October 23, 2026 — 3:41pm

When the A-League launched in 2005, Matthew Galea tried to embrace Melbourne Victory. But for whatever reason, it never really felt right to him. It wasn’t until five years later, when rivals Melbourne Heart were introduced to the competition, that he found a team that did.

Melbourne Heart was specifically conceived for people like him, as if they were presenting a slightly more cerebral, European-flavoured alternative to Victory, whose early identity was pinned to star players such as Archie Thompson and Kevin Muscat.

John van ’t Schip was Melbourne Heart’s inaugural coach. Getty Images

Heart were a bit of a work in progress, and that is what appealed to Galea, who nailed his colours to their mast.…