Rojas emerges as man of influence
Marco Rojas - the All White dubbed the ‘‘Kiwi Messi’’ - has regained his reputation as the A-league’s most influential player.
Statistics released by the A-league show Rojas has scored six goals and produced six assists in seven games since his return to Melbourne Victory after three stop-start seasons in Europe.
The Waikato product’s career took off after he left the Wellington Phoenix in 2011 to join Melbourne Victory.
He scored 15 goals in 50 games in Melbourne and won the Johnny Warren Medal as the A-league’s best player in 2012-13.
Big things were predicted when Rojas signed for German Bundesliga club VFB Stuttgart in 2013.
But he broke his foot in the early stages of his first season and struggled to make his mark at Stuttgart who later loaned him to lower league club Spvgg Greuther Furth.
He was confined to three first team appearances there and turned out four times for the reserves in the 2014-15 season.
Stuttgart sent Rojas to Swiss premier league club FC Thun in 2015-16 and the Kiwi scored four goals in 37 games.
Rojas secured a release from Stuttgart in 2016 and expressed a desire to return to the A-league where Melbourne Victory and the Wellington Phoenix were among his suitors.
He plumped for Melbourne, saying ‘‘Victory have always kept in touch’’.
‘‘I had a great time here, it was familiar for me and maybe that will help me get back to playing good football again,’’ Rojas said after re-signing last August on a two-year deal.
The Kiwi, who has played just seven games due to All Whites commitments, has made a smooth transition, leading the assists charts with six and creating 20 chances - second behind Western Sydney Wanderers’ category leader Mitch Nichols who has created 27 chances but has played four more games.
Victory striker Besart Berisha is benefiting from Rojas’ service. The Albanian striker leads the A-league scoring charts with nine goals and has equalled former Victory star Archie Thompson’s record of 90 career goals.
Some critics saw Rojas’ A-league return as a backward move, but he insisted in August that his time in Europe had not been wasted.
‘‘I still believe I’m capable of doing the things I did. I was away for three years so I’d be disappointed if I was exactly the same player,’’ Rojas told Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper.
‘‘I’ve learnt a few different tricks and trained with German internationals and hopefully that will show.’’
It has. In the first half of the season the skilful Kiwi forward has helped Melbourne Victory to third place on the points table.