Sasa Ognenovski (; born 3 April 1979) is an Australian retired

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player who played as a

central defender In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...

, who played for the Australia national team on 22 occasions, and who last played for

Sydney FC Sydney Football Club, commonly known as Sydney FC, is a professional association football, soccer club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They compete in the top-tier men's league in Australia, the A-League Men. Established in 2004, ...

in the

A-League A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as the A-League by the ...

. He is currently work as director of football at

Preston Lions Preston Lions Football Club (formerly Preston Makedonia Soccer Club) is a semi-professional soccer club from Preston, a northern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The club was established in 1947 to play non-professional soccer matche ...

. In 2010, he was named Asian Footballer of the Year, won a position in the K-League Best XI, and won the

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

with Seongnam. These achievements led to his inclusion in the Australian squad for 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 secon ...

. Alongside Robert Cornthwaite and Eli Babalj, Ognenovski, at 1.95 m, is the joint third tallest player to have played for the Australia national soccer team, behind

Zeljko Kalac Zeljko Kalac (born 16 December 1972) is an Australian association football, soccer coach and former player who is currently the goalkeeping coach for the Iraq national football team. Standing at 2.02 m, Kalac is the tallest player to have ...

(2.02 m) and

Harry Souttar Harry James Souttar (born 22 October 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for side Sheffield United, on loan from club Leicester City. Born in Scotland, he plays for the Australia national team. Born in Scotland, Sou ...

(1.98 m).

Club career

He previously played with Macedonian side

in the 1997–2000 and 2003–2004 seasons, then with

Melbourne Knights Melbourne Knights Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the suburb of Sunshine North, Melbourne. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, the second-tier of the Australian soccer league ...

in the 2000–2001 and 2001–2002 seasons, and in the 2002–2003 season with Greek side Panahaiki, and then with

Queensland Roar Brisbane Roar Football Club is a professional Association football, soccer club based in Brisbane, Queensland. competing in Australia's premier men's competition, A-League Men, which is the top tier Australia's Australian soccer league system ...

until transferring to

Adelaide United FC Adelaide United Football Club is a professional men's Association football, soccer club located in Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. The club was one of the eight founding members of the A-League Men and have competed in it concurrently ...

in February 2008 to play in the

Asian Champions League The AFC Champions League Elite (abbreviated as the ACL Elite) 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 cl ...

, starting in March 2008. Ognenovski played his 50th

match against

on 22 November 2008 scoring the opening goal, his first for Adelaide, in the 2–0 win at

Hindmarsh Stadium Hindmarsh Stadium (also known as Coopers Brewery, Coopers Stadium under naming rights) is a multi-purpose stadium in Hindmarsh, South Australia, Hindmarsh, an inner western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is the home of the Australian ...

. He followed this up a week later scoring a dramatic equaliser in Adelaide's 1–1 draw 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 Australi ...

heading in from another set piece. In January 2009 it was revealed that Ognenovski was a target for

K-League K League () is South Korea's professional football league. It includes the first division K League 1 and the second division K League 2. Clubs competing in the K League have won a record total of twelve AFC Champions League titles, the top conti ...

club

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma Seongnam Football Club () is a South Korean professional football club based in Seongnam that competes in the K League 2, the second tier of South Korean football. It is one of the most successful clubs in South Korea and the Asian Football Conf ...

but the initial bid of A$285,000 was rejected with Adelaide asking for a transfer fee of $570,000. He was also a transfer target of another K-League side,

FC Seoul FC Seoul () is a South Korean professional Association football, football club based in Seoul that competes in the K League 1, the top flight of Football in South Korea, South Korean football. The club is owned by GS Sports, a subsidiary of GS G ...

, who sent officials to negotiate the fee with Adelaide. The transfer saga was resolved on Tuesday 13 January 2009 when Adelaide United revealed Ognenovski would join Seongnam at the end of the

A-League 2008-09 A-League Men, also known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional Association football, soccer league in Australia and New Zealand and the highest level of the Australian soccer league system. Established in 2004 as ...

season on a two-year deal. The defender gave a glowing tribute to the club upon the announcement saying, "I’ve met some great people, the owners Nick and

Dario Dario is a masculine given name, etymologically related to Darius. Given name * Dario Allevi (born 1965), Italian politician *Dario Argento (born 1940), Italian film director * Dario Badinelli (born 1946), Italian triple jumper * Dario Bellezza ...

are probably the best people I’ve met in football so it is a tough decision but obviously I have to secure my future and look after my family so that was the main reason that I took up the offer". Ognenovski was voted the second best

Macedonian Macedonian most often refers to someone or something from or related to Macedonia. Macedonian(s) may refer to: People Modern * Macedonians (ethnic group), a nation and a South Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with North Macedonia * Mac ...

footballer of 2008, behind

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

Goran Pandev Goran Pandev (, ; born 27 July 1983) is a Macedonian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Known for his goal-scoring ability, consistency, and intelligence, he is regarded as one of the best Macedonian footballers of all time. ...

. In 2010, in his second season with

, Ognenovski captained the team to victory in the

. He scored the opening goal of the match as Seongnam defeated Zob Ahan 3–1 in the final. Ognenovski was named the Man of the Match and the tournament's Most Valuable Player. On 7 July 2012, Ognenovski moved to

Umm-Salal Sports Club Umm Salal Sport Club () is a Qatari professional association football, football club based in Umm Salal, that competes in the Qatar Stars League, the highest tier of Football in Qatar, Qatari football. Previously called Al-Tadamun Sport Club, Umm ...

in the

Qatar Stars League The Qatar Stars League (; abbreviated as QSL), known as Ooredoo 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 promotion and relegation wi ...

after an outstanding three-year spell at Seongnam. Ognenovski made his debut for Umm-Salal Sports Club on 21 October 2012 in the 1–1 away draw to Al Kharitiyath. On 4 February 2014, Ognenovski moved back to the

to sign with

. He scored his first goal against

assisted by Italian marquee

Alessandro Del Piero Alessandro Del Piero (; born 9 November 1974) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. Since 2015, he has worked as a pundit for ...

. On 8 October 2014, Ogenovski, along with Nikola Petković were appointed Sydney FC's vice-captains for 2014. His first goal for the 2014–15 A-league season came in Rd 2 against Western Sydney Wanderers won by Sydney 3–2. Ogenovski appeared to score a goal, but it was ruled an

own goal An own goal occurs in sports when a player performs actions that result in scoring points for the opposition, such as when a Association football, footballer puts a ball into their own net. In some parts of the world, the term has become a met ...

by Romeo Castelen. However, Ogenovski was suspended following the match for striking

Vítor Saba Vítor Rodrigues Saba (born 11 July 1990) is a former Brazilian professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder and last played for Hong Kong Premier League team, Eastern SC. Club career Born in Sukakerta, Saba arrived in Vasco ...

in the head. Ognenovski was released by Sydney on 3 June 2015.

International career

Ognenovski was eligible to represent

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, but after not being selected for

2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification The 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification saw various countries take part to determine 10 spots to the final tournament in Qatar under the new qualification system set by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). Six other teams also qualified for th ...

matches against

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

and

Kuwait Kuwait, officially the State of Kuwait, is a country in West Asia and the geopolitical region known as the Middle East. It is situated in the northern edge of the Arabian Peninsula at the head of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Kuwait ...

, he expressed his disappointment and put himself up for selection for the country of his heritage,

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

(now North Macedonia). Although not available to play (due to not having yet received FIFA clearance), Ognenovski was called by

Srečko Katanec Srečko Katanec (; born 16 July 1963) is a Slovenian retired football manager and player. At international level, he was capped for both the Yugoslavia and Slovenia national teams. A former midfielder, who was also capable of playing as a defen ...

to play for Macedonia in the match against

Moldova Moldova, officially the Republic of Moldova, is a Landlocked country, landlocked country in Eastern Europe, with an area of and population of 2.42 million. Moldova is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south. ...

on 11 February 2009, although he did not feature due to issues with his eligibility. After dashing his hopes for playing for the Socceroos under the late

Pim Verbeek Peter Tim Dirk "Pim" Verbeek (12 March 1956 – 28 November 2019) was a Dutch football manager who last coached the Oman national football team. Playing career As a player, Verbeek was a defender or a midfielder and spent his entire career at S ...

, new manager

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 ...

called him up for a friendly against

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Cairo, Egypt Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, and he was subsequently named in the 23-man 2011 AFC Asian Cup squad. Throughout the AFC Asian cup, he started every match and developed a solid defensive partnership with Lucas Neill, and scored the second goal in Australia's 6–0 defeat of Uzbekistan in the semi-finals.

Managers career

He is first coaching of the NPL Victoria team Dandenong City.

Honours

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma *

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Korean FA Cup The Korea Cup (), formerly the Korean FA Cup, is a national Association football, football cup knockout competition of South Korea, held annually by the Korea Football Association (KFA). Before the competition was established in 1996, two simil ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Australia *

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 c ...

: runner-up

Individual * AFC Asian Footballer of the Year: 2010 *

Most Valuable Player:

* K-League Best XI:

Career statistics

Club statistics

¹ – includes

final series statistics;

playoff statistics
² – includes League Cup statistics
³ – includes

FIFA Club World Cup The FIFA Club World Cup (FIFA CWC) is an international men's association football competition organised by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), the sport's global sports governing body, governing body. The compe ...

statistics;

statistics are included in season commencing after group stages (i.e. 2008 ACL in 2008–09 A-League season etc.)

International statistics

References

External links

Adelaide United profile

*
soccerway.com
*
worldfootball.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ognenovski, Sasa 1979 births Australian people of Macedonian descent Australia men's international soccer players A-League Men players National Soccer League (Australia) players K League 1 players Qatar Stars League players Adelaide United FC players Sydney FC players Melbourne Knights FC players Panachaiki F.C. players Brisbane Roar FC players Seongnam FC players Umm Salal SC players 2011 AFC Asian Cup players Preston Lions FC players Asian Footballer of the Year winners Australian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Australian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Expatriate men's footballers in Qatar Australian expatriate men's soccer players Expatriate men's footballers in South Korea Soccer players from Melbourne Living people Men's association football defenders Australian men's soccer players Australian soccer managers Australian expatriate sportspeople in Qatar Expatriate men's footballers in Greece AFC Champions League Elite–winning players