Ante Čović
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ante Čović | ||
| Date of birth | 13 June 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Western Sydney Wanderers | ||
| Number | 1 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1995 | APIA Leichhardt | ||
| 1996–1997 | APIA Leichhardt | 23 | (0) |
| 1997–1999 | Marconi Stallions | 46 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | PAOK Salonika | 8 | (0) |
| 2000 | → AO Kavala (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Dinamo Zagreb | 0 | (0) |
| 2002–2006 | Hammarby IF | 121 | (0) |
| 2007–2009 | Newcastle Jets | 54 | (0) |
| 2009–2011 | IF Elfsborg | 58 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Melbourne Victory | 24 | (0) |
| 2012– | Western Sydney Wanderers | 29 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006–2010 | Australia | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 January 2012. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Ante Čović (Croatian pronunciation: [ˈaːntɛ ˈtʃɔːʋitɕ]) (born 13 June 1975) is an Australian football (soccer) goalkeeper who plays for Western Sydney Wanderers FC in the A-League. Čović was a member of the Australian national team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Contents |
Biography[edit]
Club career[edit]
He formerly played for Hammarby IF in Sweden, as well as Marconi Stallions and Sydney Olympic in Australia's National Soccer League, PAOK Salonika and AO Kavala in Greece and Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia.
Newcastle Jets[edit]
Čović made his A-League debut in a 3–2 loss to Adelaide United in December 2006 at Hindmarsh Stadium. Covic was the starting goalkeeper for Newcastle Jets in the 2007 season which he won the A-league championship. On 17 March 2009, it was announced that Čović was leaving the Jets for a 3-year deal with Swedish club IF Elfsborg.
Melbourne Victory[edit]
On 4 October 2011, Čović signed a one-year deal with Melbourne Victory as an injury replacement for Tando Velaphi who was ruled out for 12 weeks. Čović debuted in the opening game for the A-League season against Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium in front of 40,000 in attendance. Covic achieved instant hero status with the home fans when he thwarted Emerton from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute, he was named man of the match in the 0–0 draw. He was again named man of the match after the Melbourne Derby two weeks later.
In the A-League Round 5 match between Brisbane Roar and Melbourne Victory in 2011, Čović, along with fellow Victory defender Matthew Foschini, were controversially sent off by referee Ben Williams for challenges against Roar defenders, reducing the Victory to playing with nine men throughout the match.[1]
On 1 May 2012, it was announced new Melbourne Victory coach Ange Postecoglou would not resign the veteran goalkeeper, opting to stay with younger goalkeepers Lawrence Thomas and Tando Velaphi. The shock decision came after Čović was awarded the Player's Player of the Year award at the Melbourne Victory Awards Dinner.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC[edit]
On 2 July 2012, Čović joined A-League expansion club Western Sydney Wanderers FC on a free transfer.[2]
International career[edit]
He was part of the Australian squad for the 2006 World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and was Australia's third choice goalkeeper behind Mark Schwarzer and Željko Kalac for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
He made his debut for Australia against Bahrain on 22 February 2006 in an Asian Cup qualifier. On 22 March 2008 he earned his second cap against Singapore in an international friendly and was captain for part of the second half after Harry Kewell and Jade North left the field. As of 2011, Čović has two international caps with Australia.
Personal[edit]
Ante Čović is of Croatian heritage.
Honours[edit]
Club[edit]
Individual[edit]
- Newcastle Jets Player's Player of the Year: 2007–2008
- Melbourne Victory Victory Medal: 2011–2012
- Western Sydney Wanderers A-League Goalkeeper of the Year: 2012-2013
References[edit]
- ^ "Nine-Man Victory Heroically Hold Champs". FourFourTwo Australia. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
- ^ [1]
External links[edit]
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mathew Ryan |
Hyundai A-League Goalkeeper of the Year 2012/13 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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- Living people
- Sportspeople from Sydney
- Australian people of Croatian descent
- Australian soccer players
- Association football goalkeepers
- Australia international soccer players
- 2006 FIFA World Cup players
- National Soccer League (Australia) players
- Hurstville Zagreb players
- A.P.I.A. Leichhardt players
- Marconi Stallions FC players
- Australian expatriate soccer players
- Expatriate footballers in Greece
- Superleague Greece players
- PAOK F.C. players
- Australian expatriates in Greece
- Kavala F.C. players
- Melbourne Victory FC players
- Expatriate footballers in Croatia
- Australian expatriates in Croatia
- Expatriate footballers in Sweden
- Allsvenskan players
- Hammarby IF players
- Australian expatriates in Sweden
- IF Elfsborg players
- A-League players
- Newcastle Jets FC players
- Western Sydney Wanderers FC players
- 1975 births
