Harry Kewell has revealed that he considered retiring from professional football during his time with Liverpool.
The 35-year old attacking midfielder is set to make his final pro appearance when he steps out for the Melbourne Heart against Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday, bringing an end to a career which has spanned almost two decades.
Kewell rose to prominence with Leeds United between 1996 and 2003 before moving to Anfield where he battled for consistency because of various injuries.
Kewell's time with Liverpool was much-maligned despite the fact he won a Champions League and FA Cup but he suggests he may not have be able to count those trophies now if he had decided to end his career back when he was struggling.
"My injuries were my biggest regret, I'd be lying if I said that thought (retirement) didn't creep into my mind (at Liverpool)," he told News Limited.
"Sitting on the edge of my bed looking down at the floor thinking what's wrong with me? Why is this happening to me? What have I done? Every time I kicked the ball something broke.
"It was moments like that when I thought I might as well just walk away from the game, I'm done. They're the moments that truly test you.
"But I had too strong a family and too many people that cared about me that said don't walk away.
"Liverpool, I signed for five years and felt that for three of those I was injured. I'm not one to take the piss, if you only saw the amount of strapping I had.
"I used to go out to games where I couldn't kick with my left foot and I could only turn in one direction but I still felt I was playing good football.
"Everyone has regrets, but the bad experiences and wrong decisions can sculpt you as a person.
"What I can say is that I pushed my body to the limit. And then I kept going."
After his time spent with the Reds, Kewell moved to Turkey to join Istanbul giants Galatasaray before returning to Australia in 2011 to sign with A-League club Melbourne Victory.
A brief stint in Qatar with Al-Gharafa was next on the agenda before he again came to Melbourne, this time to join the Heart, where he will end his sublime career this weekend.
