Written by: Phoon Jia Hui

After 16 years in the Great Eastern Yeo’s S.League, the curtains are set to fall on former Singapore international, Aleksandar Duric.

The naturalised Singaporean striker is set to hang up his boots at the end of the season and retire from professional football.

On Thursday, it was announced that the Tampines Rovers man will play for Singapore Legends in the Castlewood Group Liverpool Masters, which at the same time will also serve as his testimonial match.

This full-field match at the Jalan Besar Stadium on November 15 will also see the likes of Fandi Ahmad and V. Sundramoorthy pitting their skills alongside former Kop stars Robbie Fowler and Ian Rush.

It will be a fitting tribute for Duric who also holds the record for the most number of goals scored in the league (385). The evergreen striker is also both an eight-time S.League and RHB Singapore Cup winner,  while collecting multiple Player of the Year and Top Scorer awards at the same time.

Speaking at the press conference at The Westin Singapore on Thursday, the 44-year-old expressed gratitude for what Singapore has given him throughout the years.

“Yes I’m retiring this season, my last game will be on October 31 [against Brunei DPMM in the S.League],” Duric shared.

“I’m looking forward to retiring but I had a good professional soccer life and I must say Singapore gave me a fantastic part of my life, not only football but also my family like my kids. I’m thankful to what Singapore has done for me.”

Calling on the fans to come watch him grace the pitch for one last time, Duric is also keen to make use of this occasion to say ‘a big thank you’ to them.

“I’m also hoping to see all the fans in Singapore come forward and see the legends of Liverpool, all the big stars and also us as Singapore Legends. I’m looking forward,” he expressed.

“[It will be a] fantastic opportunity for myself to say a big thank you for everybody for all they did for me. I think I did my best and hope I did not disappoint them.”