Brent Colm McGrath (born 18 June 1991) is a former Australian international

football (soccer) Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

player who currently plays as a striker for Bentleigh Greens in the

National Premier Leagues The National Premier Leagues (NPL) is a national association football competition in Australia which acts as the second tier of the sport in the country below the A-League. The NPL consists of the highest level state league in each state-based ...

. Born in Sydney, McGrath played youth football for Brøndby before making his professional debut for the club in 2010. In 2013, Brent returned to Australia, playing for

Adelaide United Adelaide United Football Club is a professional Association Football, soccer club based in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club participates in the A-League Men under North American professional sports league organization#Systems ar ...

and Bentleigh Greens before spending time in the

Thai Premier League The Thai League 1 ( th, ไทยลีก 1), often referred to as T1, is the top level of the Thai football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with Thai League 2. Seasons run from August ...

. In 2015, he returned to Denmark with

FC Fredericia Fodbold Club Fredericia af 1991 (, simply known as FC Fredericia), is a professional association football club based in the town of Fredericia, Denmark, that competes in the Danish 1st Division, the second tier of the Danish football league syst ...

before moving to

Esbjerg fB Esbjerg forenede Boldklubber (; commonly known as Esbjerg fB or EfB in short) is a Danish professional football club based in Esbjerg, West Jutland, that plays in the 2nd division, the third-tier of the Danish football league system. Foun ...

one season later. McGrath made one appearance for the Australian national team, a win over

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

in 2011.

Junior Representative to International

Brent was recognized very early as a player of great potential. Whilst playing for Sydney United in the NSW Premier Youth League competition, he stood out as a player of the future. As a young 14-year-old, Brent was selected in the NSW state team where his skills were being enhanced - getting him ready for the higher levels he was destined for. Even at this early stage, a very young and humble young man had his feet squarely planted on the ground. The early stages of the "U/14 Friendship Games" in 2005 were not the best for Brent, but he found his way in time for the end of that tournament to be noticed by

Ange Postecoglou Angelos Postecoglou ( el, Άγγελος Ποστέκογλου, ; born 27 August 1965) is an Australian association football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Scottish Premiership club Celtic. Born in Greece, he moved ...

and would eventually go on to become the youngest 'Joey' at the time (for the U/17 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in Laos, 2006)

Club career

McGrath signed for

Brøndby IF Brøndbyernes Idrætsforening (, usually abbreviated to Brøndby IF (), is a professional association football club based in Brøndbyvester, Capital Region of Denmark. The club was founded in 1964 as a merger between two local clubs and was p ...

in 2010. On 22 March 2010, McGrath made his senior debut for the Brøndby first team against

Randers Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 62,802 (as of 1 January 2022).Peter Madsen Peter Langkjær Madsen (; born 12 January 1971) is a Danish convicted murderer and former entrepreneur. In April 2018, he was convicted of the 2017 murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall on board his submarine, '' UC3 Nautilus'', and sentenced ...

. McGrath scored his first goal for the club in October 2010 against

FC Nordsjælland Football Club Nordsjælland, commonly known as FC Nordsjælland, Nordsjælland () or FCN, is a professional Danish football team from the North Zealand town of Farum. Founded as ''Farum Boldklub'' from the merger of the town's two football club ...

in a 1–1 draw in the

Danish Superliga The Danish Superliga ( da, Superligaen, ) is the current Danish football championship tournament, and administered by the Danish Football Association. It is the highest football league in Denmark and is currently contested by 12 teams each yea ...

. Following his departure from

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, McGrath flew to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to trial with

A-League A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...

club

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), Victory e ...

ahead of the 2013-14 season, but eventually signed for

On 20 August 2015, McGrath signed a one-year contract with the

Danish 1st Division The 1st Division (''1. Division'') is the second-highest football league in Denmark, also known as NordicBet Liga for sponsorship reasons. From 1945 to 1991 the 1. Division was the name of the highest level of football in Denmark. With the forma ...

club

. McGrath signed a three-year deal with

side

in May 2016. He was loaned back to Fredericia in his second season at the club. McGrath left Denmark and Esbjerg at the end of the 2018/19 season, where his contract expired. On 6 July 2019, McGrath joined newly promoted

club

Kolding IF Kolding IF is an association football club based in Kolding, Denmark. The team competes in the Danish 2nd Division, the third tier of Danish football, after suffering relegation at the end of the 2020–21 season. Founded in 1895, Kolding IF pl ...

. He scored on his competitive debut for the club, a win over

Dalum IF Dalum Idrætsforening is a Danish football club currently playing in the Danish 3rd Division, the fourth tier of the Danish divisions. They play at Dalum Stadion in southern parts of Odense on Funen, a stadium with a capacity of 4,000. Founded ...

in the

2019–20 Danish Cup The 2019–20 Danish Cup, also known as Sydbank Pokalen, was the 66th season of the Danish Cup competition. The winners of the tournament, SønderjyskE, in winning their first major championship in club history, earned qualification into the sec ...

on 7 August 2019. McGrath left Kolding to return to Australia in September 2019. McGrath returned to Australia to join

National Premier Leagues Victoria The National Premier Leagues Victoria, commonly known as NPL Victoria, is a semi-professional soccer league in Victoria, Australia. The league is a part of the National Premier Leagues, and is the highest level within the Victorian soccer leagu ...

club Bentleigh Greens in December 2019.

International career

McGrath received his first

Socceroos The Australia men's national soccer team represents Australia in international men's soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroos, the team is controlled by the governing body for soccer in Australia, Football Australia, which is affiliated with ...

call up by coach

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 ...

for a friendly against

. He came on as a substitute for

Brett Holman Brett Trevor Holman (born 27 March 1984) is a former Australian professional footballer who last played for Brisbane Roar in the A-League as an attacking midfielder. Born in Sydney, Holman played youth football for Northern Spirit before maki ...

in time added on in Australia's 2-1 victory.

Career statistics

Club

Honours

Club

; Bentleigh Greens * FV Community Shield: 2020

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McGrath, Brent 1991 births Living people Soccer players from Sydney Australian people of Irish descent Australia men's under-20 international soccer players Australia men's international soccer players Men's association football forwards Brøndby IF players Adelaide United FC players Bentleigh Greens SC players Brent McGrath Brent McGrath FC Fredericia players Esbjerg fB players Danish Superliga players A-League Men players National Premier Leagues players Brent McGrath Danish 1st Division players Australian expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in Denmark Australian expatriate sportspeople in Denmark Australian expatriate sportspeople in Thailand Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand Australian men's soccer players