Matthew Spiranovic
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| Matthew Spiranovic | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Spiranovic | |
| Date of birth | June 27, 1988 | |
| Place of birth | Geelong, Australia | |
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 31⁄2 in) | |
| Playing position | Centre Back, Central Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | 1. FC Nuremberg | |
| Number | 23 | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| North Geelong Warriors Keilor Park Melbourne Knights VIS AIS |
||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2006– | 1. FC Nuremberg | 15 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2004–2005 2006 2007– 2008- |
Australia U-17 Australia U-20 Australia U-23 Australia |
17 (1) 14 (0) 1 (0) 1 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Matthew Spiranovic (born June 27, 1988 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia) is an Australian football (soccer) player. He currently plays as a centre back for 2. Bundesliga club 1. FC Nuremberg.
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[edit] Club career
Spiranovic attended St. Joseph's College, Geelong and trained at the Victorian Institute of Sport before attending the Australian Institute of Sport on a football scholarship. He also played for the Melbourne Victory in one World Club Championship qualifying match.
Having earlier signed for the 1. FC Nuremberg Spiranovic made his Bundesliga debut in a game against Borussia Mönchengladbach on January 30, 2007,[1] being brought on for the last few minutes of the game replacing fellow Australian Michael Beauchamp. On February 2, 2007 he made his first ever Bundesliga start in a win against FC Bayern Munich, although he was replaced at half time due to a corked thigh.[2] He impressed many supporters, especially in such a big game against one of the giants of German football. He played his first two full 90-minute-games in late April and early May against VfL Wolfsburg and FC Schalke 04 acting as a "special enforcer" against the teams' dangerous creative midfielders Marcelinho and Lincoln.[3][4] His performance in these two games lead a Nuremberg tabloid to give Spiranovic the nickname of "Nuremberg's fiercest watchdog".[5]
[edit] International career
In 2005, Spiranovic represented the Young Socceroos in the 2006 AFC Youth Championship in India.
Due to his parents' heritage, he was eligible to represent either Australia, England[6] or Croatia[7] (his father is of Croat origins) at senior level.
On 4 April 2007, it was stated that Spiranovic had announced his intention to play for Australia.[8] In May 2007, he was called up at senior level for a friendly against Uruguay, which was on June 2, 2007, but did not play.[9]
Spiranovic somewhat surprisingly missed out on a spot in Australia's 2007 Asian Cup Squad, in which only five recognized defenders were selected. On May 23, 2008, he finally made his debut for Australia, coming on as a substitute against Ghana.
[edit] Honours
With 1. FC Nuremberg
[edit] References
- ^ Tactical Formation. Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved on February 6, 2007.
- ^ Tactical Formation. Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved on February 14, 2007.
- ^ Nurnberg - Wolfsburg. Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved on May 11, 2007.
- ^ Schalke 04 - Nurnberg. Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved on May 11, 2007.
- ^ Spiranovic - Nürnbergs schärfster Kettenhund. Abendzeitung Nürnberg. Retrieved on May 11, 2007.
- ^ S. Hez & C. Ives (6 December 2007). Spiranovic wins Nurnberg deal.
- ^ Tri australska Hrvata na azijskom prvenstvu za juniore (Croatian) (October 30, 2006).
- ^ Spiranovic picks Australia. Retrieved on 4 April, 2007.
- ^ Qantas Socceroos squad named for Uruguay. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved on 22 May, 2007.
[edit] External links
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