Leonida Christos Bertos (born 20 December 1981) is a New Zealand professional

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, rugb ...

who last played as a

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for Hamilton Olympic in the

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

. Leo Bertos is currently the head coach of Northern NSW NPL side Weston Bears FC A New Zealand international from 2003 to 2013, he represented his country at 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 ...

Early life

Bertos was born in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

, to a

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

father and a New Zealand

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

mother. He attended Holy Cross primary school (1987–1994) and

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: * Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New ...

(1995–1999) where he played for the school's first XI. Bertos played for

Wellington Olympic Wellington Olympic AFC is a New Zealand amateur football club based in Berhampore, Wellington. The club's premier team competes in the Central League through which they have qualified for the New Zealand National League. Club history The club ...

in the New Zealand domestic league between 1997 and 2000.

Club career

Barnsley

Bertos started his career in England, playing in

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough ha ...

youth system In sporting terminology, a youth system (or youth academy) is a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team in the future if t ...

. He made his debut for the Barnsley reserve team against

Rotherham United Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around 1 ...

in October 2000. and his first-team debut for Barnsley in a 0–4 defeat to

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

on 16 April 2001. Bertos signed a professional contract for the club a day later. He picked up a knee injury whilst playing in

Tenerife Tenerife (; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands. It is home to 43% of the total population of the Archipelago, archipelago. With a land area of and a population of 978,100 inhabitant ...

, the results of which required a

second opinion A second opinion is an opinion on a matter disputed by two or more parties. Law In legal cases, a second opinion which contradicts the opinion of a jointly retained expert may be disregarded as not being impartial. Consumer rights In cas ...

. These results were delayed, but, when received, it was confirmed that no meniscus was present to his tendon. He scored once for Barnsley; in a 4–1 defeat to Bristol City.

Rochdale

He had a reasonably successful two-year spell at

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Bor ...

scoring the goal in a 1–0 win at Kidderminster that secured the team's League status in 2003–04, but fell out of favour the following year and was released.

Chester City

After failing to impress in a short spell at Chester City Bertos played

non-league football Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is s ...

for Barrow,

York City York City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league sys ...

, Scarborough and

Worksop Town Worksop Town Football Club is an English football club based in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. As of the 2021–22 season the team plays in the . They are nicknamed ''The Tigers'' and play their home games at Sandy Lane in Worksop. History First clu ...

Perth Glory

Bertos signed for

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 ...

franchise

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 ...

for the start of the 2006–07 season on a two-year contract. Bertos' signing was an attempt to add depth to a Perth midfield that lacked consistency and strength in 2005–06. Bertos replaced star midfield player Nick Ward. Starting all 21 matches of the regular season, Bertos' pace, ability to beat his man, and dangerous crosses from wide areas, resulted in nine assists in his debut season, making him the highest assisting player in the league. Fans bemoaned the fact he failed to find the back of the net given the number of good scoring opportunities. Bertos explored new opportunities during the

off-season. Glory manager Ron Smith allowed him to trial with

club

Skoda Xanthi Xanthi Football Club ( el, Α.Ο. Ξάνθη Π.Α.Ε.) is a Greek professional football club based in Xanthi, Western Thrace and plays at Xanthi FC Arena. The club resigned from the Super League 2 due to financial issues. Founded in 1967, Xa ...

, however the trial was unsuccessful and Bertos returned to Perth in time for the start of the 2007–08 season. During the 2007–08 season Bertos made fourteen appearances for the club and scored one goal and had two assists.

Wellington Phoenix

On 24 January 2008, Bertos was signed on a free transfer by his hometown club

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 ...

on a two-year contract. He made his club debut in the opening game of the 2008–09 season against

Brisbane Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland and has won the domestic title on three occasions, as well as holding the longest unbeaten record of 36 league matches without defeat. Brisba ...

. Bertos scored his first goal for Wellington against Sydney on 7 November 2008. He played in 16 of the 21 regular season matches making 14 starts with 2 goals and 4 assists. Bertos was named Wellington Phoenix Player of the Year for 2008–09. The 2009–10 season was incredibly successful for Bertos and the Phoenix. Bertos played a central role during the regular season to ensure a first finals appearance for the club. He played every game of the season, starting 23 of the 28 matches, scoring 2 goals and providing 8 assists. He holds the all-time leading assists record for the club with 12. On 1 October 2009 he signed a three-year contract extension. On 13 April 2014, the Phoenix announced he would be leaving the club.

East Bengal

On 19 July 2014, he signed for Indian club

East Bengal FC East Bengal Club, commonly referred to as East Bengal (), is an Indian professional multi-sport club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is best known for its professional men's football team that competes in the Indian Super League, the top fli ...

for a two-year contract. On the virtue of playing in

, he qualifies as the marquee player of the club. He was issued the number 11 jersey. He made his debut in a

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

match against Techno Aryan on 23 August 2014, coming as a substitute for Mehtab Hussain.

NorthEast United

As the

Indian Super League The Indian Super League (ISL) is an Indian professional league for men's association football clubs. At the top of the Indian football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Organised by the All India Football Federa ...

started, Bertos joined the competition by going on loan to

NorthEast United NorthEast United FC is an Indian professional football club based in Guwahati, Assam that competes in the Indian Super League, the top flight of Indian football. The club was founded on 13 April 2014 during the inaugural season of Indian Supe ...

. There he reunited with his former coach at national team

Ricki Herbert Ricki Lloyd Herbert (born 10 April 1961) is a New Zealand former footballer and manager. He is the current technical director at Cambridge FC. Herbert was formerly head coach of the New Zealand national team, stepping down after the side faile ...

Hamilton Olympic

Bertos signed for Australian

side Hamilton Olympic for the 2016 season after training for several weeks with

Newcastle Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club, commonly known as Newcastle Jets, is an Australian professional soccer club based in Newcastle, New South Wales. It competes in the country's premier competition, the A-League, under licence from The Australian ...

International career

Bertos made his international debut against

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

on 13 October 2003 and has represented

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

over 50 times since. He has also represented New Zealand at under-23 level. Bertos is known for his dribbling and quality skills on the ball. This was shown in the New Zealand vs

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

game in which he dribbled around two defenders to win a corner. He also played many one-twos and did a drag-back once in the second half. In the first game of the New Zealand vs

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

series (which New Zealand won 1–0), Bertos received the Man of the Match award for his magnificent dribbling performance and domination of the

n defence. He represented New Zealand at the

2009 FIFA Confederations Cup The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Jo ...

in South Africa. He provided the assist for New Zealand's first two goals against World Champions

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in a 3–4 friendly loss in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends eastward into the foothi ...

prior to the Confederations Cup.

2010 FIFA World Cup

In Wellington on 14 November 2009, Bertos provided the assist and delivered the corner from which

Rory Fallon Rory Michael Fallon (born 20 March 1982) is a New Zealand former professional footballer who played predominantly as a forward. He previously played for Barnsley, Shrewsbury Town, Swindon Town, Swansea City, Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town, Yeov ...

headed a thumping game winner against

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and a ...

to give New Zealand the two-legged aggregate win needed to secure a spot at the

. Bertos was on hand to see the World Cup trophy unveiled on New Zealand soil for the first time, when it made an eight-hour stop-over in Auckland on 27 April 2010 on its worldwide tour before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. On 10 May 2010 Bertos was named as one of eight midfielders in the final 23-man squad to travel to the

in June. The squad played several official warm-up internationals against

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, and ...

and

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 eas ...

before the World Cup. Bertos played in all three games at the World Cup, putting in gritty performances to earn New Zealand a 1–1 draw with Slovakia, a 1–1 draw with reigning world champions Italy, and their final 0–0 draw with Paraguay.

Futsal

Bertos was named in the New Zealand Futsal squad to play Australia in a three match series in July 2014 scoring a goal in his debut for the side

Management career

Bertos was named the coach of Weston Bears in January 2020 after former manager

Kew Jaliens Kew Raffique Jaliens (born 15 September 1978) is a Dutch former footballer who played as a defender. Club career Sparta Kew Jaliens started his career at Sparta and made his league debut aged 18 in a 2–1 away win over FC Groningen on 25 May ...

flagged an intention to return to Europe.

Career statistics

Club

International

Honours

Individual *

Player of the Year: 2008–09

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertos, Leo Living people 1981 births A-League Men players Barnsley F.C. players Chester City F.C. players National League (English football) players Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate soccer players in Australia Expatriate footballers in India Association football wingers People educated at Wellington College (New Zealand) New Zealand expatriate association footballers New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Australia New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in England New Zealand international footballers New Zealand association footballers New Zealand people of Greek descent New Zealand Māori sportspeople Association footballers from Wellington City Perth Glory FC players Rochdale A.F.C. players Scarborough F.C. players English Football League players Wellington Phoenix FC players Worksop Town F.C. players York City F.C. players Barrow A.F.C. players East Bengal Club players NorthEast United FC players I-League players Indian Super League players New Zealand men's futsal players Wellington Olympic AFC players 2004 OFC Nations Cup players 2008 OFC Nations Cup players 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players 2010 FIFA World Cup players 2012 OFC Nations Cup players