Sydney FC's Golden Boot winner Adrian Segecic believes his transformation from a "nervous" bit-part player to one of the A-League Men's most lethal marksmen is due to confidence gained during a loan spell in the Netherlands in 2023-24.
The attacking midfielder had played in Sydney's first team in previous seasons but struggled to make an impact. This season, however, the 20-year-old scored 18 goals in all competitions, and has reportedly caught the eye of several European clubs.
Segecic, who earlier this week confirmed to ESPN that his agents were exploring a transfer in the upcoming window, described his recent season with the Sky Blues as his "breakout year."
"This was the year where I finally had the chance and actually showed everyone [that] what I did at a youth level, I can do at first team level as well," he said.
He credits his 2023-24 season on loan at FC Dordrecht in the Dutch Keuken Kampioen Divisie -- the country's second division -- for his transformation as a player.
"Coming into Sydney FC when I was 16 or 17, it's totally different stepping on the park [compared to now]. You are always nervous and scared to back yourself," Segecic said.
"When I went over to Holland and came back, the one thing I learnt was to show yourself and not to care. That's what got me to have this unbelievable season. I was just so confident."
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Segecic's season was that he started only 19 of his 35 appearances for Sydney FC, as he was forced to compete for a spot in the Sky Blues' star-studded attacking roster with the likes of Douglas Costa, Patryk Klimala and Joe Lolley.
Segecic was initially used as an impact player and scored eight goals off the bench as a "super-sub" including a 22-minute hat trick against the Central Coast Mariners in January. But, with Sydney's season on the line, he eventually forced his way into coach Ufuk Talay's starting XI.
"I always said to myself, 'I can only control what I can control'. Even if it's [only] 10 minutes, I can go on the field and score a goal or get an assist, and force the coach to look at me and think 'how do I not play him next game,'" Segecic said.
"I just kept doing it. I think towards the end he saw that he needed me out there for 90 minutes and that I could help him for 90 -- and I think that's when he [Talay] started to change the team around to fit me in."
Apart from his Dutch experience, Segecic told ESPN he had learnt a lot from Costa -- the pair play the same position -- and said it had been a privilege to play with the Brazil great, who earlier this year praised Segecic as player with a "rich future."
"If you look at a lot of my goals, he's always trying to ... find my runs and get me on the edge of the box where he knows I'm most dangerous," he said.
"He was always there to guide and help me. Anytime I needed help or anything he was always there. He didn't have to do that."
In terms of his next step, and a possible transfer abroad, the most important factor will be choosing a club that values his attacking skills.
"The biggest thing for me is to play for a club where I can repeat what I've done this year," he said.