Born in 1970, Durić would famously leave his war-torn homeland to hitchhike his way to competing for Bosnia at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, only for his footballing exploits to evolve into an equally remarkable tale.

After establishing himself as a professional in Australia and China, a former teammate’s recommendation took him to Singapore, sparking a 15-year, 387-goal love-affair which saw Durić make an international debut at the age of 37 and win the 2012 AFF Cup before finally retiring as a beloved figure in 2014.

In conversation with the-AFC.com, Singapore’s Olympian goal-machine looks back of over his extraordinary career, and his plans to guide the next generation of Singaporeans in his role with the ActiveSG academy.

Khujand, who finished 15 points adrift of Istiklol last season, threatened to cause an upset when they took the lead through a second-minute strike from on-loan FC Bunyodkor forward Sanjar Rikhsiboev, but two goals in two minutes from Manuchehr Dzahlilov and Muhammadjon Rakhimov settled the tie in the Dushanbe club’s favour.

But while that remarkable win over the defending champions was ultimately in vain as JDT missed out on a place in the knockout rounds of the competition, captain Hariss Harun believes it has given the club from southern Malaysia the belief they can compete with anyone in Asia.

When Japan defeated China PR to be crowned continental champions in 2004, that was the first AFC Asian Cup final not to feature Saudi Arabia for 24 years. This incredible stat is perhaps the best testament to how dominant the Green Falcons had been in the last part of the 20th century.