2009.
Following a brief loan spell at Antalyaspor, Jedinak joined Crystal Palace, where he spent more than five seasons, making 165 appearances.
In 2011, Jedinak took the captain’s arm-band and a season later, was voted Crystal Palace’s Player of the Season, proving pivotal en-route to their promotion winning season.
Jedinak maintained his starting spot throughout Palace’s fight against the drop, providing sturdy and reliable defensive presence across the midfield.
In 2014, Jedinak was named the fifth-best player in Europe, the best midfielder in Europe and the best player in the Premier League after the first three months of the 2014–15 season by the website Oulala Fantasy Football based on Opta performance statistics, an accolade he brushed off as reported by Australian broadcaster Special Broadcasting Service.
Jedinak captained Palace in their 2016 F.A Cup final loss to Manchester United, one of his last appearances as captain, before resigning from the role and leaving Palace at the end of the campaign.
Jedinak joined Aston Villa in 2016, making 70 appearances across three seasons. After winning promotion in 2018-19, Jedinak was released from the club, taking time away from the game before rejoining Villa as part of the academy coaching staff.
Jedinak’s international career was just as prolific, representing Australia 79 times across two World Cups, as captain, as well as three Asian Cup campaigns.
In 2015 Jedinak became Australia’s inaugural Asian Cup winning captain after the Socceroos defeated South Korea 2-1 in Sydney.
The midfielder was then an important cog three years later in Russia, scoring twice from the penalty spot at the World Cup in addition to a hattrick in the second leg qualifier against Honduras.
