Personal information | |||
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Full name | Blagoja Celeski | ||
Date of birth | 14 July 1985 | ||
Place of birth | Ohrid, Republic of Macedonia | ||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in) | ||
Playing position | Midfielder | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Melbourne Victory | ||
Number | 14 | ||
Youth career | |||
Preston Lions | |||
Bullen Zebras | |||
2001 | VIS | ||
2002–2003 | AIS | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
2004–2005 | Bullen Zebras | 16 | (2) |
2005–2006 | Perth Glory | 18 | (0) |
2006–2007 | Bullen Zebras | 23 | (5) |
2007–2008 | Perth Glory | 14 | (4) |
2008– | Melbourne Victory | 63 | (2) |
National team‡ | |||
2004–2005 | Australia U-20 | 14 | (0) |
2006–2007 | Australia U-23 | 13 | (0) |
2009 | Australia | 1 | (0) |
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:45, 28 December 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). |
Blagoja 'Billy' Celeski (Macedonian: Благоја Целески) (born 14 July 1985), is an Australian football (soccer) player. He currently plays for Melbourne Victory as a central midfielder. His cousin is Perth Glory player Naum Sekulovski.
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Born in Ohrid, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia, he early moved to Australia where he spent his entire career. Celeski signed for Perth Glory for the 2005/2006 A-League season from Bulleen playing 18 times and won the club's media award, but was released at the end of the season. Celeski graduated from the Victorian Institute of Sport and Australian Institute of Sport. In March 2007 Celeski was signed by Perth Glory again. A notable performance, with Perth Glory, in the A-League occurred on Saturday, December 15, 2007 - where Celeski scored a hat-trick in Perth Glory's 4-2 win over Sydney FC at the Sydney Football Stadium.[1]
Afterwards Celeski signed to Melbourne Victory at the end of the 2007/08 season in a one year deal, post-mutual termination of his Perth Glory contract, primarily to bolster the squad for the Asian Champions League.[2] Celeski scored his first goal for his new club in their 3-2 win over Adelaide United on the 31 October 2008.[3] Celeski signed a new 2 year contract with Melbourne Victory on the 23 December 2008.
Celeski went on to play a role in the Melbourne team, performing an important role in their title-winning campaign,[4] while also not missing a league match until late 2009.[5] This was to be stopped on the September 3rd of that year however, when he suffered a season ending anterior cruciate ligament injury, in the opening of a match against Newcastle Jets.[6]
Celeski made his first senior international debut for the Socceroos on 28 January 2009 in a AFC Asian Cup qualifying match versus Indonesia,[4] appearing as a substitute for Tom Pondeljak.[7] He was also a member of the unsuccessful Olyroos squad that took part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
With Melbourne Victory:
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