It is a measure of Tim Brown's character that he wanted to drift out of football without a fuss.

The All Whites and Phoenix midfielder decided to retire, at 31, about two weeks ago, but he publicly announced his shock move only yesterday and even that took some persuading from those close to him.

In classic Brown fashion, he wanted to slip out the back door quietly, and certainly without taking attention away from the Phoenix's crunch A-League playoff match against Sydney in Wellington on Friday.

But he was persuaded by others that the fans would be disappointed if they did not have an opportunity to farewell their home-grown product.

"It's a huge thing and a surprisingly emotional thing, too. It's snuck up on me.

"I was a mess when I told the team last week.

"I'm a bit stunned myself, and I made the decision a week or two ago, but telling people makes it a whole lot more real.

"It's been really good to share this with the players but also I don't want to dwell. The season is still going on and there is still a lot to achieve yet."

An opportunity to complete a master's degree in management at either the London School of Economics or Cambridge University was too good to turn down, so Brown will hang up his boots.

He has already been accepted into the former and is awaiting news from Cambridge, but either way he is off.

Likeable, humble and intelligent, Brown completed his undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2004 while playing football in the United States college system, before embarking on a professional football career.

A foundation Phoenix member and longtime vice-captain, he has played 110 matches and scored 22 goals, second only to Paul Ifill, a top ratio for a midfielder.

He has also played 29 matches for the All Whites since 2005, coinciding with arguably their most successful and exciting time in international football, and has captained them on several occasions when Ryan Nelsen has been unavailable.

Having missed out getting on the field during the World Cup finals in South Africa after sustaining a shoulder injury against Australia in a leadup game, it was tempting for Brown to continue, especially with Brazil 2014 just around the corner.

"I still hadn't made my decision around the Jamaica game in Auckland last month and you look at the talent in that team, it's probably one of the most talented New Zealand teams I've been a part of," Brown said.

"You look at that and say 'what are you potentially walking away from?', but you have to give something like a World Cup campaign everything."

Brown played a big part in the 1-0 World Cup-qualifying win over Bahrain in 2009, both as a player and in the leadup to the match.

He helped to devise the marketing campaign  'One Shot for Glory'  that led to a sellout crowd of 35,000 in his home town and one of the best single nights in New Zealand sporting history.

Brown has his critics. He will admit he is no Carlos Hernandez or Thomas Broich with the ball at his feet, but he's never pretended to be.

He made the best of his talent, forging a reputation as a no-nonsense, combative midfielder who is extremely fit and scores more than his fair share of goals, mainly through late runs into the penalty box.

He is also a respected leader and a popular member of both the Phoenix and All Whites.

He was still enjoying football and walking away from a "dream job", but his decision seemed like "the right thing to do".

His retirement is effective from the end of the season, which could be as early as this Friday, depending on how the Phoenix perform, or another month away if Brown gets his fairytale finish. It would be deserved.

- Fairfax Media