Craig Goodwin facts for kids
Goodwin with Adelaide United in 2021
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Craig Alexander Goodwin | ||
| Date of birth | 16 December 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Adelaide, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.83 m | ||
| Playing position | Left winger | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Al-Wehda | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Munno Para City | |||
| Para Hills Knights | |||
| Adelaide Raiders | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2009–2010 | Adelaide Raiders | 33 | (3) |
| 2011 | Oakleigh Cannons | 19 | (2) |
| 2012 | Melbourne Heart | 4 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Newcastle Jets | 44 | (5) |
| 2014–2016 | Adelaide United | 55 | (10) |
| 2016–2018 | Sparta Rotterdam | 47 | (6) |
| 2018–2019 | Adelaide United | 29 | (10) |
| 2019–2022 | Al-Wehda | 29 | (4) |
| 2020–2021 | → Abha (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | → Adelaide United (loan) | 45 | (18) |
| 2022–2023 | Adelaide United | 28 | (15) |
| 2023– | Al-Wehda | 37 | (11) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2012 | Australia U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2013– | Australia | 30 | (7) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Craig Alexander Goodwin (born 16 December 1991) is an Australian professional soccer player. He plays as a left winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Wehda. He also plays for the Australian national team.
Craig is known for his quickness, great passes, and powerful shots. He is the top goal scorer for Adelaide United. Many people think he is one of the best players the club has ever had.
Contents
Club Career
Starting Out
Craig Goodwin began his soccer journey at a local club called Munno Para City Football Club. Later, he joined Adelaide Raiders, one of the best teams in Adelaide. He tried out for the Adelaide United youth team but didn't make it.
After that, he moved to Melbourne. There, he signed with Oakleigh Cannons, a team in the Victorian Premier League.
Playing for Melbourne Heart
On 2 September 2011, Craig joined the youth team of Melbourne Heart. This team played in the National Youth League.
He played his first professional game for Melbourne Heart in the 2011–12 A-League season. It was against Melbourne Victory. Craig played so well that he was named the best player of the match!
Time at Newcastle Jets
On 7 May 2012, Craig signed a two-year deal with A-League club Newcastle Jets. At Newcastle, he was known for his good scoring and accurate passes. These helped strikers like Emile Heskey score goals.
He scored his first A-League goal on 13 October 2012 against Sydney FC. This goal helped his team win 3–2. Because of his great games, Craig was nominated for the NAB Young Footballer of the Year award in October. In April 2013, Craig also spent two weeks training with English Premier League team Reading.
Joining Adelaide United
On 7 September 2014, it was announced that Craig had signed with his hometown club, Adelaide United. This move ended his two years with Newcastle Jets.
Playing in the Netherlands
On 5 May 2016, Craig signed with the Dutch club Sparta Rotterdam. This was just four days after Adelaide United won the A-League Championship!
He played his first game for Sparta Rotterdam on 7 August 2016 against Ajax. He came into the game as a substitute. A week later, Craig scored his first goal for the club. It was the second goal in their 3–0 win against PEC Zwolle. On 1 May 2018, Craig and Sparta Rotterdam agreed to end his contract early. This was because he wasn't playing as much as he wanted.
Back to Adelaide United
On 25 May 2018, it was announced that Craig had returned to Adelaide United. He signed a three-year contract. On 30 October 2018, he scored both goals for Adelaide United in their FFA Cup Final win against Sydney FC. He also won the Mark Viduka Medal for being the best player in the final. This made him the first Australian to win that award.
Moving to Al-Wehda
On 15 July 2019, Saudi Professional League team Al-Wehda paid about $450,000 to sign Craig. On 17 July 2019, the club officially announced he had signed a two-year deal.
Later, Al-Wehda got a new coach. This coach brought in a new player who took Craig's spot. Craig then signed a one-year contract extension and was immediately loaned out to Abha. However, Craig and his partner found it difficult to live in the new city. So, he ended his loan with Abha early.
Craig then returned to Adelaide United in February 2021. This was a loan deal until the end of the 2020–21 A-League season. His loan was then extended until the end of the 2021–22 A-League season.
Second Return to Adelaide United
After two seasons on loan, Craig Goodwin signed a three-year contract with Adelaide United in July 2022. In April 2022, while still on loan, Craig became Adelaide's all-time leading goal scorer. He passed his former teammate Bruce Djite's record of 44 goals. He did this by scoring two goals against Sydney FC in an A-League match.
In June 2023, Craig won the Johnny Warren Medal. This award is given to the best player in the 2022-23 A-League Men season. He was only the second Adelaide player to win this award. Craig was also the only player in the league to score double-digit goals (12) and assists (10) in 25 games.
On 8 September 2023, Craig announced he was leaving Adelaide United to return to the Saudi Pro League. He said it was a "very difficult" decision. He left the club as their all-time top scorer, with 60 goals in all competitions. This included 53 league goals.
Back to Al-Wehda
After leaving Adelaide United, Al-Wehda announced they had signed Craig Goodwin until 2025. Craig had a great return to the Saudi Pro League in the 2023-24 season. He scored goals in his first three matches and two goals against Al-Ettifaq. An injury kept Craig out for the last month of the season. Al-Wehda finished 13th in the league.
Craig had another strong start to the season in the 2024-25 season. He scored two goals and made one assist against Al-Riyadh in the first game. A highlight came in January 2025 against Saudi giants Al-Hilal. Craig scored an amazing free-kick goal in a 4–1 loss.
International Career
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On 7 March 2012, Craig was chosen to play for the Australia Olympic football team. This was for an Asian Olympic Qualifier match against Iraq.
Craig played his first game for the senior Australian national team on 26 July 2013. He came on as a substitute in a loss to Japan at the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup. He started the next game of the tournament, playing the whole match in a 4–3 loss to China.
On 27 January 2022, he scored his first goal for Australia against Vietnam. This was during a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification match. Australia won 4–0 in Melbourne.
He was chosen for Australia's team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November 2022. On 22 November 2022, Craig scored his second goal for Australia. It was Australia's first World Cup goal from open play since the 2014 World Cup. This happened in a 1–4 loss against France. In the Round of 16, his shot was deflected into the net. It was later counted as an own goal by Argentina's Enzo Fernández. This goal made the score 1–2 in a loss against Argentina, who went on to win the World Cup.
Craig was also selected for Graham Arnold's team for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, which was played in 2024. He played in a practice match against Bahrain. He also played in Australia's first match of the tournament against India. However, he was substituted in both games because of a small injury.
Craig returned to play as a substitute in the Round of 16 match against Indonesia. He scored a goal and assisted Harry Souttar in a great performance. Craig scored the first goal of the quarter-final against South Korea. But the Australian team was knocked out of the tournament in extra time. Craig's two goals in the tournament were the same as his teammates Jackson Irvine and Martin Boyle. He was also chosen for the Team of the Tournament.
Craig scored two goals against Lebanon in Canberra in March 2024. This was during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. He then scored from outside the box against China in the third round of qualification. This goal was assisted by captain Jackson Irvine. The match at Adelaide Oval was the first time he played for the national team in his hometown.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Melbourne Heart | 2011–12 | A-League | 4 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| Newcastle Jets | 2012–13 | A-League | 25 | 3 | – | – | 25 | 3 | ||
| 2013–14 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 20 | 2 | |||
| Total | 44 | 5 | 1 | 0 | – | 45 | 5 | |||
| Adelaide United | 2014–15 | A-League | 28 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – | 29 | 6 | |
| 2015–16 | 26 | 4 | – | 1 | 0 | 27 | 4 | |||
| Total | 54 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 10 | ||
| Sparta Rotterdam | 2016–17 | Eredivisie | 27 | 4 | 3 | 0 | – | 30 | 4 | |
| 2017–18 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 21 | 2 | |||
| Total | 47 | 6 | 4 | 0 | – | 51 | 6 | |||
| Adelaide United | 2018–19 | A-League | 29 | 10 | 4 | 5 | – | 33 | 15 | |
| Al-Wehda | 2019–20 | Saudi Pro League | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | – | 32 | 4 | |
| Abha (loan) | 2020–21 | Saudi Pro League | 16 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 18 | 2 | |
| Adelaide United (loan) | 2020–21 | A-League | 18 | 8 | – | – | 18 | 8 | ||
| Adelaide United | 2021–22 | A-League | 27 | 8 | – | – | 27 | 8 | ||
| 2022–23 | 28 | 15 | 2 | 1 | – | 30 | 16 | |||
| Total | 55 | 23 | 2 | 1 | – | 57 | 24 | |||
| Al-Wehda | 2023–24 | Saudi Pro League | 22 | 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 24 | 6 | |
| 2024–25 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | 17 | 5 | |||
| Total | 37 | 11 | 4 | 0 | – | 41 | 11 | |||
| Career total | 334 | 79 | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 353 | 85 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 5 | |
| Total | 30 | 7 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 January 2022 | Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia |  Vietnam |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 22 November 2022 | Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar |  France |
1–0 | 1–4 | 2022 FIFA World Cup |
| 3 | 28 January 2024 | Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Al Rayyan, Qatar |  Indonesia |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 4 | 2 February 2024 | Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar |  South Korea |
1–0 | 1–2 (aet) | 2023 AFC Asian Cup |
| 5 | 26 March 2024 | Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia |  Lebanon |
3–0 | 5–0 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 5–0 | |||||
| 7 | 10 October 2024 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia |  China |
2–1 | 3–1 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Adelaide United
Individual
- Adelaide United All-time leading goal scorer
- PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2021–22, 2022–23
- Adelaide United Aurelio Vidmar Medalist (Player of the Year) 2015–16, 2021–22 and 2022-23.
- Johnny Warren Medal: 2022–23
- Mark Viduka Medal: 2018
- A-Leagues All Star: 2022
- AFC Asian Cup Team of the Tournament: 2023
See also
In Spanish: Craig Goodwin para niños
