He is Australia’s best at changing a game. With an outstretched toe, a snap side-foot, glancing in from the near post, or a lob few thought on. Strike upon strike – 154 in the A-League and 11 for the Socceroos – it has been Jamie Maclaren ending hopes, sealing fates.
But in the past eight months, the change has been on him. “When I had Remy, it changed my whole outlook on life, and this game,” Maclaren says ahead of Melbourne City’s elimination final against local rivals Victory this weekend.
It will be Maclaren’s last Melbourne derby; he has reportedly signed a deal overseas – some say India – that will end the local tenure of the A-League Men’s all-time top goalscorer.
It is his baby Remy and Iva, wife and partner of more than a decade, who have been the main influences in his decision. “It wasn’t easy to have a conversation with her,” Maclaren says of his discussions with Iva about the family’s next move.
“I’m a father now so when you have a baby that enters the world, your mental state shifts,” he says. “You think about external things and what will benefit your family, and that’s certainly one that’s, first and foremost, in front of my mind.”
They may be the main influences on his decision, but not the only ones. Socceroos coach Graham Arnold couldn’t find a place for Maclaren among the 26 he named for January’s Asian Cup. For a man who was still in his prime, with two World Cups to his name, it was a disappointment.
“After the Asian Cup, when I knew that I wasn’t playing for the Socceroos that maybe a fresh start [was needed],” he says.
Maclaren had been able to remain involved in the Socceroos while basing himself in Australia, since returning from his second crack at Europe in 2019. It’s a combination few have managed to maintain. But as the winds change on his Socceroos career – and with Remy’s arrival – Maclaren has too.
“I understood the Asian Cup omission and just carried on with my football. Goals come, minutes come, that will take care of itself,” he says. “If it doesn’t, then obviously I know that I’ve been at two World Cups and an Asian Cup so I can’t control what Arnie does.”
The news of Maclaren’s departure from the A-Leagues had been rumoured since January, but it wasn’t confirmed until this week.
It’s hard to see it as anything else than a blow for Australian football. Whatever club they support, most fans begrudgingly respect the sheer effectiveness of Maclaren. Australia has lost one of the local league’s few world-class performers.
But the flip side of his move is that it injects the A-League Men finals series – starting this weekend – with additional theatre. Sunday’s elimination final could be the striker’s last. A crowd close to capacity at the 30,000 seat AAMI Park is expected.
Maclaren remains focused on the task at hand. Despite his role in the news cycle this week, the City captain resisted doing any more than the bare minimum of media responsibilities. At his lone press conference on Friday, he refused to address rumours of where he will play next. “It wouldn’t be fair on the club and my teammates to speak about that,” he says.
He was asked about his decision to leave City: “Nothing’s broken, nothing’s bitter.”
About whether he might one day return: “I’m not ruling it out in any way. I love this league.”
About whether he has had any second thoughts: “You don’t want to regret not taking opportunities because you want to have a nice pasta down the road with your coffee.”
But it’s clear this drumbeat in the box has, at least slightly, changed his rhythm.
He admits he “needed a new challenge”, and notes that professional football – as he gets closer to the end of his career – is no longer just about goals and trophies. “It is our job, people forget sometimes we have to put food on the table.”
In that context, Maclaren’s next move makes sense. A new club, a fast-growing daughter, a loving wife. “She supports me, she has for 11 years now throughout everything, so I really look forward to our next chapter.”
The A-League Men’s greatest goalscorer may be off again, but he’ll keep one eye on home. And Maclaren has as many as four games this season to increase his tally of 154.
“I just hope that there’s someone out there that will try and track me down, or has a fire in their belly,” he says. “I’m leaving this behind. I hope there’s a legacy there.”
