Sky Blue midfielder Paulo Retre has declared he’s all Sydney as he prepares for Friday’s #BigBlue encounter at AAMI Park.
A Melbourne Victory youngster until 2012, Retre has been at the Sky Blues since 2017 and said all his family and friends in Victoria are behind him ahead of his ninth appearance in the fixture.
“It was a long time ago, I was just a youth boy there [at Melbourne],” Retre said.
“I enjoyed my time as a youngster there, they helped me develop, but I’m Sydney now.
“Most of my family don’t really follow anyone in Melbourne, they just follow me now at Sydney FC.
“It’s good to just play in front of family and friends. Hopefully they can come down and watch me play [on Friday night].
“It’s a fixture we always look forward to. Historically it’s always a big clash, everyone is really looking forward to the game,” he continued.
“Historically the two are the most successful sides in the A-League so every time they play there’s that rivalry to be the better team.
“It’s also fantastic for the fans as well, it’s the game outside of the derby that the fans really enjoy, they like to beat Melbourne and we have to do it for them.”
With eight wins in the Sky Blues’ last 10 #BigBlue fixtures, Retre said the records surrounding the clash weren’t ones he thinks of, as he said he’s relishing his consistent role in midfield following Brandon O’Neill’s departure.
“We take every game the same,” Retre said.
“There’s a lot of these records around and people have been talking about them but you can’t really look at it as just the #BigBlue, it’s just another game and we go there to get the three points.
“You just try to do your best to win the game, we’ve been in a good run of form lately and hopefully that continues.
“I just want to do my best for the club every week, that’s my main focus,” he continued.
“I’m happy to do my best for the team wherever I’m playing but I’m really enjoying my time in the midfield and hopefully that continues.”
The #BigBlue will take place on Friday 24th January at AAMI Park (kick off 7:30pm AEDT). Watch live on Fox Sports Channel 505, stream on the ‘My Football Live’ app or follow @SydneyFC on Twitter for live updates from the clash.
