Archie Thompson facts for kids
Thompson playing for Melbourne Victory FC in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Archie Gerald Thompson | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 23 October 1978 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ōtorohanga, New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker / Winger | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lithgow Rangers | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Twin City Wanderers | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | NSWIS | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Bathurst '75 | 16 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1999 | Gippsland Falcons | 43 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Carlton SC | 53 | (23) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Marconi Stallions | 13 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | Lierse | 90 | (28) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2016 | Melbourne Victory | 224 | (90) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | → PSV (loan) | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Heidelberg United | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Murray United | 38 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Racing Murcia | 1 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Essendon Royals | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 482 | (179) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Australia U-23 | 8 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Australia Olympic (O.P.) | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2013 | Australia | 54 | (28) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Archie Gerald Thompson (born 23 October 1978) is a famous Australian former footballer. He played as a forward, which means he was usually trying to score goals. Today, he works as a club ambassador for Melbourne Victory FC.
Archie was born in New Zealand. He started playing youth football at the New South Wales Institute of Sport. Later, he played many seasons in Australia's top football leagues, the National Soccer League and the A-League. He spent eleven seasons with Melbourne Victory, becoming a club legend. Archie also played football overseas for teams like Lierse in Belgium and PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.
He played over 50 games for the Australian national team, scoring 28 goals. He was part of the team for big tournaments like the 2006 FIFA World Cup and the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. Archie holds a world record for scoring the most goals in a single international match. He scored 13 goals in a huge 31–0 win against American Samoa in 2001. As of late 2024, Archie is still Melbourne Victory's top goal scorer ever, with 97 goals. He also played the most games as a forward for the club, with 262 appearances.
Contents
Archie's Club Journey
Starting His Football Career
Archie Thompson began his football journey as a teenager. He joined Bathurst '75 FC in 1995. Soon after, he moved to the National Soccer League and signed with the Gippsland Falcons in 1996. People quickly noticed his amazing speed and skill with the ball.
He then joined Carlton, where he became a key player who scored many goals. After Carlton, he played for Marconi before moving to Belgium. He signed with Lierse SK in 2001. Fans loved him there! In his first season, he scored 9 goals. In his fourth season, he was the team's top scorer with 14 goals.
Playing for Melbourne Victory
Because he was playing so well, Melbourne Victory brought him back to Australia in 2005. This was for the very first A-League season. He scored the team's first ever goal in a regular season game.
In 2006, Archie went on a short loan to PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands. This was to help him stay fit and get ready for the World Cup. He played two games for PSV before returning to Melbourne Victory.
Back with Melbourne Victory, Archie became a fantastic attacking player. He worked very well with his teammate Danny Allsopp and Brazilian midfielder Fred. Their great teamwork helped Melbourne Victory win both the A-League championship and the premiership in the 2006–07 season.
Archie was the star of the 2007 A-League Grand Final. On 18 February 2007, he scored an incredible 5 goals! This helped Melbourne Victory win 6–0 against their rivals Adelaide United. He was the first player to score more than 3 goals in an A-League match. For his amazing performance, Archie won the Joe Marston Medal as the best player of the match.
In 2010, Archie had a serious knee injury during the A-League Grand Final. He needed surgery and was out of action for about a year. He worked hard to recover and returned to play in the 2010–11 season.
He continued to achieve success with Melbourne Victory. He helped them win the 2014–15 A-League championship and the 2015 FFA Cup.
On 30 April 2016, Melbourne Victory announced that Archie's contract would not be renewed. He left the club after 11 seasons. He scored 90 goals for the club and played 262 games. Both were club records at the time he left. In September 2016, Archie became a club ambassador for Melbourne Victory.
Later Club Teams
After leaving Melbourne Victory, Archie played for Heidelberg United in 2016. He then joined Murray United FC in 2017, which was special because it was near his parents' home.
In 2019, Archie signed with Racing Murcia FC in Spain. This club had big plans to reach Spain's top league. Archie played one game for them before returning to Australia.
Playing for Australia
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Archie Thompson first played for the Australian national team on 28 February 2001. This was in a friendly game against Colombia. Soon after, he was chosen for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification matches.
World Record Goal Scorer
On 9 April 2001, Archie scored his first international goal. Australia won that game against Tonga by a huge score of 22–0. This broke the world record for the biggest win in an international football match.
Just two days later, on 11 April 2001, Archie started in the game against American Samoa. Australia broke their own record by winning 31–0! In this incredible match, Archie scored 13 goals. This broke the world record for the most goals scored by one player in an international match. American Samoa had a very young team, which made the score so high.
A month later, Archie was part of Australia's team for the 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup. Australia finished in third place at this tournament. In 2001, Archie played seven international games and scored an amazing 16 goals.
He continued to play for Australia in many important games. He was part of the team that qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He was one of only a few players from the A-League to be in the World Cup squad.
In 2012, Archie returned to the national team and started scoring goals again. He scored in a 3–0 win against Lebanon. He also scored a winning goal against Iraq in a crucial 2014 World Cup qualifier.
In December 2012, Archie scored one of the fastest hat-tricks (three goals in one game) in history. He came on as a substitute and scored three goals in just seven minutes! This was in a 9–0 win against Guam. By then, Archie had scored 28 international goals for Australia.
Archie's Life Outside Football
Archie Thompson was born in Ōtorohanga, New Zealand. His father is of Māori descent from New Zealand, and his mother is from Papua New Guinea. He has two children, Isabella and Axel, and has their names tattooed on his arms.
Archie was the official ambassador for the video game FIFA 08 in Australia and New Zealand. He is also a big fan of the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League.
In 2010, Archie released a book about his life called What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger. Today, he works as a football expert for TV channels like Paramount and Network 10. He also appears on a show called A-Leagues Download.
Awards and Achievements
Melbourne Victory
- A-League Championship: 2006–07, 2008–09, 2014–15
Australia
- FIFA Confederations Cup: 3rd place, 2001
- OFC Nations Cup: 2004
Individual Awards
- A-League Golden Boot: 2005–06 (Award for top goal scorer)
- Joe Marston Medal: 2007 (Award for best player in the Grand Final)
- Victory Medal: 2007–08, 2009–10 (Melbourne Victory's best player award)
- A-League PFA Team of the Season: 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13 (Chosen as one of the best players in the league)
- A-League PFA Team of the Decade: 2005–2015 (Chosen as one of the best players of the first ten years of the A-League)
Records
- Most goals in an international match: 13 goals
- Most goals in an A-League match: 5 goals
- Most Melbourne Victory appearances: 261 games
- Most Melbourne Victory goals: 97 goals
See also
In Spanish: Archie Thompson para niños
