After the Wanderers' regular goalkeeper Vedran Janjetovic was sidelined with a long-term shoulder injury, Babbel looked to Lopar.

He made an ambitious pitch to the 34-year-old Swiss keeper who was part of the furniture at St Gallen for 13 years and 299 appearances. Lopar had qualified for the Europa League with the and developed a strong bond with their fans, who would sing his name and make banners for their long-serving custodian. However entrenched, the opportunity to move to Australia was an adventure Lopar couldn't refuse in the twilight of his professional career.

"It was just the right moment to make something new. My family wanted to change something. My little daughter is in the right age to do an adventure like this and, yes, one or two years we will go back to Switzerland and she will start to go to school. For me, it’s the perfect moment to move," Lopar said. "I saw there was a big fan base and, for me, it was clear that I wanted to leave for here."

Lifestyle wasn't the only factor behind his decision to move so far from home. Babbel wanted a goalkeeper he knew could influence outcomes, and he went to Lopar expressing the Wanderers' fierce desire for a trophy. It's been 15 years since Lopar clinched the only winners' medal of his career – a Swiss Cup he won with FC Wil in 2004 – and Babbel made it clear that he needed a sturdy defence if he is to deliver the Wanderers their first A-League championship.

"He told me that to win something we need a good defensive structure and he wanted to have a good goalkeeper and that’s the reason he called me," Lopar said.

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What Babbel also said was that Western Sydney was not a world away from the culture around Lopar's former home.

"St Gallen is similar to here because the fan base is big. It’s a very emotional club, St Gallen. They don’t have much money but they expect always the best. It changes very quickly. I think it’s a little bit similar here. Last year was not so good and this year they expect very much," he said.

The veteran goalkeeper is hoping it won't take long for the Wanderers' faithful to sing his name as loudly as the fans back in St Gallen.