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fter 11 seasons, Archie Thompson bade an emotional farewell to Melbourne Victory fans in the AFC Champions League on Tuesday night, but he world record holder is still good enough to score goals elsewhere in Asia.

As it stands, the 37-year-old’s final match as a professional player will come on Tuesday at the Jeonju World Cup Stadium in South Korea as Victory faces Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in an ACL round of 16, second leg match.

But Thompson, who once netted 13 goals in a World Cup qualifier, could easily prolong his career in the warmer climes of Southeast Asia’s top leagues.

And sources tell ESPN FC that the feelers are already out in Malaysia and Singapore as the ex-PSV forward explores the possibility of a short-term contract or guest stint.

It was not his best performance in the 1-1 draw against Jeonbuk. Thompson started wide on the left in a front three, alongside the more prominent Besart Berisha and Kosta Barbarouses, before making a tearful exit when substituted in the 68th minute.

But he has done a lot more than just make up the numbers in Victory’s most successful ever Champions League campaign. He contributed a crucial goal in the 2-1 win over 2008 Asian champions Gamba Osaka on May 3 and started in all six Group G games.

A-League winning coach Mike Mulvey, now in charge of Malaysia Super League club Terengganu, has no doubt that Thompson would be a consistent scorer in Malaysia.

“He’s the kind of guy whose attitude and enthusiasm are infectious and can mix in with any group of players,” said Mulvey, who made inquiries about signing Thompson in 2013 during his time at Brisbane Roar.

“He’d get in the right places and score goals. As long as the desire is there, he’d make a difference.”

Thompson’s age has reportedly put off several top Southeast Asian clubs, but he still has the pace off the mark, technical ability and attacking vision honed in 224 Melbourne Victory appearances, scoring 90 times. He has 178 professional goals in total and 28 in 54 appearances for the Socceroos.

His world record 13-goal haul against American Samoa in an OFC World Cup qualifier in April 2001 has become a source of sports trivia questions and sets him apart from others.

But it is unfair to define a 12-year international career by a game played against a bunch of amateurs in the New South Wales holiday town of Coffs Harbour more than a decade and a half ago.

People forget that while Thompson never appeared in a World Cup finals’ game, he played a crucial part in helping Australia get to two of the tournaments.

In the first leg of the playoff against Uruguay for the 2006 World Cup, he put in a brave performance as he started up front with Mark Viduka in front of a hostile crowd in Montevideo. Australia returned home with a narrow 1-0 loss before winning the second leg in Sydney after a penalty shootout.

Then-Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink was so impressed with Thompson that he took him to his Dutch club side, PSV, for a loan spell in the lead-up to the 2006 World Cup.

And yet, despite making the 23-man squad in his nation’s most successful ever World Cup, he failed to see any game time in Germany.

Later, in its faltering 2014 World Cup campaign, Australia trailed Iraq 1-0 with time running out in Doha. Thompson came off the bench and helped change the match.

After Tim Cahill equalized in the 80th minute, Thompson’s goal four minutes later secured a crucial three points for the Socceroos, putting them back on track for Brazil qualification.

The big personalities of Thompson and Cahill have often been intertwined; with the latter adopting the former’s punching corner flag goal celebration. Thompson created it for the amusement of his kids and Cahill has taken it from Merseyside to the US and now to China, not to mention World Cups in Germany, South Africa and Brazil.

Thompson’s humility and sense of fun have always defined him. When all the tears had been shed after the Melbourne send off at Tuesday night’s game, Thompson summed up his connection with the fans when he said: “I consider myself to be one of them [...] not a player but a supporter,” he said.

It’s that kind of attitude that could make Archibald Gerald Thompson an instant hero in Southeast Asia.
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 Jason Dasey is senior editor of ESPN FC, Indonesia’s most popular English language soccer website with a Southeast Asian edition and a daily Bahasa Indonesia TV show on NET. Twitter: @ESPNFC_ID