| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Allen Zdrilic | ||
| Date of birth | 13 April 1974 | ||
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker (Retired) | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sydney United | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Greenwich | |||
| King Tomislav Sydney | |||
| Patrician Brothers' College | |||
| Sutherland | |||
| St George Saints | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1993 | St George Saints | 20 | (4) |
| 1993–1997 | Sydney United | 114 | (39) |
| 1997–1998 | FC Aarau | 25 | (2) |
| 1998–2000 | SSV Ulm | 55 | (18) |
| 2000–2002 | SpVgg Unterhaching | 23 | (1) |
| 2002–2003 | Walsall | 24 | (3) |
| 2003–2004 | Aberdeen | 31 | (4) |
| 2004 | Eintracht Trier | 11 | (0) |
| 2005–2008 | Sydney FC | 59 | (14) |
| 2009–2010 | Sydney United | 33 | (9) |
| Total | 395 | (94) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1997–2005 | Australia[1] | 30 | (20) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2010 | Sydney United | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 April 2010. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
David Allen Zdrilic (Croatian surname: Zdrilić) (Croatian pronunciation: [ˈzdrilitɕ]) (born 13 April 1974) is a Croatian Australian football (soccer) player. He is currently playing for Sydney United in the NSW Premier League. He previously played for Sydney FC in the A-League and has also played in Switzerland, Germany, England and Scotland. He has played on thirty occasions for the Australian national team, having once scored eight goals in a single match - the second highest recorded for any Australian player.
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Zdrilic represented his high school Patrician Brothers' College during his time as a teenage schoolboy and featured prominently in all teams including the A Grade squad. He had to opportunity as a child to pursue a tennis career, receiving coaching and playing in tournaments, but chose football instead.[2] After playing through the youth ranks for St George Saints he broke into the senior side in 1993 at the age of 19. Mid-way through the NSW Super League year he signed to Sydney United for the coming National Soccer League season. He made an immediate impact shortly after joining the club, scoring four goals in four games in a preseason cup competition.[3] However, he played most of his first NSL season playing as fullback,, netting only once for the year. Zdrilic's versatility meant he was often used in different positions and during the 1994/95 and 1995/96 seasons, he was more often among the goal scorers. It was in the 1996/97 season that for the first time Zdrilic was used as an out and out striker and eventually took out the Golden Boot scoring 21 goals in 26 games. During this time he combined studied a law degree at Sydney University, working full time at a Western Sydney Law Firm with his footballing duties..[4] It was not until this 1996/97 NSL season that his footballing career rose to the next level.
Zdrilic's first call-up to the national team came in January 1997. After the appointment of Terry Venables as the new Socceroos coach, Australia hosted the Optus Cup a four-team tournament including an Australian squad of domestic-based players.[5] In forming the squad, Venables had asked "who's the leading scorer in the NSL?", the answer being Zdrilic (having scored 12 goals in as many games), and he played all three matches.[6] He continued his scoring ways in the NSL to win the Golden Boot for that season with 21 goals, United topping the table before losing the grand final to Brisbane.
His position atop the Australian league attracted attention in Europe, particularly in Switzerland with an offer to join Grasshoppers accepted, before later signing to FC Aarau. After a season at Aarau he moved to German side SSV Ulm 1846, newly promoted to the second division. Ulm's strong 98-99 season with Zdrilic a regular starter and scoring 12 goals for the season saw them promoted again into the Bundesliga, the clubs first appearance in the top flight.[7]
Now playing in a top European league, he earned a recall to national side in early 2000 for a tournament in Chile.[8] He again rejoined the side in June as Australia hosted a three match series against Paraguay, which he scored his first international goal in a 2-1 win. Zdrilic remained with the side for the 2000 OFC Nations Cup, adding to his goal tally twice against Cook Islands.
Returning to club duties, Ulm had been relegated back to the second division and Zdrilic sought to remain in the top league, moving to Unterhaching. The club struggled for consistency through the 2000-01 season and was eventually relegated, Zdrilic remaining with the club on its return to 2.Bundesliga. Haching continued to struggle for results in the 01-02 season, relegated again at the end of the year. In contrast to club fortunes, Zdrilic was achieving greater success at international level throughout this time. Becoming a regular inclusion in an Australian side under Frank Farina, he was recalled for a friendly against Scotland to replace the injured Mark Viduka scoring in a memorable 2-0 victory at Hamden Park. He retained his place in the squad for the Oceania World Cup qualifiers. In Australia's second match of the tournament, he scored eight goals in a world record 31–0 win over American Samoa. He and his strike partner Archie Thompson, who scored 13 goals, broke the record for most goals scored in a senior international match. He remained in the team for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup, taking part in the Socceroos memorable victories over Mexico and Brazil.
With Unterhaching in financial trouble, Zdrilic gain a release and signed on to English First Division side Walsall,[9] where he was soon joined by fellow Australian Steve Corica. In a season restricted by a calf injury,[10] he made 29 appearances in the league and cup scoring five goals including the only goal against Wimbledon F.C. in the FA Cup fourth round.[11] In May 2003 he parted from the club[12] and after interest from other English sides and Norwegian side S.K. Brann, he signed to Scottish Premier League club Aberdeen on a one year deal, making an immediate impact with a goal 80 seconds into his debut in a pre-season friendly against Liverpool and then again against Rangers in the league..[13] Zdrilic went on to score 8 goals in all competitions including the winner in a memorable win over Celtic which ended Celtics unbeaten home run of 78 games. After being linked with Belgian clubs Lierse S.K. and K.A.A. Gent, and also 1860 Munich, he returned to 2nd Bundesliga at Eintracht Trier.
While facing difficulties at Aberdeen, his elevation back to the top flight of a European league returned him to national team contention. He was selected for a number of friendly matches and rejoined the squad in May for the 2004 OFC Nations Cup, which also doubled as qualifiers for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. After a goal against Tahiti, he made two more appearances against Fiji and Vanuatu.
His stay at Trier was short-lived, and returned to Australia with the launch of the A-League in 2005 to be part of the inaugural Sydney FC squad, signing a three-year deal.[14][15] Now back in Australia, he was included in a Socceroos side for a match on 29 March 2005 against Indonesia to benefit victims of the Boxing Day tsunami, scoring Australia's third goal in what many have tipped as his last international match. He took part in 19 of Sydney's matches in their first season, mostly as a substitute,scoring once. In the second season he found more game time under Terry Butcher, scoring four goals from 20 appearances.
Zdrilic remained at Sydney for the A-League 2007-08 season, in the final year of his original three-year contract. A number of matches saw him being deployed in the backline and midfield..[16] Many Sydney FC fans became critical of his performances, after netting just five goals in his first two years at the club.[17] Despite his clear intentions to add to his tally in the 2007-08 season, Zdrilic failed to score in any competitive matches all year and was released by Sydney at the end of the season.[18]
The end of his stay with Sydney FC effectively marked the end of his career. Post Sydney FC, David started working as a football pundit for both Fox Sports News Channel, ESPN Sportscenter in Australia, SBS as well as writing a column for mX. He also took on a role as Player Relations Officer for the PFA (Professional Footballers Australia).
In 2009, David signed with his former club Sydney United who play in the NSW Premier League. He is began coaching the Maccabi All-Age One (AA1) football side.[19] Zdrillic was then unveiled as Player-manager of Sydney United for the 2010 NSW Premier League season after Ante Milicic took up a job at new A-League club Melbourne Heart.
Zdrillic has continued to work in the media and has most recently co-hosted the new 'World Football News' program one ONEHD and was a part of SBS's 2010 FIFA World Cup coverage as a regular analyst.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 June 2000 | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia | Paraguay | 2-0 | 2-1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 19 June 2000 | Stade Pater, Papeete, Tahiti | Cook Islands | 5-0 | 17-0 | 2000 OFC Nations Cup |
| 3 | 11-0 | |||||
| 4 | 15 November 2000 | Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland | Scotland | 0-2 | 0-2 | Friendly |
| 5 | 9 April 2001 | BCU International Stadium, Coffs Harbour, Australia | Tonga | 17-0 | 22-0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 22-0 | |||||
| 7 | 11 April 2001 | BCU International Stadium, Coffs Harbour, Australia | American Samoa | 3-0 | 31-0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 8 | 7-0 | |||||
| 9 | 9-0 | |||||
| 10 | 13-0 | |||||
| 11 | 21-0 | |||||
| 12 | 24-0 | |||||
| 13 | 25-0 | |||||
| 14 | 31-0 | |||||
| 15 | 16 April 2001 | BCU International Stadium, Coffs Harbour, Australia | Samoa | 2-0 | 11-0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 6-0 | |||||
| 17 | 24 June 2001 | Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia | New Zealand | 1-0 | 4-1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 18 | 4-1 | |||||
| 19 | 31 May 2004 | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, Australia | Tahiti | 8-0 | 9-0 | 2004 OFC Nations Cup |
| 20 | 29 March 2005 | Subiaco Oval, Perth, Australia | Indonesia | 3-0 | 3-0 | Friendly |
With Australia:
With Sydney FC:
Personal Honours:
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Damian Mori |
NSL Golden Boot 1996/97 |
Succeeded by Damian Mori |
|
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