Departing Wellington Phoenix captain Steven Taylor has hinted he might have been persuaded to play on, if the club had offered him a contract beyond this coming A-League season.
One week after being named skipper, the Englishman has shocked teammates and fans with a retirement announcement that came out of the blue.
Taylor, 35, has put his decision down to family and the pressures of continuing his career under COVIC-19 restrictions, but admits he might have stayed on, if the Phoenix had extended his contract into 2023.
"I tried and if we'd said that, it might be different now," he tells Newshub. "I've just got to understand that this is the football side of things and you've got to accept it.
"I had a good chat with them and they said 'let's see how you get on this year and if things go well, we'll see how you hold up bodywise'. That's when I started thinking I've really got to look beyond football now.
"When you don't get that kind of love any more, you've got to start looking - that's one of the reasons I've had to do what I've done."
Taylor arrived at Wellington in 2018 and has wracked up 61 appearances for the club, but terminated a two-year contract to chase an opportunity in the Indian Super League. When that fell through, he returned to the Phoenix for the end of their Australia-based 2020/21 season.
The defender admits he has struggled with New Zealand's managed isolation requirements and lockdowns, and did not relish the prospect of another season offshore, away from the club's 'Yellow Fever' fanbase.
But that contract snub also stung.
"If you give me the second year, I can set and get a place out here, and plan for the future," says Taylor. "The one year I felt was like dangling the carrot - 'if you do alright, we might give you something'.
"I'm not an 18-year-old kid where you can dangle the carrot. I'd love to have been given that opportunity, but I guess the club have to do their business and I've got to respect that."
Newshub has approached Wellington Phoenix for comment.
Taylor has played almost 500 games over an 18-year career that included 13 years at Premier League club Newcastle United and appearances for England age-group sides.
His next move will likely see him relocate to Dubai, where he works as a strength and conditioning trainer during the off-season.
