Craig Goodwin facts for kids
Goodwin with Adelaide United in 2021
|
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Craig Alexander Goodwin | ||
| Date of birth | 16 December 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Adelaide, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left winger | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Adelaide United | ||
| Number | 11 | ||
| 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) |
| 2023–2025 | Al-Wehda | 46 | (12) |
| 2025– | Adelaide United | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | Australia U23 | 1 | (0) |
| 2013– | Australia | 30 | (7) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 April 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 October 2024 |
|||
Craig Alexander Goodwin, born on December 16, 1991, is a professional soccer player from Australia. He plays as a left winger for Adelaide United. He also represents the Australian national team. Craig is well-known for his quickness, excellent passes, and powerful shots. He is the all-time leading goal scorer for Adelaide United. Many people consider him one of the club's greatest players.
Contents
Craig Goodwin's Club Career
Starting His Soccer Journey
Craig Goodwin began his soccer career playing for a local team called Munno Para City Football Club. Later, he joined Adelaide Raiders, one of the top teams in Adelaide. After not making it into the Adelaide United youth team, he moved to Melbourne. There, he signed with Oakleigh Cannons.
Playing for Melbourne Heart
On September 2, 2011, Craig joined the youth team of Melbourne Heart. This team played in the National Youth League. He made his first professional appearance for Melbourne Heart in the 2011–12 A-League season. This was during a game against Melbourne Victory. He played so well that he was named the man of the match.
Time with Newcastle Jets
On May 7, 2012, Craig signed a two-year contract with Newcastle Jets, an A-League club. At Newcastle, he became known for his strong shots and accurate passes. These skills helped his teammates, like strikers Emile Heskey and Ryan Griffiths, score goals. He scored his first A-League goal on October 13, 2012, against Sydney FC. This goal helped his team win 3–2. Because of his great performances, Craig was nominated for the NAB Young Footballer of the Year award in October.
Joining Adelaide United
On September 7, 2014, it was announced that Craig Goodwin had signed with his hometown club, Adelaide United. This move ended his two years with Newcastle Jets.
Playing in the Netherlands with Sparta Rotterdam
On May 5, 2016, Craig signed with Sparta Rotterdam, a club in the Netherlands. This happened just after Adelaide United won the A-League Championship Grand Final. He played his first game for Sparta Rotterdam on August 7, 2016, against Ajax. He came on as a substitute in the 68th minute. A week later, Craig scored his first goal for the club. It was the second goal in their 3–0 win over PEC Zwolle. On May 1, 2018, Craig and Sparta Rotterdam decided to end his contract early. This was because he was not getting enough playing time.
Returning to Adelaide United
On May 25, 2018, it was announced that Craig Goodwin had returned to Adelaide United. He signed a three-year contract. On October 30, 2018, he scored both goals for Adelaide United in their FFA Cup Final victory against Sydney FC. He also won the Mark Viduka Medal for his performance. This made him the first Australian player to win this award.
Moving to Al-Wehda
On July 15, 2019, Al-Wehda, a team in the Saudi Professional League, paid to sign Craig Goodwin. He officially signed a two-year deal on July 17, 2019. Al-Wehda then got a new coach, and Craig was 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 on a loan deal. This loan was later extended until the end of the 2021–22 A-League season.
Second Return to Adelaide United
After two seasons on loan, Craig Goodwin officially re-signed with Adelaide United in July 2022. He signed a three-year contract. In April 2022, while still on loan, Craig became Adelaide's all-time leading goal scorer. He passed Bruce Djite's record of 44 goals. He achieved 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 digits in both goals and assists. He had 12 goals and 10 assists in 25 games.
On September 8, 2023, it was announced that Craig would be leaving Adelaide United. He decided to return to the Saudi Pro League. Craig said this decision was "extremely difficult." He left the club as their all-time top scorer, with 60 goals across all competitions. This included 53 goals in the A-League.
Back with Al-Wehda
After leaving Adelaide United, Al-Wehda announced that they had signed Craig Goodwin until 2025. Craig had a good 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 an assist against Al-Riyadh in the first game. In January 2025, he scored a fantastic free-kick goal against Saudi giants Al-Hilal. His team lost that game 4–1.
Craig Goodwin's International Career
.jpg)
On March 7, 2012, Craig Goodwin was chosen to play for the Australia Olympic football team. This was for an Asian Olympic Qualifier match against Iraq.
Craig made his first appearance for the Australian national team on July 26, 2013. He came on as a substitute in a game they lost to Japan. This was during the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup. He started the next game of the tournament, playing the full match in a 4–3 loss to China.
On January 27, 2022, he scored his first goal for Australia against Vietnam. This was during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification. Australia won that game 4–0 in Melbourne.
He was part of Australia's team for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November 2022. On November 22, 2022, Craig scored his second international goal. It was Australia's first World Cup goal from open play since the 2014 World Cup. This goal came in a 1–4 loss against France. In the Round of 16, his shot was deflected into the net. It was officially counted as an Argentine own goal by Enzo Fernández. This goal cut the deficit in a 1–2 loss against Argentina, who went on to win the tournament.
Craig was again selected for Graham Arnold's squad for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. This tournament was played in 2024. Craig 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 minor 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 in the quarter-final against South Korea. However, the Australian team was knocked out of the tournament in extra time. Craig's two goals in the tournament matched the scores of his teammates Jackson Irvine and Martin Boyle. He was also chosen for the Team of the Tournament.
Craig scored his first two goals in one international game against Lebanon in Canberra. This happened during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in March 2024. 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 had played for the national team in his hometown.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
| 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 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | – | 30 | 6 | |||
| Total | 37 | 11 | 4 | 0 | – | 41 | 11 | |||
| Adelaide United | 2025–26 | A-League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 346 | 80 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 368 | 86 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 5 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 31 | 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 |
Awards and Achievements
Craig Goodwin has won several awards and achieved many great things in his soccer career:
With Adelaide United
Individual Awards
- 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
