Sydney star Dimitrijevic revels in second chance

Less than two years ago midfielder Milos Dimitrijevic had quit football but now he is vying for the A-League championship.

Milos Dimitrijevic says he is motivated to work harder by the young talent at Sydney FC Source: Getty Images Asia Pacific

He also stands among Sydney FC's greatest, voted unanimously by the club, its players and its members as player of the year, picking up all three gongs in a club first on Tuesday night.

The 31-year-old, who comes off contract at the end of this season, wants nothing more than to stay at the club that has reignited his career.

But Sydney are yet to offer him a new deal as it tries to find a way to fit him under the salary cap.

Dimitrijevic himself wouldn't be drawn on any contract talks, saying his eye is solely on helping Sydney claim the big prize.

"Of course I want to stay here," he said.

"But I'm still focused on the pitch. I hope first we can win the grand final and after that we will have time to talk about next season."

Having joined the Sky Blues in January 2014, Dimitrijevic's superior passing and vision have made him the architect of Sydney's blistering attack this campaign - their best campaign in five years.

But he remembers when things weren't so rosy.

After stints in France and Italy, Dimitrijevic returned to his home country Serbia to play for Red Star Belgrade.

Lacking game-time and inspiration he decided to hang up the boots in 2013.

But a call from his former Red Star teammate, Sydney defender Nikola Petkovic, would change everything.

"He is my best friend so when he called and told me how good everything is in Sydney I believed maybe I can come back and play again," Dimitrijevic said.

"I decided to stop because when you don't enjoy it anymore you have to.

"But football is my life and I've worked very hard and I'm so happy Sydney FC gave me a second chance.

"That's why I'm so proud of these awards because I won them all after my comeback."

Dimitrijevic admits he played just as well at other clubs but says his abundance of game time at Sydney has really allowed him to hone his skills.

He has become a lynchpin in coach Graham Arnold's starting line-up this season, playing every minute of every game bar one.

In fact the only time he's featured on the bench was as part of Sydney's team of the decade also named on Tuesday night.

Dimitrijevic credits Arnold's faith as a main driver behind his stellar form.

"He's like a second father because I have no-one here, my family is in Serbia," Dimitrijevic said.

"He's always available for me and I'm very lucky I have him as coach."

The Sky Blues await either Adelaide, Wellington or Melbourne City in their semi-final at Allianz Stadium on 9 May.