Matthew Thomas Spiranovic (born 27 June 1988) is a former Australian

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 played as a defender. Spiranovic started his career 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), Victory e ...

, making one competitive appearance before being released with the consent of coach

Ernie Merrick Ernest Merrick OAM (born 15 January 1953) is a Scottish-Australian coach, who last managed A-League soccer club Newcastle Jets. He was released on 6 January 2020. He was the former head coach of the Hong Kong national football team and A-League ...

to join German

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

club

1. FC Nürnberg 1. Fußball-Club Nürnberg Verein für Leibesübungen e. V., often called 1. FC Nürnberg (, en, 1. Football Club Nuremberg) or simply Nürnberg, is a German association football club in Nuremberg, Bavaria, who currently compete in the 2. Bund ...

. Spiranovic struggled in his new climate with both injuries and form, making just 28 first team appearances over four seasons with the German club, playing more frequently for the club's second side. In search of more consistent playing time, Spiranovic then joined

Urawa Red Diamonds , colloquially Urawa Reds (浦和レッズ), also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, is a professional football club in the city of Saitama, part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. The club plays in the J ...

making 13 league appearances and scoring 1 goal during the 2010 J-League season. At the end of his loan spell, Spiranovic signed permanently for the club in 2011 for a fee of

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

450.000. Spiranovic has made appearances for

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

during the

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and

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 ...

FIFA World Cup qualifiers. He has also represented

at the

2005 OFC U-17 Championship The 2005 OFC Under-17 Tournament was an association football competition in Oceania. It was the 11th edition of the OFC Under 17 Qualifying Tournament, Nine teams participated in the tournament. The winning side qualified for the 2005 FIFA U-17 ...

, the

2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship The 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the eleventh edition of the tournament, was held in the cities of Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Piura and Iquitos in Peru between 16 September and 2 October 2005. Players born after 1 January 1988 could participa ...

, the

2006 AFC Youth Championship The 2006 AFC Youth Championship was the 34th instance of the AFC Youth Championship. It was held from 29 October to 12 November 2006 in India. It was the first time for India to host this tournament. Sixteen teams from the AFC qualified to the ...

, the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

, the

2011 AFC Asian Cup The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011. It was the fifte ...

where Australia finished runners-up and the

2015 AFC Asian Cup The 2015 AFC Asian Cup was the 16th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It was held in Australia from 9 to 31 January 2015. The tournament was ...

, in which he was part of the starting line up in the final of the tournament, hosted & won by Australia. In addition to holding an Australian passport, Spiranovic also has a UK passport.

Club career

Early career

Spiranovic played junior football in

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

and

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 ...

and had represented his state,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, at U–14 and U–15 Australian national championship level.

North Geelong Warriors

He had a brief stint with former junior club and

Victorian State League Division 2 North-West State League 2 is a semi-professional association football league in Victoria, Australia. Sitting at level 5 of the Victorian league system, below the three NPL Victoria divisions, it forms part of the fifth tier of the overall Australian pyrami ...

side

North Geelong Warriors North Geelong Warriors Football Club, formerly known as North Geelong Croatia, is an Australian semi-professional soccer club from the regional Victorian city of Geelong. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, Aust ...

, scoring one league goal in a 5–0 home win against Albion Rovers on 5 June 2004.

Victorian Institute of Sport

In 2004, he earned a

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

with the

Victorian Institute of Sport The Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) is the government-funded sporting institute of the Australian state of Victoria. It provides high performance sports programs for talented athletes, enabling them to achieve national and international succe ...

under coach Ian Greener, and was awarded the Weinstein Medal for best junior player of the year by

Football Federation Victoria Football Victoria is the state governing body for soccer in Victoria, Australia. It is affiliated with Football Australia, the sport's national governing body. History Football Victoria began operation in 1884 under the name Anglo Australian ...

in 2005. Spiranovic was selected in a 20-man Australia U–17 national team by coach

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 ...

for a five-match tour of

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

against Palestino U–17, Universidad Catolica U–17, Colo-Colo U–17 and Chile U–17. The tour was preparation for the

. The Qantas U–17 Joeys were then crowned champions of the 2005 OFC U-17 Championship and qualified for the

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, where Spiranovic played in all three group-stage matches of the competition. He was also selected for a Four-Nations tournament in Peru against Costa Rica U–17, Ecuador U–17 and Peru U–17 in July 2005.

Australian Institute of Sport

In 2006, Spiranovic then graduated to the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

where he joined future

Socceroo 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 ...

teammates

Dario Vidošić Dario Vidošić ( ; ; (born 8 April 1987) is a former Australian footballer and current coach who is the interim manager of A-League Women club Melbourne City FC Women. Club career Early life Vidošić was born on 8 April 1987 in Osijek to ...

Bruce Djite Bruce José Djité (French pronunciation: ; born 25 March 1987) is an Australian executive and former association football (soccer) player. As a player, Djite is known for his speed, strength and good height with ball heading skills and pre ...

Nikita Rukavytsya Nikita Vadymovych Rukavytsya ( ; uk, Микита Вадимович Рукавиця, translit=Mykyta Vadymovych Rukavytsya; born 22 June 1987) is a professional footballer who plays for Israeli Premier League club Maccabi Haifa. Born in Ukrai ...

and

Nathan Burns Nathan Burns (born 7 May 1988) is a retired Australian professional footballer who last played for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League and the Australian national team. Club career Adelaide United He formerly played for Parramatta Eagles and t ...

. During his stint at the AIS, Spiranovic received a call up to a 20-man Australia U20 team for a five-match tour of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

in August 2006. Spiranovic participated in matches against Colo-Colo U–20, Universidad de Chile U–20, Chile U–20 and Argentina U–20. The South American tour was preparation for the

, the qualification campaign for the eventual

2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 16th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup (formerly called the FIFA World Youth Championship), hosted by Canada from 30 June to 22 July 2007. Argentina defeated the Czech Republic in the title game by the score ...

Melbourne Victory

Having trialled and trained semi-regularly for

, Spiranovic played as a 16-year-old the club's first friendly match against

Oakleigh Cannons Oakleigh Cannons Football Club is a soccer club based in the south-east Melbourne suburb of Oakleigh, Victoria, Australia. The club, established by members of Oakleigh's Greek Australian community, currently competes in the NPL Victoria. The cl ...

in late April in 2005. The friendly match was preparation for Melbourne Victory's first competitive match a few days later, where he again featured for the club in their 2004–05 OFC Club Championship

qualifier In linguistics, a modifier is an optional element in phrase structure or clause structure which ''modifies'' the meaning of another element in the structure. For instance, the adjective "red" acts as a modifier in the noun phrase "red ball", provi ...

against

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 ...

on 7 May 2005. Melbourne Victory lost the game 4–1 in a penalty shootout. Ultimately, Spiranovic was not offered a contract by its coach

for the club's inaugural

2005–06 A-League The 2005–06 A-League was the 29th season of top-flight soccer in Australia, and the inaugural season of the A-League. After over 12 months without a national professional club competition since the close of the 2003–04 National Soccer L ...

, as Merrick believed that Spiranovic was too good to play in the

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 ...

. On 5 October 2006, it had been reported in that Spiranovic was signed to

after training with club's first-team for a week and playing in a friendly against a second division club.

"Ernie (Merrick) not picking me up has done me a favour in a sense because I'll probably be better off in the long run. I trained with Victory for three weeks and Nurnberg for one and the difference is massive. You've got 12 international players at Nurnberg. There's the Czech captain (
Tomáš Galásek Tomáš Galásek (; born 15 January 1973) is a Czech former football player and current manager. He was a holding midfielder who was also strong as a centre-back. Club career Galásek started his career with Banik Ostrava in 1991, before movin ...
), Brazilian and Croatian internationals." – Spiranovic on signing with 1. FC Nürnberg

1. FC Nürnberg

2006–2011

Spiranovic joined 1. FC Nürnberg in October 2006, where he was handed the number 23 shirt. He debuted in the

2006–07 Bundesliga The 2006–07 Bundesliga was the 44th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. It began on 11 August 2006 and ended on 19 May 2007. Bayern Munich were the defending champions. Team changes from 2005–06 Three teams from th ...

in a 0–0 away draw against

Borussia Mönchengladbach Borussia Verein für Leibesübungen 1900 e. V. Mönchengladbach, commonly known as Borussia Mönchengladbach (), Mönchengladbach () or Gladbach (; abbreviated as Borussia MG, BMG), is a professional Association football, football club based in ...

on 30 January 2007, being substituted onto the field for

Marek Nikl Marek Nikl (born 20 February 1976) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a centre back, most notably for 1. FC Nürnberg. He made five appearances for the Czech Republic national team. Career Nikl spent most of his early fo ...

in the 92nd minute. Days later, Spiranovic made his full debut for 1. FC Nürnberg in a 3–0 home victory against

Bayern Munich Fußball-Club Bayern München e. V. (FCB, ), also known as FC Bayern (), Bayern Munich, or simply Bayern, is a German professional sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional men's football team, which pla ...

on 2 February. He was substituted off of the field for

Michael Beauchamp Michael Francis Beauchamp (born 8 March 1981) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a central defender. He was a member of the Australian 2006 World Cup and 2010 FIFA World Cup squads. Early life Born in Sydney, New Sout ...

in the 46th minute due to a

corked Cork taint is a broad term referring to a wine fault characterized by a set of undesirable smells or tastes found in a bottle of wine, especially spoilage that can only be detected after bottling, aging and opening. Though modern studies have sho ...

thigh. Spiranovic briefly played for 1. FC Nürnberg U-19 in the Under 19 Bundesliga South/Southwest, he debuted in a 2–1 away defeat against Karlsruher SC U-19 on 25 February 2007. Spiranovic scored his first goal for the youth-team in a 5–3 away defeat against 1. FC Kaiserslautern U-19 on 5 April 2007. Spiranovic played his first full 90-minute game in a 1–1 home draw against

Wolfsburg Wolfsburg (; Eastphalian: ''Wulfsborg'') is the fifth largest city in the German state of Lower Saxony, located on the river Aller. It lies about east of Hanover and west of Berlin. Wolfsburg is famous as the location of Volkswagen AG's hea ...

on 28 April. He also made two appearances in the

2006–07 DFB-Pokal The 2006–07 DFB-Pokal was the 64th season of the annual German football cup competition. 64 teams competed in the tournament of six rounds which began on 8 September 2006 and ended on 26 May 2007. In the final, 1. FC Nürnberg defeated VfB Stut ...

, his second appearance coming in the 3–2 final victory against

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

on 26 May, where Spiranovic was substituted onto the field for

in the 72nd minute. Winning the

DFB-Pokal The DFB-Pokal ( is a German knockout football cup competition held annually by the German Football Association (DFB). Sixty-four teams participate in the competition, including all clubs from the Bundesliga and the 2. Bundesliga. It is considere ...

meant that 1. FC Nürnberg had qualified for the first-round of the

2007–08 UEFA Cup The 2007–08 UEFA Cup was the 37th edition of the UEFA Cup, UEFA's second-tier club football tournament. The final was played at the City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester, England on 14 May 2008 between Rangers of Scotland and Zenit Saint Pet ...

. Spiranovic completed the 2006–07 season having made 8 league appearances. His first appearance of the

2007–08 Bundesliga The 2007–08 Bundesliga was the 45th season of the Bundesliga, Germany's premier football league. It began on 10 August 2007 and ended on 17 May 2008. VfB Stuttgart were the defending champions. Competition format Every team played two games a ...

came in a 1–0 away defeat against

Hamburger SV Hamburger Sport-Verein e.V. (), commonly known as Hamburger SV () or Hamburg (), is a German sports club based in Hamburg, with its largest branch being its football section. Though the current HSV was founded in June 1919 from a merger of three ...

on 22 September 2007, where Spiranovic had played a full 90-minutes. 1. FC Nürnberg took part in the

. Throughout the tournament, Spiranovic had been included in the team sheet on various occasions but did not make an appearance. Spiranovic made seven league appearances in the 2007–08 season, starting in six games. However, 1. FC Nürnberg had finished in 16th position of the 2007–08 Bundesliga table and were subsequently relegated to the

2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...

for the 2008–09 season. Spiranovic's first appearance in the 2008–09 2. Bundesliga came in a 2–2 home draw against

Alemannia Aachen Alemannia Aachen () or ATSV Alemannia 1900 is a football in Germany, German football club from the western city of Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia. A long term fixture of the country's 2. Bundesliga, second division, ''Alemannia'' enjoyed a three- ...

on 31 August 2008. He played a full 90-minutes of the match. Spiranovic started in the next seven matches until November, where he sustained a long-term hamstring injury and ruptured an ankle tendon and would eventually miss the rest of the season. On his return, Spiranovic spent some time with

1. FC Nürnberg II The 1. FC Nürnberg II (german: 1. FC Nürnberg II) is the German reserve football teams, reserve team of Germany, German Association football, football :German football clubs, club 1. FC Nürnberg, from the city of Nuremberg, Bavaria. Until 2005 ...

in the Regionalliga Süd whilst regaining his fitness. He debuted for the side in a 4–0 away loss against

TSV 1860 München II The TSV 1860 Munich II (german: TSV 1860 München II) is the reserve team of German football club TSV 1860 Munich, from the city of Munich, Bavaria. Until 2005, the team played under the name of TSV 1860 München Amateure. In the 2018–19 seaso ...

24 April 2009. Spiranovic made three appearances for the reserve-team before concluding the season. 1. FC Nürnberg finished in third place of the 2008–09 2. Bundesliga table and faced

Energie Cottbus FC Energie Cottbus ( Lower Sorbian: ''Energija Chóśebuz'') is a German football club based in Cottbus, Brandenburg. It was founded in 1963 as SC Cottbus in what was East Germany. After the reunification of Germany, Energie played six seasons i ...

in the

relegation playoff In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

. 1. FC Nürnberg won 5–0 on aggregate and were promoted back to the Bundesliga for the 2009–10 season. In June 2009, tabloid newspaper ''News of the World'' reported that

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

boss

Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is a former English football manager and player. He managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstads BK in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to th ...

had offered £1million for Spiranovic, but a transfer was not eventuated. Instead, Spiranovic had his contracted extended for another two seasons with 1. FC Nürnberg. Spiranovic commenced the 2009–10 with the club's reserve side. He scored his first goal for the side in the 81st minute of a 4–1 away victory against Greuther Fürth II on 12 September 2009. Spiranovic made just one Bundesliga league appearance in a 4–0 away defeat against

Bayer Leverkusen Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, th ...

on 3 October 2009. Spiranovic played a full 90-minutes of the match. He re-joined 1. FC Nürnberg's reserve-team for the remainder of 2009, scoring his second Regionalliga Süd league goal in the 69th minute of a 4–1 away victory against Freiburg II on 29 November 2009. Spiranovic had made eight league appearances in the Regionalliga Süd, starting in each game consecutively. On 17 November 2009, it had been reported that Spiranovic would be loaned out to another club by January 2010 in a bid to gain more game time. It was insisted by 1. FC Nürnberg's sport director

Martin Bader Martin Bader (born 3 May 1985) is an Austrian ski mountaineer and member of the national selection. Bader was born and lives in Innsbruck He started ski mountaineering in 2000. For his first time, he competed at the ''2005 Vennspitzlauf''. Sele ...

that Spiranovic should gain valuable game time as he had missed a large number of games due to injury.

Loan to Urawa Red Diamonds

=2010 season

= On 7 January 2010, Spiranovic joined

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese club

on loan until the end of 2010. His first appearance for Urawa came in a 1–1 home draw against

Júbilo Iwata is a professional Japanese association football team that currently play in the J2 League. The team name ''Júbilo'' means 'joy' in Spanish and Portuguese. The team's hometown is Iwata, Shizuoka prefecture and they play at Yamaha Stadium. For ...

in the 2010 J. League Cup on 31 March. Spiranovic debuted in the 2010 J. League season in a 2–1 home victory against

Nagoya Grampus (formerly known as ) is a Japanese association football club that plays in the J1 League, following promotion from the J2 League in 2017. Based in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture and founded as the company team of the Toyota Motor Corp. in 1939, the c ...

on 5 May, where he was substituted onto the field for Yosuke Kashiwagi in the 89th minute. Spiranovic scored his first league goal for Urawa in the 56th minute of a 4–1 away victory against

Shonan Bellmare is a Japanese professional football club based in Hiratsuka, in the west of Kanagawa Prefecture, part of the Greater Tokyo Area. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Hiratsuka ...

on 21 August. He scored from a header after receiving the ball from a

Tomoya Ugajin is a Japanese footballer who plays for FC Gifu. Club statistics ''Updated to 20 December 2022''. 1Includes Emperor's Cup. 2Includes J. League Cup. 3Includes Japanese Super Cup, J. League Championship and FIFA Club World Cup. National tea ...

cross. Spiranovic had finished the season making 13 league appearances, starting in 7 consecutive games which earned him a call up from Australia's 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 two international friendlies.

Urawa Red Diamonds

2011 season

On 11 December 2010, Spiranovic joined Urawa on a permanent basis after the Japanese club bought out his contract after a very impressive first season in J1 despite frequent injuries. Due to the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

in March, Spiranovic returned to Australia as the J-League had been suspended until April 2011. On 22 June 2011, Spiranovic returned from a one-match suspension, due to receiving consecutive yellow cards in two separate games, and played a full game in defence as Urawa Red Diamonds claimed a much-needed 3–0 victory over

Avispa Fukuoka is a Japanese professional football club, currently competing in the J1 League. The team is located in Hakata, Fukuoka. "Avispa" means "wasp" in Spanish. They were originally called Fujieda Blux and based in Fujieda, Shizuoka before moving t ...

. His efforts in defence drew praise from under-pressure Urawa boss Zeljko Petrovic, as Urawa were stuck in mid-table for most of the J-League season. On 15 July, two days after Urawa beat fifth placed side

Kawasaki Frontale is a Japanese professional football club based in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo. The club plays in the J1 League, which is the top tier of football in the country. Their home stadium is Kawasaki Todoroki Stadium, in Nakahara W ...

2–0 at home, it was published by FourFourTwo Australia that Spiranovic was delighted to finally be enjoying regular injury-free first-team action, however, admitted his frustration by the struggles of his club during the J-League season as Urawa had only recorder just three J-League wins at the time. Spiranovic continued his fine form playing 90 minute games in defence as Urawa would record three wins in the same week. A 2–0 win to

Ventforet Kofu is a Japanese football club from Kōfu in Yamanashi Prefecture. The team currently competes in the J2 League and play their home games in JIT Recycle Ink Stadium, located in Kōfu. The word "Ventforet" is a compound formed from two French roo ...

on 23 July, a 2–1

J. League Cup The is a Japanese Association football, football (soccer) competition organized by J.League. It has been sponsored by Yamazaki Biscuits (YBC) of Yamazaki Baking (formerly Yamazaki Nabisco) since its inception in 1992. It is also known as the or ...

win to

Montedio Yamagata is Japanese professional association football club based in Tendo, Yamagata. The club plays in J2 League. Montedio is a coined word combining the Italian word for "mountain" (Monte) and the word for "God" (Dio). History The club based in T ...

on 27 July and a 1–0 away victory to

on 30 July ensured Urawa's winning streak in which the side had been undefeated for nine consecutive games.

2012 season

In Urawa's first match of the

2012 J. League Cup The 2012 J.League Cup, also known as the 2012 J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup for sponsoring purposes, was the 37th edition of the most prestigious Japanese soccer league cup tournament and the 20th edition under the current J.League Cup format. K ...

on 20 March, Spiranovic received his second yellow card, and subsequent red card, in the 81st minute in his side's 1–0 win against

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 ...

. In July 2012, Spiranovic left Japanese outfit for Al-Arabi Sports Club in the

Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League ( ar, دوري نجوم قطر), or the QSL, also called QNB Stars League for sponsorship reasons, is the top level football league in Qatar football league system. Contested by 12 teams, it operates on a system of promotio ...

Al-Arabi

On 9 July 2012, the Qatari club confirmed that they have signed Spiranovic on a two-year deal. It was reported that Spiranovic's lack of game time in Japan had led him to request a transfer. Spiranovic received offers to go back to Europe, most notably in Wales from

Brendan Rodgers Brendan Rodgers (born 26 January 1973) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of Premier League club Leicester City. Rodgers began his career as a defender at Ballymena United, where he stayed un ...

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

and then

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, however, he opted for Al Arabi following the lead of Australians

Sasa Ognenovski Sasa Ognenovski ( mk, Саша Огненовски, Saša Ognenovski; born 3 April 1979) is an Australian soccer player who played as a central defender, who represented the Australia national team on 22 occasions, and who last played for Sy ...

and

Mark Bresciano Mark Bresciano ( ; ; born 11 February 1980) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. Born in Melbourne, Bresciano played youth football for Bulleen Lions, before moving into the National Soccer League with ...

in signing for a Qatari club.

Western Sydney Wanderers

Spiranovic returned to the A-League in time for the 2013–14 season, signing 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 ...

Hangzhou Greentown

On 16 July 2015, Spiranovic transferred to

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 football in ...

side

Hangzhou Greentown Zhejiang Professional Football Club (), commonly referred to as Zhejiang FC or simply Zhejiang, is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under license from the Chinese Football Association (C ...

Perth Glory

On 22 June 2018, Spiranovic signed a one-year contract with

Perth Glory Perth Glory Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Perth, Western Australia. It competes in the country's premier men's competition, A-League Men, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues. Founded in 19 ...

, returning to Australia and re-uniting with

Tony Popovic Tony Popovic (born 4 July 1973) is an Australian association football manager and former player. He is the current manager of A-League club Melbourne Victory. As a player Popovic's usual position was centre-back. Starting in 1989 at Sydney Un ...

who coached him at

. At the end of his contract, Spiranovic didn't extend his time at Perth Glory and departed the club.

Return to Melbourne Victory

In July 2021, following two years without playing professional football, Spiranovic returned to Australia joining

on a one-year contract.

Retirement

Spiranovic announced his retirement from football, halfway through the A-League season. He suffered from an ongoing foot injury that required surgery, limiting his playing time to just four games out of fourteen played up to the point he retired. His final match was on the 21st of January 2023, against Perth Glory, one of his former sides, the game finishing 3-1 to Perth.

International career

Socceroos

On 5 April 2007, Spiranovic publicly announced his intention to play for Australia on SBS's football program, The World Game. He was called up to the national side for a friendly 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 ...

, which was held on 2 June 2007. Spiranovic did not play in the defeat against the South Americans and surprisingly missed out on a spot in Australia's 2007 Asian Cup Squad, for which only five recognized defenders were selected. Spiranovic made his senior international debut for the Socceroos on 23 May 2008, coming on as a substitute against

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, followed by a start in the World Cup Qualifier against China on 22 June 2008. Spiranovic did not make the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , 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 ...

squad and was transferred to Japanese side

to gain more playing time. After a lengthy absence from the national team, Spiranovic played a full 90 minutes in a 0–0 draw against Switzerland on 5 September 2010. During this time which had followed

Craig Moore Craig Andrew Moore (born 12 December 1975) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. His 2006 FIFA World Cup profile describes him as being "tough-tackling and uncompromising but also calm and composed under p ...

's retirement from the national team, Spiranovic was labelled as Australia's central defender for the next decade as coach

noticed his potential before selection for the

2011 Asian Cup The 2011 AFC Asian Cup was the 15th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held in Qatar from 7 to 29 January 2011. It was the fifte ...

. In 2015 Spiranovic was selected for the

, which was hosted in Australia. Spiranovic played in the final against South Korea, which the Australian side won.

2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship

Spiranovic was selected in a 20-man Australia U–17 national team by coach

for a five-match tour of

against Palestino U–17, Universidad Catolica U–17, Colo-Colo U–17 and Chile U–17. The tour was preparation for the

. The Qantas U-17 Joeys were then crowned champions of the 2005 OFC U-17 Championship and qualified for the

. Prior to the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship in September 2005, Spiranovic was selected for a Four-Nations tournament in Peru against Costa Rica U–17, Ecuador U–17 and Peru U–17 in July. Spiranovic scored his first international goal during the tournament, in a 2–2 against Peru when with fifteen minutes remaining he had gotten on the end of a placed ball from Joel Allwright to head home powerfully in the 74th minute. Spiranovic was selected in the 20-man squad for the 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship along with teammates

Kaz Patafta Kaz Phonesak Patafta (born 25 October 1988) is a former Australian professional footballer. Patafta previously played as a midfielder for Benfica, Melbourne Victory, Newcastle Jets and Khon Kaen United F.C. He captained the Australia under-17 ...

Robbie Kruse Robbie Thomas Kruse ( ; ; born 5 October 1988) is an Australian professional footballer who last played as a forward for Melbourne Victory and the Australia national team. He played his junior football with Albany Creek in the Pine Rivers distr ...

Scott Jamieson Scott Alexander Jamieson (born 13 October 1988) is an Australian soccer player who plays as a left back and captains for Melbourne City in the A-League. Club career Blacktown City Jamieson was born in Auburn, Sydney. He has previously play ...

and

Leigh Broxham Leigh Michael Broxham (born 13 January 1988) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. As of May 2021, he currently holds the record for most appearances for Melbourne Victory, p ...

. He played in all three group-stage matches of the competition and was part of the team's starting–11. Australia finished in third place of their respective group, after losing to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

(1–0) and to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

(3–0), and winning against

(2–1).

2006 AFC Youth Championship

Spiranovic received a call up to a 20-man Australia U20 team for a five-match tour of

in August 2006. Spiranovic participated in matches against Colo-Colo U–20, Universidad de Chile U–20, Chile U–20 and Argentina U–20. The South American tour was preparation for the

, the qualification campaign for the eventual

. Spiranovic was selected to play at the

held in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. Australia finished in second spot of their respective group after losing to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

(1–0) and defeating

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

(3–1) and the

United Arab Emirates 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 ...

(2–0). Australia advanced to the quarter–finals where they were defeated 2–1 against

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and failed to qualify for the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

2008 Summer Olympics

By 2008, he was selected to represent the Australia U23 team at the

2008 Beijing Olympic Games The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nati ...

, playing in all three group matches against

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

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 ...

and

Cote d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...

, team finished third in their respective group.

Personal life

Personal and family life

Spiranovic was born in

. He is the son of Michael Spiranovic, an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

born former

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 le ...

for

. Spiranovic grew up in Geelong's South-West suburb

Wandana Heights Wandana Heights is a residential suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Suburban development of the suburb commenced in the 1980s which due to the current high property prices in Australia, and the fluctuation of prices in previous years housi ...

. He attended St. Robert's Primary School of Geelong and St Joseph's College from 2001 to 2005. Spiranovic has two younger sisters, Amelia, who play for

South Melbourne South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

in the Women's Victorian Premier League, and

Laura Laura may refer to: People * Laura (given name) * Laura, the British code name for the World War I Belgian spy Marthe Cnockaert Places Australia * Laura, Queensland, a town on the Cape York Peninsula * Laura, South Australia * Laura Bay, a bay on ...

, who plays for

ŽNK Split ŽNK Split is a Croatian professional women's association football club based in Split. The club was founded in 2009 and it currently competes in the Croatian First Division. The club is the successor of ŽNK 8. mart, the first women's football ...

in the

Croatian Women's First Football League The Croatian Women's First Football League ( Croatian: ''Prva hrvatska nogometna liga za žene'', also known as Prva HNLŽ or 1. HNLŽ) is the top women's football league in Croatia. The league was formed in 1992 following the dissolution of the ...

. He shares a strong friendship with former

teammate

, the pair having played together for the Australia U20 team before signing professional terms with the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

club. Spiranovic's agent is John Grimaud.

National team decision

By 2007, it was clear that Spiranovic was to play for Australia when he officially rejected an offer from the

Croatian Football Federation The Croatian Football Federation ( hr, Hrvatski nogometni savez, HNS) is the governing body of association football in Croatia. It was originally formed in 1912 and is based in the capital city of Zagreb. The organisation is a member of both FIF ...

. Former Socceroo's coach

Graham Arnold Graham James Arnold (born 3 August 1963) is an Australian soccer manager and former player. Arnold was appointed to work as an assistant coach of the Australian national soccer team in 2000. After head coach Frank Farina was sacked in 2005, Ar ...

was informed of Spiranovic's decision by phone and therefore included him in the national side prior to the

2007 Asian Cup The 2007 AFC Asian Cup was the 14th edition of the men's AFC Asian Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). The finals were held from 7 to 29 July 2007. For the first time in its hi ...

and 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Arnold stated that

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 esta ...

(FFA), as well as the Australian national team's staff, were in danger of losing the defender as Spiranovic's parents received phone calls from Croatia in the middle of the night which applied much pressure on Spiranovic to make his final decision.

Career statistics

Club

¹Includes QSL play-offs and A-League finals series.

²Includes

Emperor's Cup , commonly known as or also Japan FA Cup is a Japanese football competition. It has the longest tradition of any football match in Japan, dating back to 1921, before the formation of the J.League, Japan Football League and their predecessor, J ...

and

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 Australia ...

³Includes

⁴Includes

UEFA Europe League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

and

AFC Champions League The AFC Champions League (abbreviated as ACL) is an annual continental club football competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation, and contested by Asia's top-division football clubs. It is the most prestigious club competition ...

International

Under–17

:''Scores and results list Australia U–17's goal tally first.''

Socceroos

Honours

1. FC Nürnberg *

: 2006–07 Urawa Red Diamonds *

runners-up:

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Western Sydney Wanderers *

: Premiers

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

Perth Glory *

: Premiers 2018–19 Melbourne Victory *

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

Australia *

OFC U-17 Championship The OFC U-16 Championship is a biennial football tournament for players under the age of 16. The tournament decides the only two qualification spots for the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and its representatives at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, w ...

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

AFC Asian Cup The AFC Asian Cup is the primary association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), determining the continental champion of Asia. It is the second oldest cont ...

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, Runners-up

Individual * Weinstein Medal Junior Player of the Year: 2005

References

External links

*
Urawa Red Diamonds official site

1. FC Nuremberg profile

*

*
Yahoo! Japan sports
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spiranovic, Matthew 1988 births Australian people of Croatian descent Australian soccer players Australia international soccer players Australian Institute of Sport soccer players North Geelong Warriors FC players 1. FC Nürnberg players 1. FC Nürnberg II players Urawa Red Diamonds players Al-Arabi SC (Qatar) players Western Sydney Wanderers FC players Zhejiang Professional F.C. players Perth Glory FC players Melbourne Victory FC players J1 League players Qatar Stars League players Bundesliga players Chinese Super League players China League One players 2011 AFC Asian Cup players Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic soccer players of Australia 2014 FIFA World Cup players 2015 AFC Asian Cup players Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Japan Expatriate footballers in Qatar Expatriate footballers in China Australian expatriate sportspeople in China Australian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Australian expatriate sportspeople in Japan Australian expatriate soccer players Sportspeople from Geelong Soccer players from Victoria (Australia) Living people AFC Asian Cup-winning players Association football defenders Marquee players (A-League Men) 2. Bundesliga players