Antony Paul Golec (; born 29 May 1990) is an Australian former professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who played as a
centre back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either ...
. Golec is now a real estate agent after his retirement from professional football.
Club career
Sydney FC
Golec was a member of the inaugural
Sydney FC National Youth League squad in 2008/2009. On 25 October 2008, Golec made his debut for Sydney FC against
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Competing in the country's premier men's competition, the A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL), Victor ...
. He also got his chance against
Perth Glory and was praised by his coaches after the game of his great performance. He went on to make a total of 10 appearances for Sydney FC.
Adelaide United
On 26 September 2011, it was announced that Golec had signed a one-year contract with
Adelaide United
Adelaide United Football Club is a professional soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The club was founded in 2003 to fil ...
. On 22 December 2011, Golec made his debut for Adelaide United coming on the 82nd minute for
Fabian Barbiero. Golec made his home debut as
left back on 30 December 2011 against Wellington Phoenix, scoring his first A-League goal in the 61st minute, Adelaide went on to win 2–0. On 19 March 2012, it was announced Golec had signed an undisclosed contract with Adelaide United for a further two years, which will keep him in Australia until 2014.
On 8 January 2014, after three years at the club, it was announced that Golec would be going to China to explore an opportunity to play for
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association ...
side
Liaoning Whowin
Liaoning Football Club (), officially known as Liaoning Hongyun (), was a professional association football club with a long history in Chinese football. The club can predate their formation to 1953, when Shenyang government sports body joined ex ...
.
Western Sydney Wanderers
On 4 February 2014, it was announced that Adelaide United released Golec. On the same day he signed with
Western Sydney Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier ...
. However, since there are no spaces remaining in the club's A-League squad, Golec will only be eligible to participate in Western Sydney Wanderers's
2014 AFC Champions League
The 2014 AFC Champions League was the 33rd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 12th under the current AFC Champions League title. Guangzhou Evergrande were the defen ...
campaign during the
2013–14 season.
On 12 March, Golec made his debut in the starting 11 for the club against
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional association ...
side
Guizhou Renhe in the
2014 AFC Champions League
The 2014 AFC Champions League was the 33rd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 12th under the current AFC Champions League title. Guangzhou Evergrande were the defen ...
. Wanderers went on to win the game 1–0 away from home. It was announced in May that Golec re-signed with the Wanderers for a further season keeping him at the club for the 2014/2015 Hyundai A-League season.
Golec was part of the squad which won the
2014 AFC Champions League
The 2014 AFC Champions League was the 33rd edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), and the 12th under the current AFC Champions League title. Guangzhou Evergrande were the defen ...
, playing an important role throughout the campaign. He was also part of the squad which participated in the
2014 FIFA Club World Cup
The 2014 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2014 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was the 11th edition of the FIFA Club World Cup, a FIFA-organised international club football tournament between th ...
, playing against Cruz Azul and ES Sétif. The Wanderers went on to finish 5th at the tournament.
On 15 May 2015, Golec was released by Wanderers.
Perth Glory
On 23 May Golec joined
Perth Glory on a 2-year deal keeping him at the club until the end of the 2016–2017 season. Golec made his debut for the club on 11 August against Newcastle Jets in the FFA Cup. Perth Glory won 4–3 on penalties with Golec scoring one.
Sheriff Tiraspol
On 15 January 2016 it was announced that Antony Golec would be leaving
Perth Glory to take up an 18-month deal with
Moldovan National Division
The Moldovan Super Liga is an association football league that is currently the top division of Moldovan football league system. The competition was established in 1992, when the country became independent from the Soviet Union. It was formed in ...
team
Sheriff Tiraspol
Fotbal Club Sheriff (russian: ФК Шериф Тирасполь), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a Moldovan professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnis ...
. On 29 May FC Sheriff won the championship and qualification to UEFA Champions league with a 1–0 win against Dacia Chisinau. Golec played a major role for the club since arriving in January playing 13 games for FC Sheriff Tiraspol.
Persepolis
On 22 June 2016 Golec signed a two-year contract with
Persian Gulf Pro League
The Persian Gulf Pro League ( fa, لیگ برتر خلیج فارس, ''Lig-e Bartar-e Xalij-e Fârs''), formerly known as the Iran Pro League ( fa, links=no, لیگ برتر ایران, ''Lig-e bartar-e Irân''), is the highest division of profe ...
club
Persepolis
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.
On 22 September Golec terminated his contract through FIFA due to unpaid wages.
Bucheon FC 1995
On 8 December 2016 Golec signed with
K League Challenge club
Bucheon FC 1995 for 2 seasons, Keeping him at the club until December 2018.
On 22 February 2017, Golec's contract was officially terminated by mutual consent before the season opening.
Central Coast Mariners
On 30 May 2017, Golec returned to the
A-League, signing a one-year contract with
Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional association football, soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast (New South Wales), Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League, A-League Men, under ...
. On 25 April 2018, Golec resigned with the club on a 1-year extension, keeping him at the mariners for the 18/19 Hyundai A-League season.
Wellington Phoenix
In January 2019, Golec signed a contract with
A-League club
Wellington Phoenix
Wellington Phoenix Football Club is a professional association football club based in Wellington, New Zealand. It competes in the Australian A-League, under licence from Football Federation Australia. Phoenix entered the competition in the ...
. He arrives at the club via the
Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional association football, soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast (New South Wales), Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League, A-League Men, under ...
, where he played 31 games across one and a half seasons. Struggling for game time, he was released by the Mariners on Tuesday, paving way for Golec to join the Phoenix for the remainder of the season. Golec is the third player to join the Phoenix in the January transfer window, following the arrivals of former
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
striker
Cillian Sheridan
Cillian Sheridan (born 23 February 1989) is an Irish professional footballer who plays for Scottish Championship side Dundee.
Sheridan began his career with Celtic in 2006, but a lack of first team opportunities saw him being loaned to other ...
and All Whites right-back
Justin Gulley.
Badak Lampung
On 26 August 2019, Golec signed one-year contract with
Liga 1 Indonesia club
Badak Lampung. it was confirmed that he was registered as an Australian citizen, due to Badak Lampung need to fill a quota of foreign players from Asia, replacing
Kunihiro Yamashita
is a Japanese people, Japanese former Association football, football player. He plays as a defender (association football), centre back.
Honours Club
Tampines Rovers
* Singapore League Cup: 2011 Singapore League Cup, 2011
Yangon United
* MFF ...
. He made his debut in a 0–1 away win against
Persija Jakarta
Persatuan Sepakbola Indonesia Jakarta ( 'Indonesian Football Association of Jakarta'; abbreviated as Persija), is an Indonesian professional football club based in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. Persija Jakarta is one of the most suc ...
on 1 September.
International career
In 2009 Golec made his international debut for the
Australian national Under 20 team's in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, Playing full games against
Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
and
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and making 2 more appearances. Golec was also part of the 30-man squad in the lead up to the
2009 FIFA Under 20's World Cup in Egypt.
In 2010 Golec made his
Australia Olympic football team
The Australia national under-23 soccer team represents Australia in international under-23 soccer and at the Olympic Games. The team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia (FA), which is currently a membe ...
debut under
Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar ( ; born 3 February 1967) is an Australian association football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Thai League 1 club Bangkok United.
He is a former captain of the Australia national team and former coach ...
and
Paul Okon
Paul Michael Okon (born 5 April 1972) is a former Australian soccer player. He has Belgian citizenship.
He previously captained the Australian National Team and has represented Australia Olympic Football Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Ba ...
. Playing full games against
DPR Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
, (who competed in the
2010 World Cup
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, caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
in Africa) and the
Kuwait under 23 National team.
On 19 October 2011, Golec was named in
Holger Osieck
Holger Osieck (born 31 August 1948) is a German football manager who last managed the Australia national team. Prior to the Australian role, he most recently managed J. League club Urawa Red Diamonds, where he won the 2007 AFC Champions League ...
and
Aurelio Vidmar
Aurelio Vidmar ( ; born 3 February 1967) is an Australian association football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Thai League 1 club Bangkok United.
He is a former captain of the Australia national team and former coach ...
's joint
Australia national team/
Australia Olympic team Camp.
On 24 February 2012, Golec was selected to be part of the
Australian U23's (Olyroos) squad for the
2012 London Olympic Qualifier matches against
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
and
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
.
On 17 September 2017, he declared that he would represent Croatia if chosen.
Career statistics
Club
1 – includes FIFA Club World Cup statistics; AFC Champions League statistics are included in season commencing after group stages (i.e. 2011 ACL in 2011–12 A-League season etc.)
Honours
Club
Sydney FC:
*
A-League Premiership:
2009–10
*
A-League Championship
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professionalism in association football, professional men's association football, soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Austral ...
:
2009–10
*
National Youth League:
2008–09
Western Sydney Wanderers
Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club (colloquially known as Western Sydney, or simply as Wanderers) is an Australian professional soccer club based in the Western Sydney region of Sydney, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier ...
:
*
AFC Champions League:
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
Sheriff Tiraspol
Fotbal Club Sheriff (russian: ФК Шериф Тирасполь), commonly known as Sheriff Tiraspol or simply Sheriff, is a Moldovan professional football club based in Tiraspol, a city located in the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnis ...
:
*
Moldovan National Division
The Moldovan Super Liga is an association football league that is currently the top division of Moldovan football league system. The competition was established in 1992, when the country became independent from the Soviet Union. It was formed in ...
:
2015–16
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Golec, Antony
1990 births
Australian people of Croatian descent
Association football defenders
A-League Men players
Moldovan Super Liga players
Liga 1 (Indonesia) players
Malaysia Super League players
Sydney FC players
Adelaide United FC players
Western Sydney Wanderers FC players
Perth Glory FC players
Central Coast Mariners FC players
Wellington Phoenix FC players
Sydney United 58 FC players
FC Sheriff Tiraspol players
Badak Lampung F.C. players
Perak F.C. players
Macarthur FC players
Soccer players from Sydney
Living people
Australian soccer players
Australian expatriate soccer players
Expatriate footballers in Moldova
Australian expatriate sportspeople in Moldova
Expatriate footballers in Iran
Australian expatriate sportspeople in Iran
Expatriate footballers in South Korea
Australian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea
Expatriate footballers in Indonesia
Australian expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia
Expatriate footballers in Malaysia
Australian expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia
Expatriate association footballers in New Zealand
Australian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand