| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kaz Phonesak Patafta | ||
| Date of birth | 25 October 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Canberra, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Free Agent | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2004 | ACTAS | ||
| 2004–2005 | AIS | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2006–2008 | Benfica | 0 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | → Melbourne Victory (loan) | 14 | (1) |
| 2008–2011 | Newcastle Jets | 33 | (1) |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2005 | Australia U-17 | 18 | (2) |
| 2005–2006 | Australia U-20 | 5 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Kaz Phonesak Patafta (born 25 October 1988) is an Australian professional football (soccer) player of Laotian and Croatian descent.[1] Patafta formerly played as an attacking midfielder for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League. He attended Radford College in Canberra and received a football scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 2004.
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After graduating from the AIS Patafta had been ignored by Australia's A-League clubs before PSV Eindhoven (whose interest was due to the recommendation of then Australia national football team manager, Guus Hiddink) and SL Benfica expressed interest in signing him.[2] Patafta joined Benfica's Reserve squad as a 16 year old having impressed at international youth level, however, initially his transfer was blocked by Football Federation Australia as he was under the age of 18.[3] After receiving a clearance he eventually joined the squad in January 2006. His first game for the Benfica first team was against CF Estrela da Amadora in a pre-season fixture on 15 August 2006. Patafta joined Australian A-League champions Melbourne Victory on loan for the 2007-08 season. He played his first game for Melbourne Victory in a pre-season match against Sydney FC before making most of his league appearances off the bench amid suggestions that he was not physical enough or even big enough for the league. His first goal in the A-League was a left foot shot from a tight angle which came in a round 20 encounter against Wellington Phoenix which Melbourne won 3-0.[4] In May 2008, Patafta secured a release from the remainder of his contract with Benfica with the assistance of the Australian Professional Footballers' Association. On 2 June 2008, Patafta signed a 1 year contract with the Newcastle Jets. On 22 August 2008 he debuted for Newcastle in a in a 3-3 with Perth Glory when he was substituted on in the 80th minute for Edmundo Zura.[5][6][7]. At the end of the 2010/11 A-League season, Patafta was released by the Newcastle Jets.
Patafta gained attention when he captained the Australian Under-17 football team, the "Joeys", during the 2005 World Championships in Peru.[8]
"In a team where most of the players show good skills with the ball, Kaz Patafta has ensured his spot and has no replacement as a midfielder. A good reader of the game and the centre of command, this boy naturally became the captain of the Aussies".
Patafta was included as part of Australia's "train-on" squad before the 2006 FIFA World Cup, along with fellow promising young Australian players Kristian Sarkies and Neil Kilkenny. Unlike these players, he was not given a senior cap in the team's three pre-World Cup friendly matches.