Danny Vukovic
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Daniel Vukovic ( ; born 27 March 1985) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for
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 ...
in the A-League and the Australia national team. Vukovic is the holder of several A-League records: he has the second most clean sheets of any goalkeeper in the A-League (87), he is the only goalkeeper to score in the A-League.


Club career


Central Coast Mariners

Vukovic has previously played for
Bonnyrigg White Eagles Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC is an Australian semi-professional soccer club based in Bonnyrigg, Sydney, New South Wales, currently playing in the NSW League One. The club was founded in 1968 as Avala Sports Club and took its current name in 1992. H ...
and Parramatta Power. Vukovic made his A-League debut for 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 ...
in September 2005 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 ...
after the team's first-choice keeper
John Crawley John Paul Crawley (born 21 September 1971) is a former English first-class cricketer who played at international level for England and county cricket for Hampshire and Lancashire. Crawley, one of three brothers who all played first-class cricke ...
suffered a season-ending hip injury. They lost the game 2–1, however Vukovic saved an
Archie Thompson Archie Gerald Thompson (born 23 October 1978) is an Australian former professional footballer. He also is serving as a club ambassador for Melbourne Victory FC. Born in New Zealand, Thompson played youth football at the New South Wales Institu ...
penalty and was widely praised for his debut effort. He went on to play 19 more games for the Mariners in the 2005–06 season, achieving five clean sheets, and also saved a penalty from Sydney FC's star player,
Dwight Yorke Dwight Eversley Yorke CM (born 3 November 1971) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian former professional footballer and current manager of Australian A-League club Macarthur FC. Throughout his club career, he played for Aston Villa, Manchester Uni ...
. Like many Mariners players, Vukovic spends time in schools and at local junior football games, encouraging football at a grassroots level. It was known that Vukovic had desires to play overseas, and it was revealed on 29 June he has signed with
TFF First League The TFF 1. Lig, officially known as Spor Toto 1. Lig for sponsorship reasons, is the second level of the Turkish football league system. The league was founded in 2001 as the ''Turkish Second League Category A'' after the reorganization of the ...
club
Konyaspor Konyaspor Kulübü (, Konya Sports Club) is a Turkish professional football club based in Konya. They are better known as Konyaspor. In 1922 Konyaspor were founded with the name Konya Gençlerbirliği and have played at their current home stadium ...
. During the third A-League Grand Final on 24 February 2008, Vukovic received a red card for slapping referee Mark Shield's hand following an alleged handball by Newcastle Jets player James Holland. On the day after the Grand Final,
Football Federation Australia Football Australia is the governing body of soccer, futsal, and beach soccer within Australia, headquartered in Sydney. Although the first governing body of the sport was founded in 1911, Football Australia in its current form was only establ ...
(FFA) gave Vukovic a 15-month ban (with 6 months suspended), meaning he would not be able to play in the A-League until 24 November 2008. On 4 March 2008, this ban was reduced on appeal to 12 months (with 3 months suspended), meaning that if Vukovic re-offended in the following year, the 3-month suspended sentence would be activated. The ban extended to national team duty, which precluded him from competing in the 2008 Summer Olympics with the Australian U-23 team, the Olyroos, which he represented in all Olympic qualifiers for Beijing and had captained on occasion. Vukovic's ban was appealed a second time and on 22 April 2008 Football Federation Australia announced that the appeals committee had settled on a split suspension; up to 24 June 2008 and then from 29 August through to 5 October 2008. Vukovic was also fined $10,000 and will have a further part of his sentence suspended from 6 October 2008 through to 25 January 2009. Although Vukovic will be ineligible to play for the Mariners in the early rounds of the 2008–09 A-League season, the decision means he will be eligible for selection for the Australian Olympic team competing in Beijing. But in June, FIFA re-stated that his ban from International Competition did include a ban on competing in the Olympic Games with the Olyroos. He is banned from International football till 6 October, when the ban is suspended till 25 January 2009 subject to no further infringement up to, and including, 25 January 2009. Vukovic's 9 month ban remains the longest suspension in A-League history.


Konyaspor

Vukovic signed for the Turkish club on a 2-year deal, but was released on 13 August 2010 after the club found that they had too many overseas players on their books.


Wellington Phoenix

After being released by Konyaspor, Vukovic signed a one-year deal for the remainder of the 2010–11 season with the Wellington outfit, largely due to an injury suffered by back-up goalkeeper Reece Crowther. He initially backed-up regular custodian Mark Paston with occasional appearances, and eventually became first-choice when Paston suffered a season ending knee injury. On 13 February, he scored the first goal of his career and the first for any keeper in the A-League for the Phoenix with a 93rd-minute penalty in the final round clash against the
North Queensland Fury Northern Fury Football Club was an Australian professional soccer club based in Townsville, Queensland. The club was founded in 2008 and competed in the A-League under the name North Queensland Fury. On 1 March 2011, the club was removed from ...
.


Perth Glory

Vukovic signed a 3-year deal beginning in the 2011–12 season with Perth Glory. Vukovic was the number one goalkeeper at Perth and enjoyed a successful season as the club made it to their first A-League grand final, losing to Brisbane Roar.


Vegalta Sendai

Vukovic joined Japanese side
Vegalta Sendai is a Japanese professional football club, currently playing in J2 League. The team is located in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. History Founded in 1988 as ''Tohoku Electric Power Co., Inc. Soccer Club'', Vegalta joined the J-League in 1999 after p ...
on a 5-month loan deal. Vukovic but did not make an official appearance for the club, but was on the bench on numerous occasions.


Melbourne Victory

On 4 June 2015, it was confirmed that Vukovic had signed a three-year deal with A-League champions & premiers
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 ...
, being a major replacement for departing keepers Nathan Coe and Michael Turnbull. Vukovic revealed that a factor of signing the deal with the Melbourne club was that he & his wife Kristy wanted to live on the Eastern coast of Australia so that their new born child (expected in July 2015) would be raised closer to their respective families from Sydney. Vukovic agreed to end his contract with Victory after one season on compassionate grounds in July 2016.


Sydney FC

On the day Vukovic parted ways with
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 signed with Sydney FC on a two-year deal, stating that he made the move to be closer to his family for the sake of his son's health.


Genk

On 21 June 2017, Vukovic transferred to
Genk Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...
with Sydney FC receiving a club-record transfer fee of almost $1,000,000. On 4 August 2017, he made his debut in a 2–1 loss to
Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (; nl, Standard Luik ; german: Standard Lüttich ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most ...
. Vukovic made 45 appearances in all competitions during Genk's 2017–18 season and was the surprise recipient of the fan-voted Golden Shoe award for player of the season. On 20 March 2021, it was announced that a contract termination was agreed, to allow Vukovic to return to Australia to support his heavily pregnant wife.


NEC Nijmegen

In June 2021, Vukovic joined
Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...
club NEC Nijmegen on a two-year contract.


Return to Central Coast Mariners

Vukovic returned to
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 ...
in August 2022. He was named captain of the Mariners in October 2022.


International career

Vukovic played in the Young Socceroos team which won the
2005 OFC U-20 Championship The 2005 OFC U-20 Championship was the fifteenth contested. It was won by Australia who qualified for the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup after a 3–0 victory against the Solomon Islands played at Lawson Tama Stadium in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The fin ...
. He played several matches for the Olyroos, however missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics through suspension. Vukovic made his debut for the senior team on his 33rd birthday, coming on as a substitute for Brad Jones at half-time against Colombia. He gave away but then saved a penalty in the 86th minute to keep the game to a scoreless draw. In May 2018 he was named in Australia's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. Vukovic was also named in the Australian squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in
Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...
.


Personal life

Vukovic was born on 27 March 1985 in Sydney to a Serbian family. During an interview with Fox Sports regarding his new deal with
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 ...
Vukovic revealed that he and his wife Kristy were expecting their first child in July 2015, stating that they wanted their child to be raised on the eastern coast of Australia, so they could be closer to their respective families, which contributed to the signing the deal with the Melbourne club. His son was diagnosed with biliary atresia soon after birth, and required a liver transplant. This was a contributing factor towards moving to Sydney FC, where he would be closer to their family as well as medical support.


Club statistics

1 – includes A-League final series statistics
2AFC Champions League statistics are included in season commencing during group stages (i.e. ACL 2009 and A-League season 2008–09 etc.)


International

:''Statistics accurate as of match played 7 June 2021.''


Honours

Central Coast Mariners * A-League Premiership: 2007–08 *
A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup The A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup competition was an annual soccer tournament held for all A-League clubs in July and August in the lead up to the start of the A-League season. The competition featured a group stage and a knockout stage. ...
: 2005 Melbourne Victory *
FFA Cup The Australia Cup, formerly known as the FFA Cup until the 2021 season, is the national football knockout cup competition in Australia. This annual competition is organised by Football Australia, formerly known as Football Federation Austral ...
: 2015 Sydney * A-League Premiership: 2016–17 *
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 ...
: 2016–17 Genk *
Belgian First Division The Belgian Pro League,(officially the Jupiler Pro League due to sponsorship reasons with Jupiler), is the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium. Contested by 18 clubs since the 2020–21 season and reduced to 16 te ...
: 2018–19 *
Belgian Super Cup The Belgian Super Cup ( nl, Belgische Supercup, ; french: Supercoupe de Belgique; german: Belgischer Fußball-Super Cup), ''Pro League Supercup'', is a Belgian club competition played as a single match between the Belgian First Division A champio ...
:
2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
Australia *
OFC U-20 Championship The OFC U-19 Championship is a tournament held once every two years to decide the under-19 champions of Oceania and also decides who will represent Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) at the biennial FIFA U-20 World Cup. Between 1974 and 2012, ...
: 2005 Individual * Mariners Medal: 2007, 2010 * PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2009–10, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2016–17 * A-League Goalkeeper of the Year: 2016–17 * K.R.C. Genk Player of the Year: 2017–18


References


External links

* *
Profile
at
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 ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vukovic, Danny 1985 births Living people Soccer players from Sydney Australian people of Serbian descent Australia youth international soccer players Australia under-20 international soccer players Parramatta Power players Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC players Central Coast Mariners FC players Wellington Phoenix FC players Perth Glory FC players Melbourne Victory FC players Sydney FC players A-League Men players Konyaspor footballers J1 League players Vegalta Sendai players Belgian Pro League players K.R.C. Genk players NEC Nijmegen players Australian expatriate soccer players Expatriate footballers in Turkey Expatriate footballers in Japan Expatriate footballers in Belgium Expatriate footballers in the Netherlands Australian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Australian expatriate sportspeople in Japan Australian expatriate sportspeople in Belgium 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup players Association football goalkeepers 2018 FIFA World Cup players Australia international soccer players 2019 AFC Asian Cup players Australian soccer players 2022 FIFA World Cup players