Daniel Arzani facts for kids
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Arzani training with Melbourne Victory in 2023
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Daniel Arzani | ||
| Date of birth | 4 January 1999 | ||
| Place of birth | Khorramabad, Lorestan, Iran | ||
| Height | 1.71 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger, attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
|
Current team
|
Ferencváros | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2009–2011 | Coogee United | ||
| 2011–2013 | Eastern Suburbs | ||
| 2014–2015 | FFA CoE | ||
| 2015–2016 | Sydney FC | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Melbourne City NPL | 6 | (1) |
| 2016–2018 | Melbourne City | 24 | (2) |
| 2018–2022 | Manchester City | 0 | (0) |
| 2018–2020 | → Celtic (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | → Utrecht (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | → Jong Utrecht (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2021 | → AGF (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2021–2022 | → Lommel (loan) | 13 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Macarthur FC | 19 | (1) |
| 2023–2025 | Melbourne Victory | 60 | (7) |
| 2025– | Ferencváros | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2014–2015 | Australia U17 | 7 | (1) |
| 2017 | Australia U20 | 1 | (0) |
| 2017–2021 | Australia U23 | 9 | (3) |
| 2018– | Australia | 10 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 14 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 June 2025 |
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Daniel Arzani (born January 4, 1999) is a professional soccer player. He plays as a winger or attacking midfielder. Daniel plays for the club Ferencváros in Hungary. He was born in Iran but plays for the Australian national team.
Contents
Daniel's Club Journey
Playing for Sydney FC
Daniel Arzani played for the youth team of Sydney FC in 2016.
Time with Melbourne City
Starting in 2016–17
Arzani began playing for Melbourne City in 2016. On January 28, 2017, he scored a goal for the Melbourne City Youth team. This goal helped them win the 2016–17 A-League National Youth League Grand Final.
Breakthrough in 2017–18
On January 6, 2018, Arzani came into a game as a substitute. He helped his team win 2–1 against Wellington Phoenix by setting up two goals. In his first game starting, he made two more assists against Perth Glory. Arzani scored his first A-League goal on January 25, 2018, against the Newcastle Jets.
He quickly became known for his amazing dribbling skills. He led his team in successful dribbles. For his great playing in January, he won the A-League Player of the Month award. By April 2018, Arzani was the best dribbler in the league. He also had the most assists among players under 23. He won the A-League Young Footballer of the Year award. He was also chosen for the A-League Team of the Season. In July 2018, Arzani received the Harry Kewell Medal. This award is for the best Australian male player under 23.
Moving to Manchester City
On August 9, 2018, Arzani joined Manchester City. This club is part of the same group as Melbourne City. Manchester City planned to loan him to another team.
Loan to Celtic
On August 17, 2018, Arzani was loaned to Celtic, a top team in Scotland. He scored a free kick for the Celtic Academy on September 17, 2018. His first game for the main team was on October 31, 2018. Sadly, he got a serious knee injury (torn ACL) in this game. This injury meant he could not play for a long time.
He returned to play for Celtic's reserve team on September 17, 2019. On January 18, 2020, he played for Celtic's first team again in a Scottish Cup match. He scored his last goal for Celtic in a reserve game on February 11, 2020.
Loan to Utrecht
On August 7, 2020, Arzani joined Utrecht in the Netherlands on loan. He played his first game for them on August 8, 2020. He made his debut in the main Dutch league (Eredivisie) on September 18, 2020. He also played for Jong Utrecht, their youth team, and scored his first goal for them on December 4, 2020.
Loan to Aarhus (AGF)
On January 26, 2021, Arzani went on loan to AGF in Denmark. He scored in his first friendly game for them on February 3, 2021. He played his first league game on February 7, 2021. He also scored in two games for their reserve team. He helped AGF reach the qualification rounds for the 2021–22 UEFA Europa Conference League.
Loan to Lommel
On August 19, 2021, Arzani joined Lommel in Belgium on loan. He scored in a friendly game on August 8. His first official game for Lommel was on August 21. He scored his first league goal for the club on December 11, 2021.
Playing for Macarthur FC
On July 26, 2022, Arzani joined Macarthur FC in Australia. In his first game on July 30, 2022, he scored a goal and set up two others in an Australia Cup match. He scored two goals and helped his team get a penalty in the semi-final on September 14, 2022. This helped Macarthur FC reach their first-ever final.
On October 1, 2022, Arzani helped Macarthur FC win their first trophy, the 2022 Australia Cup Final. He scored his first league goal for the club on October 16, 2022. His goal celebration showed support for the Mahsa Amini protests. By November 2022, Arzani was leading the league in successful dribbles. He left Macarthur FC on July 7, 2023, after one season. He had five goals and eight assists in all games.
Time with Melbourne Victory
2023–24 Season Highlights
On July 9, 2023, Arzani signed a two-year deal with Melbourne Victory. He scored his first goal for Victory and made two assists in a friendly game on August 30, 2023. He played his first league game for the club on October 21, 2023. He made his first league assist on October 29, 2023.
He scored his first league goal for Victory on December 16, 2023. On February 20, 2024, he made two assists in stoppage time to help his team win 2–1. On April 27, 2024, Arzani scored two goals in one game for the first time with Victory. He finished his first season with four goals and seven assists in 27 league games. He led his team in assists and helped them reach the Grand Final.
2024–25 Season Highlights
In the 2024–25 season, Arzani played a big part in helping Victory reach the Australia Cup final. He played in all four matches leading up to the final. He made two assists in the quarter-final. However, he was not chosen to play in the final. The coach said it was for trying new players and because Arzani would be suspended for the first league game. There were also rumors that he was upset with the coach during training.
Arzani played his first league game of the season on October 26, 2024. He scored his first league goal of the season on November 3, 2024. He also helped set up another goal in that game. On December 1, 2024, he made his first league assist and was named Player of the Match. By January 2025, Arzani continued to lead the league in successful dribbles. He also had many assists.
By March 14, 2025, Arzani had a goal and three assists for the league season. He also created 32 chances for his teammates. On March 15, 2025, he made another assist and won the league's Assist of the Month award. In his first game back from national team duty, Arzani scored two goals and won a penalty on March 29, 2025. This brought his total to three goals and four assists in the league.
Arzani and Melbourne Victory made it to the finals series on April 25, 2025. He was a key player in that win. He finished the 2024–25 regular season with 65 successful dribbles, the most in the league. He also led the league in this area in the 2023–24 season. He was the top passer in the league for the 2024–25 season.
In the elimination final on May 10, 2025, Arzani was named Player of the Match. He helped create both goals in Melbourne Victory's 2–1 win. On May 24, 2025, he helped Victory reach their second straight Grand Final. He ended the season with three goals and six assists in all league matches. He led the league in passes and successful dribbles. He was also ranked the top Australian attacking midfielder.
Joining Ferencváros
After getting interest from many clubs, Arzani joined Ferencváros on June 13, 2025. This team is the champion of the Hungarian top league. He joined them for their 2025–26 season.
Playing for Australia
Youth Teams
Arzani has played for Australia's under-17, under-20, and under-23 teams. He was part of the squads for the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship and 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Because his family is from Iran, he could have played for either Iran or Australia. In February 2018, he decided to play for Australia.
After playing for the senior national team in 2018, Arzani returned to the under-23 team in October 2019. This was to prepare for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship.
Arzani scored his first goal for the under-23 team on June 12, 2021. He scored two goals in a friendly game against Mexico. On June 28, 2021, Arzani was chosen for Australia's Olympic squad. He played his first Olympic game on July 22, 2021, in a 2–0 win against Argentina. Arzani played in all three group games at the Olympics.
Senior National Team
At 19 years old, Arzani was called into Australia's team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on May 7, 2018. He played his first international game for Australia on June 1, 2018. He became the youngest Australian player ever in a World Cup squad. He was also the youngest player overall at the 2018 World Cup.
Arzani scored his first international goal for Australia on June 9, 2018. This was in a friendly game against Hungary. He played in his first World Cup game on June 16, 2018, against France. At 19 years and 163 days old, he was the youngest Australian to play in a World Cup. Arzani played as a substitute in all three World Cup matches.
In August 2021, Arzani was called up for the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In May 2024, he returned to the national team for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In October 2024, he was named in the squad for World Cup qualifiers against China and Japan. In March 2025, Arzani was given the number 10 jersey. He played his first game under the new coach on March 20, 2025, against Indonesia.
On June 5, 2025, Arzani came off the bench in a big World Cup qualifier against Japan. He helped set up the winning goal, leading to a 1–0 victory. This was Australia's first win over Japan in 16 years. In the final match of the qualifiers on June 10, 2025, Australia secured their spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This was their first direct qualification in 12 years.
How Daniel Plays
Arzani is known for his fast speed and amazing dribbling skills. He can play on either side of the field or just behind the main striker. He grew up playing street football and futsal.
Daniel's Life Outside Soccer
Personal Life
Daniel was born in Iran to Sima and John Arzani. He has a brother named Benjamin. Daniel moved to Australia with his family when he was seven. He grew up in Sydney before moving to Melbourne. He speaks both English and Persian fluently. His father is a dentist, and his mother is a chemical engineer. Daniel went to St Spyridon College, Sydney Boys High School, and La Trobe University.
Sponsorship
Arzani has a contract with the sports company Nike.
Helping Others
Arzani has supported charitable groups. He helped with donations to SecondBite, which is an Australian organization that rescues food.
Career Statistics
Club Games
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| FFA Centre of Excellence | 2014 | NPL Capital Football | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 8 | 1 | |||
| Total | 20 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 20 | 2 | |||
| Melbourne City Reserves | 2016 | NPL Victoria 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 1 | |||
| Total | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 6 | 1 | |||
| Melbourne City | 2016–17 | A-League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 7 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | – | 20 | 2 | |||
| Total | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | 27 | 2 | |||
| Celtic (loan) | 2018–19 | Scottish Premiership | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019–20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Utrecht (loan) | 2020–21 | Eredivisie | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Jong Utrecht (loan) | 2020–21 | Eerste Divisie | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| AGF (loan) | 2020–21 | Danish Superliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Lommel (loan) | 2021–22 | Belgian First Division B | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| Macarthur FC | 2022–23 | A-League Men | 19 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 4 |
| Melbourne Victory | 2023–24 | A-League Men | 31 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 4 |
| 2024–25 | 29 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 3 | ||
| Total | 60 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 157 | 15 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 174 | 18 | ||
International Games
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2018 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 3 | 0 | |
| Total | 10 | 1 | |
- Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Arzani goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 June 2018 | Groupama Arena, Budapest, Hungary | 2 |  Hungary |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Awards and Achievements
Melbourne City
- National Youth League: 2016–17
Celtic
- Scottish Cup: 2019–20
Macarthur FC
- Australia Cup: 2022
Individual Awards
- A-League Young Footballer of the Year: 2017–18
- PFA A-League Team of the Season: 2017–18
- PFA Harry Kewell Medal: 2017–18
- A-League Men Assist of the Month: March 2025
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Arzani para niños
