Oliver John Bozanic (born 8 January 1989) is an Australian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who plays as a midfielder for

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 ...

, on loan from Western Sydney Wanderers. Bozanic was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

but started his professional career in England before returning to play for Central Coast Mariners 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 ...

. He joined Swiss club

Luzern , neighboring_municipalities= Adligenswil, Ebikon, Emmen, Horw, Kriens, Malters, Meggen, Neuenkirch Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a ...

in 2013. After spells 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 ...

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 ...

, Melbourne City and Heart of Midlothian, Bozanic returned to the Mariners in 2020. Described as "versatile and energetic", Bozanic is able to play as an attacking midfielder or in a deeper central role. Bozanic has made seven appearances for the Australia national team, including two at the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's national football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014, after the country was awarded the hosting ri ...

Early life

Bozanic was born in

Sydney, New South Wales Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountains ...

. He is the son of former Socceroo Vic Bozanic who was part of the West Adelaide team which won the 1978

National Soccer League The National Soccer League (NSL) was the top-level soccer league in Australia, run by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL, the A-League's predecessor, spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977 until its d ...

.Reading signs Aussie teen
/ref> His early years were spent on the Central Coast of NSW where he played with the small Avoca club, He played football for Sydney Olympic FC at the age of 12.

Club career

Central Coast Mariners

Bozanic started his professional career with Australian

side

Central Coast Mariners Central Coast Mariners Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Gosford, on the Central Coast of New South Wales. It competes in the A-League Men, under licence from the Australian Professional Leagues (APL). The Ma ...

, where he was one of the locals drafted into the Mariners squad by team manager Lawrie McKinna, during the 2006–07 Pre-Season Cup as cover for a host of long-term injuries.

Reading

Bozanic joined

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

on a two and a half-year contract on 29 January 2007. Bozanic played for both the under 18s and reserves at Reading during his first 18 months at the club, and was a crucial part of the side that won the Reserve League title in the 2006–07 season. On 23 January 2009, he signed for

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in northwest Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'' and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settlement o ...

on loan for one month. His loan spell with Woking was extended until the end of the season. At the end of the season, Bozanic signed a one-year contract with the club. During pre-season of 2009–10, Bozanić joined

Cheltenham Town Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league syst ...

on loan and made his first team debut in Cheltenham's 2–1 home win against Grimsby Town on 8 August 2009. But in late-August, Bozanic soon sustained a knee injury and after three months out with an injury, Bozanic's loan spell with Cheltenham Town had come to an end. Shortly after, on 26 November 2009, Bozanic joined former Reading assistant manager Kevin Dillon at

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

team Aldershot Town on a one-month loan deal. On 5 January 2010, it was announced that Bozanic would spend another month at Aldershot Town, after having his loan spell extended. In April 2010, Bozanic was recalled by the club, having his loan spell at Aldershot Town cut.

Central Coast Mariners (second spell)

After being released by Reading at the end of the 2009–10 season, Bozanic returned to Australia to rejoin

. Bozanic made his debut for the club, in the opening game of the season, in a 1–0 win over debut club Melbourne Heart. Following his debut, Bozanic quickly earned himself in the first team and made an impressive display for the club. The club qualified for the A-League Finals Series, where he scored his first goal, in a 2–2 draw against Brisbane Roar. Then, in the Grand Final against the Brisbane Roar again, Bozanic scored in extra-time, at the 103rd minute, which seemed to be a winning goal until the opposition team scored in the last minutes, leading to go on penalty shoot-out, when the club lost 4–2. In the 2011–12 season, Bozanic featured only twenty times, due to international commitments for the national team. On his twenty-third birthday, on 8 January 2012, Bozanic scored a winning goal, in a 1–0 win over

. Throughout February, Bozanic was not featured at the club, due to international commitments for the national team at the qualifying campaign for

London 2012 The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, where he was captain, but it was successful. On 26 February 2012, Bozanic, along with goalkeeper

Mathew Ryan Mathew David Ryan (born 8 April 1992) is an Australian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Danish club F.C. Copenhagen and captains the Australia men's national soccer t ...

, returned to the first team at the club. At the conclusion to the season, Bozanic helped the club to win the A-League 2011–12 season. At the start of the 2012–13 season, Bozanic had not featured for six matches, due to an knee injury. Bozanic then made his return on 25 November 2012, in a 2–1 victory against Brisbane Roar. In mid-December, Bozanic suffered a head injury following a sickening head clash during a match against Newcastle Jets, which he resulted a concussion at the hospital. Bozanic was ruled out for a week. After three and half week out, Bozanic made his return, where he set up the only goal for

Bernie Ibini-Isei Bernie Alpha Ibini-Isei (born 12 September 1992), also known simply as Bernie Ibini, is a professional soccer player who plays as a winger and a forward. Born in Nigeria, he represented Australia internationally. Early life Bernie Ibini-Isei ...

, in a 1–0 win against

. On 28 March 2013, Bozanic signed a one-year contract extension with the club. At the conclusion to the season, Bozanic helped the club to win the A-League 2012–13 season, their second time in the row, and was featured in the

A-League Grand Final The A-League Men is the premier professional men's association football league in Australia. It is currently consists of twelve teams; ten based in Australia and one based in New Zealand. The league has been contested since 2005, when it was foun ...

, playing in defensive midfield with John Hutchinson, where they won 2–0 against Western Sydney Wanderers. In June 2013, Bozanic was among three players to be linked with Asian clubs, having been attracted by South Korean sides

Busan IPark Busan IPark ( ko, 부산 아이파크) is a South Korean professional football club based in Busan that competes in K League 2, the second tier of the South Korean football pyramid. Its current home ground is Busan Gudeok Stadium. The club was o ...

and

Pohang Steelers The Pohang Steelers (Hangul: 포항 스틸러스) are a South Korean professional football club based in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province that compete in the K League 1, the top flight of South Korean football. The Steelers were founded on 1 A ...

Luzern

On 14 June 2013, Bozanic signed a two-year deal to join

Swiss Super League The Swiss Super League (known as the Credit Suisse Super League for sponsorship reasons) is a Swiss professional league in the top tier of the Swiss football league system and has been played in its current format since the 2003–04 season ...

side

. Thirty days later, Bozanic made his debut, in the opening game of the season, in a 2–0 win over

Lausanne , neighboring_municipalities= Bottens, Bretigny-sur-Morrens, Chavannes-près-Renens, Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Crissier, Cugy, Écublens, Épalinges, Évian-les-Bains (FR-74), Froideville, Jouxtens-Mézery, Le Mont-sur-Lausanne, Lugrin (FR-74), ...

and scored his first goals in the next match, in a 4–2 loss against

Aarau Aarau (, ) is a List of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Aargau. The List of towns in Switzerland, town is also the capital of the dis ...

. Then, in the next match, Bozanic scored another brace in a 3–2 win over

Zürich Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...

. Bozanic scored a winning a goal in the next match in a 1–0 win over

Sion Sion may refer to * an alternative transliteration of Zion People * Sion (name) or Siôn, a Welsh and other given name and surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Shion or Sion, a Japanese given name Plac ...

on 5 August 2013, thereby scoring five goals in three consecutive games.

Melbourne Victory

On 3 September 2015,

announced the signing of Bozanic to a three-year marquee contract. He made his competitive debut 19 days later in a 3–1 win against Adelaide United in the

2015 FFA Cup The 2015 FFA Cup was the second season of the FFA Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. 32 teams began competition in the competition proper (from the round of 32), including all 10 A-League teams, the reigning Nat ...

Quarter Final, where he was involved in setting up his team's second goal.

Ventforet Kofu

On 16 March 2017, Melbourne Victory announced that Bozanic would be moving to

on a three-year deal. Bozanic still had one year left on his three-year marquee contract. On 4 December 2017, he was released from his contract with Ventforet.

Melbourne City

On 10 February 2018, Bozanic joined Melbourne City for the remainder of the season. He represented the club 9 times.

Hearts

Bozanic signed for Edinburgh club Hearts, of the

Scottish Premiership The Scottish Premiership, known as the cinch Premiership for sponsorship reasons, is the top division of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), the league competition for men's professional football clubs in Scotland. The Scottish ...

, in June 2018. Bozanic spent two seasons at Hearts, where he made 43 appearances and scored 6 goals.

Central Coast Mariners (third spell)

Bozanic returned to the Mariners on 21 October 2020. Bozanic was named captain of the Mariners upon his return for his first season back. On 18 December 2021, Bozanic played his 100th

A-League Men 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 ...

game for the Mariners, scoring a late free kick in a 2–0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers. Bozanic's third stint at the Central Coast Mariners lasted two seasons, both as captain. However, midway through the second season, he was frozen out by coach

Nick Montgomery Nicholas Anthony Montgomery (born 28 October 1981) is a football coach and former player, who is currently the head coach of Scottish Premiership club Hibernian. A defensive midfielder, Montgomery spent the majority of his career with Sheffie ...

and did not feature in the last 12 games of the season for the Mariners. He was released by the club at the end of the season.

Western Sydney Wanderers

After leaving the Mariners, Bozanic signed for their New South Wales rivals Western Sydney Wanderers. Bozanic made his debut for the Wanderers on 10 December 2022 against

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 ...

, and scored his first goal for the club against Brisbane Roar in his third appearance.

Perth Glory

On 13 September 2023,

announced the signing of Bozanic on loan until January 2024.

International career

Bozanic was a member of the Australian

2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup was the 17th edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which was hosted by Egypt from 24 September to 16 October 2009. The tournament was initially going to take place between 10 and 31 July. However, the 2009 FIFA Confedera ...

development squad, which competed in and won a four-team tournament in Japan against the under-20 teams of

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia a ...

and

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 ...

in 2006. He was a member of all the lead-up squads prior for the

, but missed out on his place at the tournament due to injury. He received his first full international call up in August 2009 for a friendly international against the

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 the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...

. Bozanic was again included in a 50-man preliminary squad 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 ...

. Bozanic was

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the

Olyroos 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 ...

in their unsuccessful qualifying campaign for

. In October 2013, Bozanic made his debut for the

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 ...

, coming off the bench in a win over

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Bozanic was selected in the Australian squad for the

, and played in Group Stage matches against

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Personal life

Bozanic and his wife have three daughters. Bozanic is the older brother of Spirit FC midfielder Louis Bozanic.

Career statistics

Honours

Club

* A-League Premiership: 2011–12 *

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 ...

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 ...

* FFA Cup:

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 ...

International

Australia national football team * AFF U-19 Youth Championship:

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

Individual

Player of the Month: August 2013

References

External links

*
OzFootball profileFFA – Young Socceroo profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bozanic, Oliver 1989 births Living people Soccer players from Sydney Men's association football midfielders Australia men's international soccer players Australia men's youth international soccer players Australia men's under-20 international soccer players Australian expatriate men's soccer players Australian expatriate sportspeople in England Australian expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Australian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Switzerland Central Coast Mariners FC players Aldershot Town F.C. players Cheltenham Town F.C. players Reading F.C. players Woking F.C. players FC Luzern players Melbourne Victory FC players Heart of Midlothian F.C. players Ventforet Kofu players Melbourne City FC players Western Sydney Wanderers FC players Perth Glory FC players National League (English football) players Parramatta FC players English Football League players A-League Men players Swiss Super League players Australian people of Croatian descent New South Wales Institute of Sport alumni 2014 FIFA World Cup players Expatriate men's footballers in Scotland Scottish Professional Football League players Marquee players (A-League Men) Australian men's soccer players