Christian Salem (born 15 July 1995) is a professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er playing for the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL). A defender, tall and weighing , Salem plays primarily as a half-back flanker, with the ability to push into the

midfield Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...

and

forward line In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team is assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the player's main role and by implication their location on the gro ...

. He was recognised as a talented footballer at a young age when he represented Victoria at under 12 level. He played top-level football early when he played in both the

TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victo ...

and

AFL Under 18 Championships The AFL Under-19 Championships (for sponsorship reasons, the NAB AFL Under-19 Championships) is an annual Australian national underage representative championship in Australian rules football tournament. It is seen as one of the main pathways ...

as a bottom-aged player. His achievements as a junior saw him selected with the ninth pick in the 2013 AFL draft by the Melbourne Football Club and he made his AFL debut during the 2014 season.

Early life

Salem was born to Alex and Mary Salem, and is of Lebanese descent with his father being born in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. His talent was recognised from a young age when he received state selection in the under-12 Victorian side. He attended

Brighton Grammar , motto_translation = Let us keep pursuing better things , city = Brighton , state = Victoria , zipcode = 3186 , country = Australia , coordinates ...

and played with the Robert Shaw coached first XVIIIs side from year nine, generally playing against year twelves. Salem played his junior career with the

Hampton Rovers Football Club The Hampton Rovers Amateur Football Club was founded in 1929 and is located in Melbourne, Australia. The club competes in the Victorian Amateur Football Association and the South Metro Junior Football League and has both men's and women's tea ...

and played for the

Sandringham Dragons The Sandringham Dragons are an Australian rules football club playing in the NAB League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria, Australia. They are based at the Trevor Barker Oval in Sandringham, Victoria, representing the southern ...

in the

in both 2012 and 2013. He was selected to play for Victoria Metro in the

2012 AFL Under 18 Championships The 2012 NAB AFL Under 18 Championships was the 17th edition of the AFL Under 18 Championships. Eight teams competed in the championships: Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia and Western Australia in Division 1, and New South Wales/Australian ...

as a bottom-aged player and played in the winning final, kicking two goals. He received a scholarship through the AIS-AFL Academy as part of their level two squad in the 2012 intake, and travelled to Europe for two weeks in 2013. He received mid-year state honours for the second consecutive year and played for Victoria Metro in the

2013 AFL Under 18 Championships The 2013 NAB AFL Under 18 Championships was the 18th edition of the AFL Under 18 Championships. Eight teams competed in the championships: Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia and Western Australia in Division 1, and New South Wales/Australia ...

. Salem was rated highly heading into the 2013 AFL draft and was predicted to be drafted inside the top ten due to his decision making and kicking precision, in addition, he drew comparisons to

Luke Hodge Luke Hodge (born 15 June 1984) is a former Australian rules football player who played with the Hawthorn Football Club and the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 2002 to 2017, c ...

Nick Dal Santo Nick Dal Santo (born 22 February 1984) is the senior coach of the St Kilda Football Club in the AFL Women's competition and a retired Australian rules footballer who played for St Kilda and North Melbourne in the Australian Football League (AF ...

and

Dan Hannebery Daniel Hannebery (born 24 February 1991) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Sydney Swans from 2009 to 2018 and for the St Kilda Football Club fro ...

AFL career

Salem was recruited by the

with their first selection and ninth overall in the 2013 national draft. During the pre-season, he suffered from a

thyroid The thyroid, or thyroid gland, is an endocrine gland in vertebrates. In humans it is in the neck and consists of two connected lobes. The lower two thirds of the lobes are connected by a thin band of tissue called the thyroid isthmus. The thy ...

issue which saw him lose six kilograms in the month following the draft. He played the start of the season in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL) for Melbourne's affiliate team, the

Casey Scorpions The Casey Football Club, nicknamed the "Demons" and formerly the "Scorpions", is an Australian rules football club based in Cranbourne East, Victoria. The club, which was known until 2005 as the Springvale Football Club and the Casey Scorpions ( ...

, and after strong form in the VFL, including a thirty-two possession game in the VFL round three match against at

Frankston Park Frankston Park, known commercially as Kinetic Stadium, is a suburban Australian rules football ground located in Frankston, Victoria, in Australia. It is home to the Frankston Football Club, which plays in the Victorian Football League. Frank ...

, he made his AFL debut a week later in the thirty-one point loss against at the

Melbourne Cricket Ground The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...

in round six. In his seventh match, Salem was pivotal in Melbourne's comeback victory against in round thirteen, after marking the ball thirty metres directly in front of goal, he kicked the winning goal with nineteen seconds left in the match, giving Melbourne a one-point lead. He finished his debut season with twelve matches and senior ''

Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Herald S ...

'' football writer, Jay Clark, wrote he had the potential to become one of Melbourne's best players. After playing his debut season in the forward line and a majority of matches as the substitute, Salem changed positions in 2015 and played predominantly on the

half-back line In the sport of Australian rules football, the half-back line refers to the positions of the 3 players on the field that occupy the centre half-back and left and right half-back flank positions. Centre half-back The role of the centre half-back ...

. Playing the first seven matches of the season, he injured his hamstring in the round seven loss to and was initially ruled out for a month, however, after injuring his other hamstring, he ultimately missed two months and returned from injury playing in the VFL in round sixteen, before returning to the senior side in round twenty-one in the twenty-three point loss against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He played the remainder of the season and finished with ten matches overall. After declaring his intentions to play in the

, Salem retained his spot on the half-back line whilst also playing on the

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expres ...

and prior to the season, he was labelled as one of the players who could have a breakout season by AFL Media journalist, Ben Guthrie. Entrusted with the

kick-in In the sport of Australian rules football, a kick-in (sometimes known as a kick-out, and known for much of the game's history as a kick-off) is the common name for the procedure to restart the game after a behind. It involves a defender from t ...

s for the season due to his elite kicking skills, Salem played the first six matches of the season before suffering from a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

as a result of a head clash during the thirty-nine point loss against at

Etihad Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...

in round six. He returned two weeks later for the thirty-two point loss against the at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. After being omitted the next week and playing for Casey in the VFL, a recurrence of his thyroid issue would see him miss two months of any form of football, and he returned for Casey when he played against in round seventeen of the VFL season. After playing the next three weeks in the VFL, he returned to the senior side for the final match of the year in the 111-point loss against at

Simonds Stadium Kardinia Park (also known as GMHBA Stadium due to naming rights) is a sporting and entertainment venue located within Kardinia Park, South Geelong, in the Australian state of Victoria. The stadium, which is owned and operated by the Kardinia P ...

, which saw him finish with eight matches for the season. His time in the VFL saw him qualify for the finals, and he played in the winning preliminary final against in which he was stretchered off in the second quarter after losing consciousness from a tackle where his head hit the ground heavily. He subsequently missed the grand final, in which Casey lost to by thirty-one points at Etihad Stadium. Salem handballing away from Fasolo

During the 2017 preseason, senior coach,

Simon Goodwin Simon Goodwin (born 26 December 1976) is an Australian rules football coach and former player. He has been the senior coach of the Melbourne Football Club of the Australian Football League (AFL) since 2017. As a player, Goodwin tallied 275 AFL ...

, earmarked a move into the midfield for Salem in the upcoming season, however, he suffered a mishap during preseason training, in which he received his third concussion in 2016 due to a brick in his backpack hitting his head during a preseason camp in December. Despite the injury, he returned to full fitness in time for the start of the season and played in the opening round match against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium. The next week in the twenty-two point win against Carlton at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, he recorded a career-high thirty-one disposals, in addition to seven marks, seven rebound 50s, three tackles and a goal, to be named the best player on the field by AFL Media journalist, Ben Collins. In what was labelled his breakthrough game by ''Herald Sun'' reporter, Jay Clark, he received the maximum three

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the " best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by ...

votes, meaning he was adjudged the best player on the ground by the field umpires. Salem played the first nine matches of the season, until he was suspended for the round ten match against at TIO Traeger Park due to striking 's,

Shaun Higgins Shaun Higgins (born 4 March 1988) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played in the Australian Football League (AFL). Higgins played for the Western Bulldogs from 2006 to 2014, the North Melbourne Football Club from 2015 to ...

, in the fourteen point loss the week before. He received high praise from the media during the first half of the season, with ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...

'' journalist, Chloe Saltau, writing Salem's "polish and calm" was a key reason behind Melbourne's improved form, Fox Sport Australia's, Anna Harington, noted he was enjoying a breakout season and his elite kicking was a "valuable asset" to Melbourne, and AFL Media reporter, Ben Guthrie, reiterated by stating his "elite ball use and composure under pressure asproving to be an important component of Melbourne's side." Furthermore, he was named in AFL Media's team of the week for his performances in the round two match against Carlton and the round thirteen match against the Western Bulldogs. Missing just the one match from rounds one to fourteen, Salem was forced to miss four weeks of football after sustaining a hamstring injury during the three-point win against at Domain Stadium in round fourteen. He returned for the twenty-three point win against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round eighteen, and played three matches before he was omitted for the round twenty-one match against St Kilda at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The same weekend when he was playing in the VFL, he was suspended for one week for striking Carlton forward,

Liam Sumner Liam Sumner (born 16 August 1993) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Greater Western Sydney Giants and Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was picked up by the Giants in the ...

, thus ruling him ineligible for selection for the round twenty-two match against . He returned for the final round match against at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and finished with sixteen matches for the season.

Statistics

''Updated to the end of round 13, 2023''. , - ,

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, , , , 3 , 12 , , 6 , , 6 , , 57 , , 24 , , 81 , , 24 , , 22 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 4.8 , , 2.0 , , 6.8 , , 2.0 , , 1.8 , , 0 , - ,

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 ...

, , , , 3 , 10 , , 1 , , 3 , , 101 , , 57 , , 158 , , 34 , , 35 , , 0.1 , , 0.3 , , 10.1 , , 5.7 , , 15.8 , , 3.4 , , 3.5 , , 0 , - ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, , , , 3 , 8 , , 1 , , 0 , , 87 , , 59 , , 146 , , 17 , , 29 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 10.9 , , 7.4 , , 18.3 , , 2.1 , , 3.6 , , 0 , - ,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, , , , 3 , 16 , , 5 , , 0 , , 219 , , 124 , , 343 , , 73 , , 54 , , 0.3 , , 0.0 , , 13.7 , , 7.8 , , 21.5 , , 4.6 , , 3.4 , , 3 , - ,

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, , , , 3 , 24 , , 6 , , 7 , , 320 , , 174 , , 494 , , 85 , , 84 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 13.3 , , 7.3 , , 20.6 , , 3.5 , , 3.5 , , 2 , - ,

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 ...

, , , , 3 , 20 , , 0 , , 2 , , 334 , , 148 , , 482 , , 93 , , 60 , , 0.0 , , 0.1 , , 16.7 , , 7.4 , , 24.1 , , 4.7 , , 3.0 , , 0 , - ,

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, , , , 3 , 16 , , 2 , , 0 , , 200 , , 101 , , 301 , , 64 , , 41 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 12.5 , , 6.3 , , 18.8 , , 4.0 , , 2.6 , , 0 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,

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 ...

^# , , , , 3 , 24 , , 3 , , 2 , , 405 , , 203 , , 608 , , 145 , , 58 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 16.9 , , 8.5 , , 25.3 , , 6.0 , , 2.4 , , 1 , - ,

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, , , , 3 , 13 , , 1 , , 1 , , 148 , , 78 , , 226 , , 59 , , 37 , , 0.1 , , 0.1 , , 11.4 , , 6.0 , , 17.4 , , 4.5 , , 2.8 , , 0 , - ,

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, , , , 3 , 4 , , 0 , , 0 , , 49 , , 32 , , 81 , , 18 , , 17 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 12.3 , , 8.0 , , 20.3 , , 4.5 , , 4.3 , , , - class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 , Career ! 147 !! 25 !! 21 !! 1920 !! 1000 !! 2920 !! 612 !! 437 !! 0.2 !! 0.1 !! 13.1 !! 6.8 !! 19.9 !! 4.2 !! 3.0 , , 6 Notes

Honours and achievements

Team * AFL premiership player ():

McClelland Trophy The McClelland Trophy is an Australian rules football trophy which has been awarded each year since 1951 by the Australian Football League (known prior to 1990 as the Victorian Football League) to the best-performing club in the home-and-away sea ...

():

Other work

Due to his Lebanese background, he was named one of the AFL's multicultural ambassadors during the 2017 season.

References

External links

* * *
Christian Salem's profile
from Demonwiki {{DEFAULTSORT:Salem, Christian 1995 births Living people People educated at Brighton Grammar School Melbourne Football Club players Casey Demons players Sandringham Dragons players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Australian people of Lebanese descent Melbourne Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players