Danny Vukovic

Danny Vukovic

Danny Vukovic playing for Melbourne Victory against Adelaide United in the FFA Cup, September 2015
Personal information
Full name	Danny Vukovic
Date of birth	(1985-03-27) 27 March 1985
Place of birth	Sydney, Australia
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team	Melbourne Victory
Number	1
Youth career
1999–2002	Bonnyrigg White Eagles
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2002–2004	Parramatta Power	5	(0)
2004–2005	Bonnyrigg White Eagles	14	(0)
2005–2010	Central Coast Mariners	104	(0)
2010	Konyaspor	0	(0)
2010–2011	Wellington Phoenix	17	(1)
2011–2015	Perth Glory	106	(0)
2014	→ Vegalta Sendai (loan)	0	(0)
2015–	Melbourne Victory	14	(0)
National team‡
2005	Australia U-20	4	(0)
2006–2008	Australia U-23	18	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14 January 2016. † Appearances (goals) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 January 2016

Danny Vukovic (born 27 March 1985) is an Australian professional soccer player with Melbourne Victory FC in Australasia's A-League. He plays as a Goalkeeper.

Career

Central Coast Mariners

Vukovic playing for Central Coast Mariners !Central Coast Mariners in 2008

Vukovic has previously played for Bonnyrigg White Eagles and Parramatta Power.

Vukovic made his A-League debut for the Central Coast Mariners in September 2005 against Melbourne Victory after the team's first-choice keeper John Crawley suffered a season-ending hip injury. They lost the game 2–1, however Vukovic saved an Archie Thompson penalty and was widely praised for his debut effort. He went on to play 19 more games for the Mariners in the 2005–06 season, achieving five clean sheets, and also saved a penalty from Sydney FC's star player, Dwight Yorke.

Like many Mariners players, Vukovic spends time in schools and at local junior football games, encouraging football at a grassroots level. It was known that Vukovic had desires to play overseas, and it was revealed on 29 June he has signed with TFF First League club Konyaspor.^[2]

During the third A-League Grand Final on 24 February 2008, Vukovic received a red card for slapping referee Mark Shield's hand following an alleged handball by Newcastle Jets player James Holland. On the day after the Grand Final, Football Federation Australia (FFA) gave Vukovic a 15-month ban (with 6 months suspended), meaning he would not be able to play in the A-League until 24 November 2008.

On 4 March 2008, this ban was reduced on appeal to 12 months (with 3 months suspended), meaning that if Vukovic re-offended in the following year, the 3-month suspended sentence would be activated. The ban extended to national team duty, which precluded him from competing in the 2008 Summer Olympics with the Australian U-23 team, the Olyroos, which he represented in all Olympic qualifiers for Beijing and had captained on occasion.

Vukovic's ban was appealed a second time and on 22 April 2008 Football Federation Australia announced that the appeals committee had settled on a split suspension; up to 24 June 2008 and then from 29 August through to 5 October 2008. Vukovic was also fined $10,000 and will have a further part of his sentence suspended from 6 October 2008 through to 25 January 2009.

Although Vukovic will be ineligible to play for the Mariners in the early rounds of the Hyundai A-League 2008/09 season, the decision means he will be eligible for selection for the Australian Olympic team competing in Beijing.^[3]

But in June, FIFA re-stated that his ban from International Competition did include a ban on competing in the Olympic Games with the Olyroos. He is banned from International football till 6 October, when the ban is suspended till 25 January 2009 subject to no further infringement up to, and including, 25 January 2009.^[4]

Konyaspor

Vukovic signed for the Turkish club on a 2-year deal,^[5] but was released on 13 August 2010 after the club found that they had too many overseas players on their books.^[6]

Wellington Phoenix

After being released by Konyaspor, Vukovic signed a one-year deal for the remainder of the 2010–11 season with the Wellington outfit, largely due to an injury suffered by back-up goalkeeper Reece Crowther. He initially backed-up regular custodian Mark Paston with occasional appearances, and eventually became first-choice when Paston suffered a season ending knee injury. On 13 February, he scored the first goal of his career and the first for any keeper in the Hyundai A-League for the Phoenix with a 93rd-minute penalty in the final round clash against the North Queensland Fury.^[7]

Perth Glory

Vukovic signed a 3-year deal beginning in the 2011–12 season with Perth Glory. Vukovic is the number one goalkeeper at Perth and enjoyed a successful season as the club made it to their first A-League grand final, losing to Brisbane Roar.^[8]

Vegalta Sendai

Vukovic joined Japanese side Vegalta Sendai on a 5-month loan deal, but did not make an official appearance for the club, but was on the bench on numerous occasions. ^[9]

Melbourne Victory

On 4 June 2015, it was confirmed that Vukovic had signed a three-year deal with A-League champions & premiers Melbourne Victory, being a major replacement for departing keepers Nathan Coe and Michael Turnbull.^[10] Vukovic revealed that a factor of signing the deal with the Melbourne club was that him & his wife Kristy wanted to live in the Eastern coast of Australia so that their new born child (expected in July 2015) would be raised closer to their respective families from Sydney.^[11]

International career

Vukovic played in the Young Socceroos team which won the 2005 OFC U-20 Championship.

He played several matches for the Olyroos, however missed the 2008 Beijing Olympics through suspension.

Personal life

Vukovic was born on 27 March 1985 in Sydney to a Serbian family.^[12] During an interview with Fox Sports regarding his new deal with Melbourne Victory Vukovic revealed that him and his wife Kristy were expecting their first child in July 2015, stating that they wanted their child to be raised on the eastern coast of Australia, so they could be closer to their respective families which contributed to the signing the deal with the Melbourne club.^[13]

Career statistics

As of 4 June 2015

CS = Clean Sheets

¹ – includes A-League final series statistics
² – AFC Champions League statistics are included in season commencing during group stages (i.e. ACL 2009 and A-League season 2008–09 etc.)

Honours

Club

Central Coast Mariners

• A-League Premiership: 2007–2008

Melbourne Victory

• FFA Cup: 2015

Country

Australia

• OFC U-20 Championship: 2005

Individual

• Mariners Medal: 2007, 2010
• PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2009–10, 2013–14, 2014–15

References

External links

• Central Coast Mariners profile
• FFA – Olyroo profile