# 2005–06 Melbourne Victory FC season

Melbourne Victory were considered to be one of the future "powerhouse" football clubs in Australia prior to the 2005/06 A-League season, with Socceroos Kevin Muscat and Archie Thompson returning to Melbourne from successful club careers in Europe. It was widely believed that they would be contenders for the A-League championship. However, the team ended up finishing a disappointing seventh and missed out on the finals.

## Players
### First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | AUS | Michael Theoklitos |
| 2 | MF | AUS | Kevin Muscat (captain) |
| 3 | DF | AUS | Daniel Piorkowski |
| 4 | DF | AUS | Mark Byrnes |
| 5 | DF | BEL | Geoffrey Claeys |
| 6 | DF | AUS | Steve Pantelidis |
| 7 | FW | AUS | Michael Ferrante |
| 8 | MF | AUS | Andy Vlahos |
| 9 | FW | AUS | Daniel Allsopp |
| 10 | FW | AUS | Archie Thompson |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 11 | MF | AUS | Vince Lia |
| 12 | MF | AUS | Carl Recchia |
| 13 | MF | AUS | Kristian Sarkies |
| 15 | DF | AUS | Adrian Leijer |
| 16 | DF | AUS | Simon Storey |
| 17 | MF | AUT | Richard Kitzbichler |
| 18 | MF | AUS | Chris Tadrosse |
| 19 | FW | AUS | Ricky Diaco |
| 20 | GK | AUS | Eugene Galeković |

### Transfers

In
| Player | From | Country/State & League From |
| Michael Theoklitos | Bulleen Zebras | VPL |
| Kevin Muscat | Millwall | English Championship |
| Daniel Piorkowski | Melbourne Knights | VPL |
| Mark Byrnes | FC Hameenlinna | Finnish First Division |
| Geoffrey Claeys | Excelsior Mouscron | Jupiler League |
| Steve Pantelidis | Heidelberg United FC | VPL |
| Michael Ferrante | Fawkner Blues | VPL |
| Andy Vlahos | Cercle Brugge | Jupiler League |
| Danny Allsopp | Hull City | English Championship |
| Archie Thompson | Lierse SK | Jupiler League |
| Vince Lia | Fawkner Blues | VPL |
| Carl Recchia | South Melbourne FC | VPL |
| Kristian Sarkies | South Melbourne FC | VPL |
| Adrian Leijer | Melbourne Knights | VPL |
| Simon Storey | Altona Magic | VPL |
| Richard Kitzbichler | Austria Wien | Austrian Bundesliga |
| Chris Tadrosse | Blacktown City FC | NSW Premier League |
| Ricky Diaco | Bulleen Zebras | VPL |
| Eugene Galekovic | SC Beira-Mar | Primeira Liga |

## Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Adelaide United | 21 | 13 | 4 | 4 | 33 | 25 | +8 | 43 | Qualification for 2007 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series |
| 2 | Sydney FC (C) | 21 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 36 | Qualification for 2007 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series |
| 3 | Central Coast Mariners | 21 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 35 | 28 | +7 | 32 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 4 | Newcastle Jets | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 29 | −2 | 31 | Qualification for Finals series |
| 5 | Perth Glory | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 29 | +5 | 29 | |
| 6 | Queensland Roar | 21 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 27 | 22 | +5 | 28 | |
| 7 | Melbourne Victory | 21 | 7 | 5 | 9 | 26 | 24 | +2 | 26 | |
| 8 | New Zealand Knights | 21 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 15 | 47 | −32 | 6 | |
* ↑ New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

## 2005–06 end-of-season awards

* Player of the Year (Victory Medal)
** Kevin Muscat
* Clubman of the Year
** Adrian Leijer
* Players' Player of the Year
** Adrian Leijer
* Golden Boot
** Archie Thompson
* Union Supporters Fans' Player of the Year
** Richard Kitzbichler