Jamie Maclaren to leave City, A-Leagues at end of season
Melbourne City has confirmed that Jamie Maclaren is set to leave the club at the end of the 2023-24 A-League Men season to join a club outside the Australian top flight.
Melbourne City has confirmed that Jamie Maclaren is set to leave the club at the end of the 2023-24 A-League Men season to join a club outside the Australian top flight.
Maclaren, 30, joined City midway through the 2018-19 campaign and has gone on to score 135 goals for his hometown club, the latest of which came on Sunday when he scored the lone goal of the game to defeat Western United and seal a tenth-straight year of finals football for his side.
Sunbury-raised, the striker was named captain of the club this season following the retirement of Scott Jamieson at the end of last season and informed his teammates of his decision before that game against Western. He will have a membership category created in his honour by City in the wake of his departure, as well as receiving a lifetime membership alongside his family.
Becoming the leading goalscorer in A-League Men history in 2022-23 – behind only Damian Mori on the all-time Australian goalscoring charts – Maclaren won four-straight Golden Boots during his time with City, to go along with three premierships, a 2020-21 title, and four PFA team of the season nods.
He is the only player in A-League history to score 100 goals with a single club and is just the third player in Melbourne Heart/City history to make 150 appearances across all competitions, alongside Jamieson and Curtis Good.
“It’s a bittersweet moment for me to leave the club that I’ve called home for the past five and a half years,” said Maclaren. “I’m incredibly proud of what I’ve been able to achieve here, both personally and as a team.
“I came here to help bring success to this Club and I leave knowing that I played my role in that, where together we’ve made so many fond memories and shared so much success.
“To my teammates, the staff and our amazing supporters, I want to say thank you for making my time here so special.”
Maclaren’s best campaign at City came in 2020-21, where he averaged a goal every 82 minutes as City secured its first pieces of league silverware in league history in taking out the premiership.
This season, however, has been a down one based on the incredibly lofty standards the Socceroo has set for himself over the years; his ten goals underperforming his expected goals (xG) tally by five and representing the lowest return across a full season since his 2014-15 campaign with Perth Glory.
Amidst what is believed to be an impasse between player and club over the terms of a contract extension and a nine-game run without a goal, the striker was benched by Aurelio Vidmar across a five-game stretch late in the season in favour of teenage striker Max Caputo, with the coach stating it was designed to ease the pressure on his skipper as he struggled to find form.
Tongues were then set wagging when he declared that Caputo “is probably the guy who is going to be banging in the goals for this club next season,” in the wake of his return to the starting lineup in a record-setting 8-0 win over Perth, persistent rumours having at that point linked him to expansion franchise Auckland FC.
Maclaren’s professionalism, however, was consistently praised by those at the club throughout his time on the bench, particularly the work he did to share his striking experience with his understudy Caputo. He has found form since returning to the XI, as well, scoring two goals in his last three games.
Starting with a Melbourne Derby elimination final against Melbourne Victory this Sunday evening, the striker will now get the chance to see out his City career on a high and be on the field to receive an A-League Men title.
“Jamie embodies everything we stand for as a club,” said City director of football Michael Petrillo.
“He’s been an outstanding footballer for us and an exceptional role model for his teammates and young fans.
“On the pitch, his name will remain in the record books forever. Not only is he the league's greatest-ever goal scorer, but he also made an enormous contribution to our Men’s team during their most successful period.
“Jamie leaves City a legend, and with his family, he will always be welcome back at our club.”