FFA Chief Executive James Johnson acknowledged the agreement and said “I’d like to thank the players and clubs for their commitment to re-starting the A-League 2019/20 season.

"These are extremely challenging times and I’d like to acknowledge the leadership shown by all to ensure our loyal supporters across Australia will be able to see their favourite teams back in action again soon."

Last week we presented the candidates for the 2017 edition's best goalkeeper, and now it's time to turn our attention to defenders.

So, here are 14 players in contention for the four places in the backline. Review the nominees and then choose your favourite defenders for this all-star XI in the respective polls.

Espanyol looked doomed to relegation as they restarted six points adrift of safety after three months away but Wu Lei's excellent performance has given them renewed hope of survival.

Now working in youth development within Vietnam's U-19 side, the tactician originally replaced Takeshi Okada in 1998 at the helm of the Japan national side, with a mission to improve upon the nation's previous results in their FIFA World Cup debut in his native France.

Troussier recalls the time leading up to Asia's first FIFA World Cup and the four historic matches that he oversaw as head coach.

Indeed, with the Koreans sharing the tournament’s hosting duties alongside regional rivals Japan, much was expected of both Park and the rest of Guus Hiddink’s squad ahead of their campaign against the world’s elite. Neither were to disappoint.

Unlike the Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga and Eredivisie, the success stories of Asian footballers in Spain belongs to a more exclusive cast, often due to the challenging nature of the country's footballing landscape.

To help us study this select group of players, we have enlisted the go-to-guy for all things Spanish football, Sid Lowe.

Coming straight from the wind-blast of winter in Wellington (where it snowed the day later) into Kuala L was a shock for most players and the England captain Lineker - although more 'acclimatised' than most - was equally shocked.

"I got a few that night,” he remembers modestly of his four-goal haul, but it was the backstory to the game that was to play out for the next 12 months.