He's 39 and has spent 25 years at one club but his biggest football dream is still seven years away

Mathew Grbesa is not only a name synonymous with Canberra Croatia, he is also a club legend who represents all that they stand for. Grbesa has spent more than 25 years living out his childhood dream at Canberra Croatia, but at 39, with retirement nowhere in sight, the evergreen captain is holding onto a dream that would mean more than any trophy, championship or individual accolade.

Seven more years: that's the ambitious timeline set by his eight-year-old boy, who hopes to one day pull on the famous red, white and blue alongside his father. "My son's got the idea that I can play another seven years so that he'll be 15 and old enough to play, and we could play together," Grbesa told Football360 in the midst of their 2026 Australian Championship campaign.

In seven years' time, I'll be 45 or 46, so that could be a possibility. Hopefully, if the body holds out, I don't see why not.

"Whether it's a playing-coach role, maybe I sub myself on for 10 minutes at the end of the game just to say that we've played together." His son has the same passion for the club that Grbesa had when he was growing up. Wherever he goes, he's wearing a Canberra Croatia jersey.

"He just loves it as much as I do," Grbesa said. It is a beautiful thought when you consider what NPL Capital Football powerhouse Canberra Croatia means to Grbesa, and how the club has shaped generations of their family.

Canberra Croatia have never simply been somewhere to play football for Grbesa, it has been home for as long as he can remember. His father played for the club, his mother worked in the bistro and his childhood weekends were spent watching his heroes from the sidelines, kicking a ball with friends and waiting for his parents to finish socialising in the clubrooms long after the final whistle.

Sometimes, he would fall asleep on chairs inside the clubhouse. Nobody knew when they were going home and that was simply life growing up at Canberra Croatia and for many involved at these proud and historic clubs across the country.

"It was always an aspiration to play and represent the club at its highest level, which we've achieved now," said Grbesa, who also spent time playing for Melbourne Knights in Victoria and abroad in India. "It's a privilege to put on the jersey.

Still at this age, to be able to captain the club and guide the next generation, it's all my dreams really."