Ex-Socceroo and now former Melbourne Victory goal keeper, Michael Petkovic, announced today he has retired from football after a successful 16-year playing career. Petkovic has performed for various football clubs in the country, in Norway and in Turkey. A member of Australia's national team from '01 to '08, Petkovic started playing in 1995 for South Melbourne before he made his much-celebrated Turkish debut in 2002. All in all, the goalie had over 400 field appearances in the 5 teams he has played for.

The 34-year-old athlete has been a governing force to reckon with when it comes to his expertise as a goal keeper. His career experienced its peak when he played for Turkey's Trabzonspor in 2002 where he led the team to the top of official standings. With Petkovics help, the team landed a runner-up position in two Turkey Super Leagues between '02 and '05. Petkovic proved he's more than just a 2-time runner-up when Trabzonspor performed at its best during the 2003 Turkish Cup.

The Perth native's career didn't go as smooth as all would think. Due to work permit nuisances in France, he wasn't able to play for South Melbourne at the FIFA World Cup championship in Rio de Janiero's inaugural tournament.

Petkovic is the fifth key player from Melbourne Victory who has left the squad, along with Luke Pilkington (who appeared in a reality show called Football Superstar), midfielder Marvin Angulo, striker Robbie Kruse and Kevin Muscat who are all preparing to play for other teams. With Petkovic's retirement, Victory made sure their power-playing arsenal is kept full. The team decided to recruit Marco Rojas from Wellington who's famous for his speed and agility, Isaka Cernak from North Queensland, NYL's James Jeggo, and Roar's Jean Carlos Solozano.