The hurdles Postecoglou has overcome in the past few months pale in comparison to the challenges his family faced to give him the “dream” life he has today.
Born in Nea Filadelfeia, an Athens suburb, young Postecoglou emigrated to Australia at the age of five after the 1967 Greek military coup resulted in the loss of his father’s business.
Half a century on, the Celtic boss still struggles to comprehend the sacrifices made by his parents, Jim and Voula, who took the 30-day boat trip from Greece without a job or home awaiting them.
“People say you go to another country for a better life,” Postecoglou says, reflecting on his family’s decision. “My parents didn’t have a better life – they went to Australia to provide opportunities for me to have a better life.
“I understand what sacrifice is about, I understand what being in a privileged position like I am now is about. I’m not going to take this for granted because I know how hard my mum and dad worked.
“They sacrificed their whole life for me to be here. I don’t feel like I’m working every day, I feel like I’m living a dream that was founded by other people’s sacrifice.”
Postecoglou acknowledges his relationship with his father, who died in 2018, was far from perfect. He recalls his dad working an endless cycle, leaving before the Melbourne sunrise before returning home to collapse on the couch.
But every Sunday brought a chance to wind down as Jim would swap his relentless work life for a day on the terraces. It was there young Ange would see his real father – and where his love affair with football began.
“I made a quick connection that football’s something that makes him happy,” he says. “So, if I love this like he does, it will get me close to him.
“My childhood was sitting next to him at three o’clock in the morning, watching football from this side of the world. He would always point out the entertainers and the teams that were scoring goals.
“That got into my subconscious. When I became a manager, that’s the kind of teams I wanted to produce.”