Valeri developed brain-related inflammation in November 2015 which affected his balance and coordination and saw him miss 21 games last year, but 32-year-old has made a stellar return for Victory this season.

Valeri has played every minute of 22 starts, leading Victory to 15 wins and a home semi-final against the Brisbane Roar next Sunday.

Victory are one win from a second A-League decider in three seasons, but Valeri knows he could easily have been forced into an early retirement and praised those closest to him after making a full recovery and returning as one of the premier midfielders in the Australian top flight.

"When I was going through my brain disease I was definitely thinking 'am I ever going to get back'," Valeri said.

"I didn't know how things were going to pan out but had a great preseason and with the support of family and friends and the club it was a very easy transition.

"Nothing has really been said about it, everyone has just supported me which has helped me deal with the disease and the other issues it brings, but their support made it easy to overcome."

If Victory get past Brisbane they are expected to meet a red-hot Sydney FC in the final, with the Sky Blues coming off the the best regular season in A-League history.

"We've had a great season, unfortunately Sydney have had an outstanding season, unbeatable at times and proved to be a great side but we're very happy with our performances as well," Valeri said.

"Towards the end we kind of tapered off which was a bit unfortunate but we picked ourselves back up against Western Sydney and Central Coast and we're full of confidence going into the finals.

"We can only control the controllables and that's our game next weekend, I've heard a lot of teams who makes the finals talk about winning the grand final, but first you've got to get there.

"We've shown this season when we perform at our best we're unstoppable. There's two weeks to go, we've worked very hard to get to the business end and it's an exciting but it's time to get the job done."

The Canberra export spent a decade in Europe before joining Victory in 2014 and with little left to prove after 52 Socceroos appearances and an A-League title, Valeri said his fiercely competitive nature will see him play at least a few more seasons.

"Getting to a grand final is a special day, winning something with the guys you've sweat it out with all season is a moment to cherish forever," Valeri said.

"Winning in front of the people who have supported you and backed you your whole life is a very special moment, very special.

"I've signed for another year because I felt on a physical level I was still competitive and as long as I can contribute and influence the team I'll play, when I feel that moment has passed I'll retire.

"I want to continue at the highest level but I don't want to be dragged along and obviously at my age you think about retirement but at this point in time it's far from my mind because I'm focused on the finals coming up."

Melbourne Victory will host Brisbane next Sunday, with Sydney to face the winner of Melbourne City and Perth Glory.