In November 2005, John Aloisi etched his name in Australian sporting folklore.
With the weight of the nation upon him, the then-29-year-old remained composed as he slotted the decisive penalty in the shoot-out against Uruguay to book the Socceroos' first appearance at a World Cup in 32 years.
With the crowd roaring, an ecstatic Aloisi took his shirt off and ran around the field.
It's a moment forever engraved in the Australian psyche and the defining one of his football career.
But the defining moment of John Aloisi's life took place two years ago.
At the age of 43 and seemingly fit and healthy, the Socceroos legend began feeling short of breath.
"I had a gut feeling something wasn't right," Aloisi told ABC Sport.
Despite having no other physical symptoms, he immediately saw a doctor, who referred him to a cardiologist.
The decision saved his life.
An echocardiogram found a tear in Aloisi's mitral valve, which is one of four valves in the heart that keeps blood flowing.
"I was in shock, it just snuck up on me," he said.
Aloisi had no history of heart problems: the rupture was spontaneous.
He underwent open-heart surgery the following week, with his devoted wife and three daughters by his side.
"I tried to stay strong for the girls and let them know their dad was going to be fine."
But deep down he was terrified, not knowing if he'd survive or fully recover.
'I prayed a lot': Aloisi
His strong faith and Catholic upbringing was one major source of comfort.
"I prayed a lot, I can tell you that," Aloisi said.
He did everything possible to stay positive, including regular meditation and reading self-help books.
Thankfully, the surgery was a success.
So much so, his surgeon likened the moment to "taking your top off and running around in the room," paying homage to his famous shirtless run.
Return to coaching a matter of Aloisi following his heart
While he recovered in hospital and reflected on his life, Aloisi says he realised the importance of following his heart.
"I missed coaching and football," he said.
The desire to achieve more in his coaching career motivated him to get fit again and return to the A-League Men (ALM) competition.
Since taking over as the new ALM head coach of Western United for the 2021-2022 season, the Socceroos legend is relishing his third tilt as a coach, even amid all the COVID-19 disruptions.
"I've evolved a lot as a person and coach and am really enjoying it this time around."
As well as being wiser and more experienced, Aloisi credits having the right people around him, though it hasn't been without its challenges.
"We got hit hard with COVID, up to 20 players and some staff contracted it.
"It has been very disruptive," said Aloisi, who was one of the few to have not caught the virus.
Hard to keep Diamanti away as Green and Black return to action
Western United haven't played a game since Boxing Day, where the Green and Black suffered its second loss of the season against Melbourne Victory.
Nine players were missing from that game because of COVID-19, including captain Alessandro Diamanti.
As with many other sports, the pandemic forced a number of matches in the competition to be postponed.
Now, after almost a month away, Western United is preparing to return to the pitch against the Wellington Phoenix in Wollongong on Friday
According to Aloisi, the players are pumped to return, especially Diamanti.
"It's going to be hard to keep Alessandro away, now that there are games coming up," he said.
"The team's had some really solid training this week and we're all excited."
A victory on Friday would temporarily take Western United to the top of the table.
"Hopefully, we can have success at the club, we're craving for it and working hard.
"But there are still a lot of games to go."
'One of the lucky ones'
As Aloisi relishes his time back in the ALM competition, life after open-heart surgery is different.
Family has always come first, but it's never been more significant.
His strong faith also keeps him grounded.
"I believe if you have good faith, it can help you through some tough times"
Aloisi remains a passionate ambassador for the Heart Foundation and continues to share his story in the hope it will increase awareness of what remains the leading cause of death worldwide.
"Heart disease is the biggest killer — we forget about that and take it for granted when we're healthy and feeling good," Aloisi said.
"I'm one of the lucky ones."
For more information on heart disease, visit the Department of Health.
