Former Sydney FC defender Matt Jurman has opened up about the agonising decision to leave the undefeated Sky Blues and take up an offer at one of Asia's footballing giants.
Having knocked back an approach from a Dutch club in the winter, Jurman had set his sights on finally helping Sydney break their A-League title drought in the summer.
But just as the Sky Blues positioned themselves as the team to beat with a historic unbeaten run through to January, Korean club Suwon came calling about Jurman's services.
"It was a tough decision. But you never know when these things are going to pop up again. Suwon is the biggest club in Asia," Jurman told AAP during the club's preseason in Spain.
"I've had a few [offers] to go overseas. Whether it was the right move or the right time or whatever, I turned them down. I felt like this is a good time for me personally and a good club as well."
The 27-year-old admitted he almost left to go overseas in August, but was driven to push Sydney back into title contention after missing the finals last season.
When the January transfer window opened, the Sky Blues' undefeated streak had hit 13 games.
"It was just before a preseason game in Perth. We had an FFA Cup game and it was just before then. I made the decision to stay at Sydney because I wanted to help them win," he said.
"It was all going to plan this year but you don't know when these opportunities are going to come up again. I definitely felt like I was playing my best football in the last two or three years.
"I had a couple of other Korean clubs call me as well, but I just felt like Suwon are a great club.
"It's a good place for me to come. They're in the Asian Champions League and I think I can do well here. They've got great fans and a good stadium. I just had a good feeling about it."
Jurman said he had yet to miss a Sydney FC game and believed the team could go on to become the A-League's first "Invincibles" and remain undefeated on their way to a title.
The ladder leaders are 12 points clear of second-placed Melbourne Victory on the competition table with eight games to go in the regular season, including Saturday's Sydney derby.
"I'm still here watching, feeling like a part of the team. It's great to see that they've still kicked on with it and definitely feel proud of what's been achieved so far," he said.
"I definitely think they can stay undefeated. They just need to stay focused every game and take each game as it comes. The boys are all motivated to do it."