Melbourne Victory can confirm that Zinédine Machach has been released from his contract with the Club on compassionate grounds with immediate effect.
Joining the Victory in 2023 after stints with clubs in Europe including Marseille and Napoli, Machach quickly became a fan-favourite after hitting the ground running in Australia, featuring in back-to-back Grand Finals and an Australia Cup Final.
Earning the ‘Velvet Sledgehammer’ tag for his elegant but powerful playing style, Machach’s first game in navy blue included an impressive show of strength, followed by a slick finish to seal all three points over Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium.
The Frenchman would finish out his first campaign with seven goals and five assists in the league, helping Victory reach the A-League Men’s Grand Final.
Zizou then continued to excite fans throughout the 2024/25 season, and played an important part in driving Arthur Diles’ side forward.
The attack-minded midfielder finished his second season at Victory with seven goals and six assists in the league, and has been widely recognised as one of the competition’s finest players.
“I will look back on my time in Melbourne with fond memories,” Machach said.
“It has been a pleasure to represent the Victory and I would like to thank the Club and its fans for making me and my family feel welcomed since I joined. I am sad to be leaving, but this decision is the right one for my family and I appreciate the support I have received from the Club in making this decision.”
Melbourne Victory Director of Football John Didulica spoke highly of Machach and thanked him for his contributions to the Club.
“Zinédine has been a special player and person for us over the past two seasons. He took to the league exceptionally well and played an important part in producing many memorable moments for the Melbourne Victory.
“Whilst we are terribly disappointed to lose someone that we are so close to, we know that Zinedine’s most important roles in life are that of father and husband, so we support his decision entirely to move closer to family for personal reasons.
As we say farewell to Zizou, we have no doubt that with the talent we currently have and the players we are looking to bring in, we can go one better this season.”