Ljubo Miličević

Ljubo Miličević

Personal information
Full name	Ljubo Miličević
Date of birth	13 February 1981 (1981-02-13)
Place of birth	Melbourne, Australia
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position	Centre Back Defensive Midfielder
Club information
Current club	Free Agent
Number	--
Youth career
	Chelsea Hajduk
	Melbourne Knights
1997–1998	AIS
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–1999	Melbourne Knights	1	(0)
1999–2001	Perth Glory	29	(3)
2001–2004	FC Zurich	45	(3)
2002–2003	→ FC Basel (loan)	2	(0)
2004–2006	FC Thun	78	(4)
2006–2007	BSC Young Boys	18	(0)
2007	Melbourne Victory	2	(0)
2009–2011	Newcastle Jets	44	(0)
2011	South Melbourne	12	(0)
2011–12	Hajduk Split	5	(0)
National team‡
2000–2001	Australia U-20	8	(0)
2004	Australia U-23	5	(0)
2005–2006	Australia	8	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:47, 17 April 2011 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 17:30, 12 November 2010 (UTC)

Ljubo Miličević (born 13 February 1981) is an Australian football (soccer) player who is currently a free agent and last played for Hajduk Split in the Prva HNL.

Club career

Early Career and Overseas

Miličević attended secondary school at St James College in East Bentleigh. His odyssey into football began at the Australian Institute of Sport wherehe Captained the side to 2 consecutive National Youth League title's. He then entered professional football with Melbourne Knights in Australia, playing one game in the NSL before moving to Perth Glory in 1999, where he scored on his debut and played a major role in getting the Western Australian side to its first ever NSL Grand Final in 2000 where he made a name for himself by being the youngest player to ever score in an Australian grand final. Suffering a serious knee injury in the first game of the World Youth Cup in Argentina hampered his chances of moving to German giants Hertha Berlin. Later that same year he finally went to Europe and went on to play for FC Zurich, FC Basel, FC Thun and BSC Young Boys in Switzerland. The latter two clubs Miličević captained in the Swiss Super League and European competition at the age of 25. He also Captained the Australian Under 20's side at the World Youth Cup in 2001 in Argentina and later the Australian Olympic Team that qualified for Athens, unfortunately he missed out due to a groin injury he sustained during qualification.

Melbourne Victory FC

On 20 February 2007 it was announced that Miličević had signed for the reigning A-League champions Melbourne Victory. He was not home long before he again drew interest from abroad with Croatian heavyweights Hajduk Split and Dinamo Zagreb both chasing his signature. Miličević declared the only club he would ever play for in Croatia would be his childhood dream team Hajduk Split, citing both the fanatical Torcida and close friend Josip Skoko as inspirations. His time with the Victory was marred by a long-term knee injury he incurred on the opening day of the season. His contract with Melbourne Victory was "mutually terminated" on 22 February 2008.

Time Away From The Game

It was revealed during January 2009 that Milicevic had suffered from depression throughout his time playing overseas. He then started training with Dandenong City in 2009 in a bid to regain fitness and get his personal life back in order.

Newcastle United Jets FC

On 4 February 2009 he signed a one-year deal with the Newcastle Jets. Miličević surprised coach Gary van Egmond with his level of fitness and immediately set about imposing a sense of drive and vigour on the training paddock, something which many felt that the Jets had distinctly lacked in the course of their disastrous A-League title defence in 2008-09.

His return to competitive football was anticipated by fans and the media alike, and despite the Jets' shaky performance in their opening 2-0 away loss in the Asian Champions League to Beijing Guoan, Miličević starred in the their subsequent game, a 2-0 victory over Korea's Ulsan Hyundai in which he marshalled the defence impressively and, along with some inspired goalkeeping by departing custodian Ante Čović, helped the Jets to their first competitive clean sheet in fourteen games. After joining Newcastle, Miličević was adopted as a cult hero by the Newcastle fans, something not seen since Milton Rodriguez was at the club.On 18 March 2010, Miličević signed a one-year contract extension with the Jets until the end of the 2010-2011 becoming Captain yet again and leading the team to the best defensive record in the league A-League season.

Free Agency and South Melbourne FC

On 12 January 2011, it was announced that Milicevic was not going to re-sign for the Jets and left for Switzerland, where he trialled with former club FC Basel in the Swiss Super League. However, he did not agree to terms with Basel, nor was another option pursued with German second division club Arminia Bielefeld. He had to wait until the European summer before committing to a new deal. In March 2011, he signed a short-term contract with Victorian Premier League club South Melbourne FC to keep himself fit, intending to return to Europe for the beginning of the 2011/12 season.

Hajduk Split

On 8 June 2011, it was announced that Miličević had signed a contract with Croatian club Hajduk Split. After struggling with injuries during the first half-season, Miličević and Hajduk agreed on contract termination, leaving Miličević as a free agent.

International career

Miličević captained both the Young Socceroos and Olyroos. After being made captain, he went to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina in 2001

Miličević has also been capped for Australia. His senior debut was against Indonesia at Subiaco Oval, Perth in March 2005; he then made three appearances at the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup against Germany, Argentina and Tunisia.

National team statistics

Australia national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2005	5	0
2006	1	0
Total	6	0

External links

• Oz Football profile
• Jets profile