Stefan Mauk wishes he was 10 years younger.

If he was coming through the A-League today at 19, Mauk would be one of the many young Australians being sold overseas for healthy transfer fees and given a shot at a career in one of Europe’s top leagues.

Instead, he’s just turned 30, and at a time when he should be earning the most money in his career, there’s never been less available to players his age in Australia. So he’s gone, having departed Adelaide United on loan to Vietnamese side Công An Hà Nội, a decision he unashamedly admits was mostly about the cash.

Mauk’s departure is part of a broader exodus. Of the top 50 players who recorded goal contributions – goals and assists combined – during the 2024-25 A-League season, almost half of them have left the league.

That includes seven of the top 10 – and the identities and stories behind those seven in particular say it all about the changing face of the competition, and the impact of its ongoing financial crisis.

Four of them are exciting young players, aged 23 or below, seeking to establish themselves abroad: Noah Botic (Western United to FK Austria Wien), Johnny Warren medallist Nicolas Milanovic (Western Sydney to Aberdeen) and joint golden boot winners Adrian Segecic (Sydney FC to Portsmouth) and Archie Goodwin (Adelaide United to Charlotte FC).

A significant number of the A-League Men’s best players from last season have left, including Stefan Mauk, Archie Goodwin, Marin Jakolis, Adrian Segecic.Credit: Stephen Kiprillis

The others are import players at the peak of their powers who, in a bygone era, might have stuck around and seen out their careers here, as did Thomas Broich, Besart Berisha, Diego Castro et al. But Marin Jakolis, after racking up a league-high 12 assists for Macarthur FC, has taken his talents to Armenia’s FC Noah, while Sydney FC weren’t prepared to offer striker Patryk Klimala the sort of money he’s now on at South Korea’s FC Seoul. Most surprisingly, English midfielder Zach Clough has traded Adelaide United for Selangor in Malaysia.

That leaves three. Two of them, Socceroos Brandon Borrello and Adam Taggart, are aged 30-plus and are probably........

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