John Aloisi facts for kids
Aloisi in 2008
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | John Aloisi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 5 February 1976 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Adelaide, South Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.85 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Western United (head coach) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AIS, Rostrevor College | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Adelaide City | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Standard Liège | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Antwerp | 35 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Cremonese | 48 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Portsmouth | 60 | (26) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Coventry City | 41 | (10) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2005 | Osasuna | 121 | (29) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Alavés | 58 | (16) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Central Coast Mariners | 15 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Sydney FC | 40 | (12) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Melbourne Heart | 20 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 439 | (119) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992 | Australia U20 | 6 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Australia Olympic (O.P.) | 7 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2008 | Australia | 55 | (27) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Melbourne Heart (youth) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Melbourne Heart | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Brisbane Roar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021– | Western United | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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John Aloisi (born 5 February 1976) is a famous Australian former soccer player. He is now a head coach for the A-League club Western United.
John played soccer professionally for 20 years. He played in 459 games and scored 127 goals. He was the first Australian to play and score goals in three big European leagues: La Liga (Spain), the Premier League (England), and Serie A (Italy).
He came back to Australia in 2007 and played four seasons in the A-League. John was a very important player for the Australian national team for over ten years. He played for Australia in the 2006 World Cup and helped them qualify. He also played in two Confederations Cups. John was a striker, known for scoring goals and helping his teammates.
Contents
John Aloisi's Club Career
Starting Out in Europe
John Aloisi was born in Adelaide, South Australia. He went to Rostrevor College. When he was 16, he moved to Europe from Adelaide City to start his soccer career. He first joined a team called Standard Liège in Belgium. He didn't play in any official games there. Then he played a few games for another Belgian team, Royal Antwerp F.C..
In November 1995, John joined an Italian team called Cremonese. In his first game, he scored a goal just two minutes after coming onto the field! This made him the youngest foreign player ever to score in a Serie A match. After he left, the team was moved down to a lower league twice.
Playing in England
In 1997, John moved to England and joined Portsmouth. He scored 12 goals in his first season. The next season, he scored 13 goals.
On 17 December 1998, John moved to Coventry City in the Premier League. They paid £650,000 for him. He scored in his second game for Coventry against Tottenham Hotspur.
John scored two goals in a big 4–1 win against Aston Villa. This was Coventry's first ever away win against them in the league. He was sent off in the next game for punching a player and got a ban. For both Portsmouth and Coventry, he scored 18 goals that season.
Coventry City was often in danger of being moved to a lower league. They finally went down in 2001 after 34 years in the top league. John only scored three goals that season. He did score three goals in one game (a hat-trick) against Preston North End in a cup match. In June, he left Coventry.
Time in Spain
In 2001, John Aloisi moved to Spain and joined Osasuna. He scored nine goals in his first season in La Liga. He played regularly for four years with this team. On 11 April 2004, he played the whole game in a 3–0 win against Real Madrid. In 2005, he scored in the Copa del Rey final, but his team lost 2–1 in extra time.
After a plan to join a Greek team didn't work out, John signed with another Spanish team, Deportivo Alavés. He scored ten goals in the 2005–06 season, which was his best in Spain. However, his team was moved down from the top league.
Coming Back to Australia
On 20 October 2007, John signed with the Central Coast Mariners FC for the rest of the season. He played his first game in the A-League on 28 October against Sydney FC.
On 3 March 2008, John signed a two-year deal with Sydney FC. He was reportedly the highest-paid player in Australia at the time. He scored his first goal for Sydney in a 2–0 win against their rivals, Melbourne Victory FC.
In 2009, John was linked with a loan move to China, but he decided to stay with Sydney FC. He scored two goals in a friendly game. He also scored two goals in the first game of the 2009–10 season. He finished that season as the first Sydney player to score ten or more goals in a single season. Sydney FC won both the regular season and the championship that year.
On 29 March 2010, Melbourne Heart FC signed John. He played well for the new club, scoring eight goals. This included three goals against rivals Melbourne Victory. He scored the very first goal in a Melbourne derby. On 12 February 2011, he played his last career game against his old team, Sydney FC. He scored a goal and left the field to a standing ovation from the crowd.
International Career for Australia
John Aloisi first played for the Australian national team in 1997. That same year, he played in the FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored a goal in a 3–1 win against Mexico. Australia finished second in that tournament.
In 2004, John played for Australia at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was one of three older players allowed on the team. He scored three goals, and Australia reached the quarter-finals. In the 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup, he scored two goals against Germany and two against Argentina. Australia didn't win any games in that tournament.
On 16 November 2005, John Aloisi scored the winning penalty kick against Uruguay. This happened after the teams were tied 1–1 over two games. That goal meant Australia qualified for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974! He was chosen for the World Cup team in Germany. On 12 June, he came off the bench and scored the third goal in a 3–1 win against Japan. This made him only the second Australian to score a goal at a World Cup.
On 21 July 2007, John scored in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup quarter-final match against Japan. Australia lost in a penalty shootout. This was his last international goal, bringing his total to 27 goals for Australia. At the time, this was the second-highest number of goals for Australia.
After he returned to play in the A-League, John was no longer called up for the national team. In 2008, his penalty kick against Uruguay was voted as one of the three greatest moments in Australian sporting history.
Coaching Career
Melbourne Heart Coach
After he stopped playing, John Aloisi started coaching. He became the youth team manager at Melbourne Heart. On 8 May 2012, he became the main manager for Melbourne Heart. His first win as manager was on 5 October 2012, when Melbourne Heart beat their rivals Melbourne Victory 2–1.
John had a tough first season as head coach. Melbourne Heart finished ninth in the 2012–13 season. The 2013–14 season also started poorly, with no wins in the first ten games. On 28 December 2013, John was let go as manager after the team went 17 games without a win.
Brisbane Roar Coach
On 26 May 2015, John Aloisi became the manager of Brisbane Roar. In his first two seasons, the team finished in the top four and reached the semi-finals.
In May 2017, John signed a new three-year contract to stay as Brisbane's manager. However, on 28 December 2018, he resigned because the team was not doing well. They were second-last in the A-League. He was Brisbane Roar's longest-serving manager.
Western United Coach
In July 2021, John Aloisi was named the head coach of Western United. He signed a two-year contract.
In May 2022, John led Western United to win the A-League Championship! They beat the defending champions Melbourne City 2–0. Western United became only the second new team to win the A-League Championship so quickly. They were also the first team since 2011 to win the championship in their first Grand Final. John is praised for changing the team's spirit and helping them go from 10th place to champions in just one season.
Personal Life
John Aloisi's grandparents came from Italy, so he has Italian family roots. His older brother, Ross, was also a professional soccer player. Ross has even worked as an assistant coach for John.
John is married to Angela and they have three daughters: Alisia, Katia, and Amaya.
He appeared on the cover of the Australian version of the video game Pro Evolution Soccer 6.
Besides English, John also speaks Italian and Spanish.
In 2020, John had surgery to fix a heart problem.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Adelaide City | 1991–92 | National Soccer League | 20 | 8 | – | – | 20 | 8 | ||
| 1 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 21 | 8 | – | – | 21 | 8 | ||||
| Standard Liège | 1992–93 | Belgian Pro League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Antwerp | 1993–94 | Belgian Pro League | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | – | 11 | 1 | |
| 1994–95 | 25 | 6 | 2 | 2 | – | 27 | 8 | |||
| Total | 35 | 7 | 3 | 2 | – | 38 | 9 | |||
| Cremonese | 1995–96 | Serie A | 22 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 22 | 2 | |
| 1996–97 | Serie B | 26 | 2 | 3 | 1 | – | 29 | 3 | ||
| Total | 48 | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | 51 | 5 | |||
| Portsmouth | 1997–98 | First Division | 38 | 12 | 3 | 0 | – | 41 | 12 | |
| 1998–99 | 22 | 14 | 4 | 3 | – | 26 | 17 | |||
| Total | 60 | 26 | 7 | 3 | – | 67 | 29 | |||
| Coventry City | 1998–99 | Premier League | 16 | 5 | 2 | 0 | – | 18 | 5 | |
| 1999–2000 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 | 2 | |||
| 2000–01 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | 22 | 6 | |||
| Total | 42 | 10 | 5 | 3 | – | 47 | 13 | |||
| Osasuna | 2001–02 | La Liga | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | – | 30 | 9 | |
| 2002–03 | 32 | 8 | 2 | 1 | – | 34 | 9 | |||
| 2003–04 | 33 | 5 | 3 | 2 | – | 36 | 7 | |||
| 2004–05 | 26 | 6 | 6 | 2 | – | 32 | 8 | |||
| Total | 121 | 28 | 11 | 5 | – | 132 | 33 | |||
| Alavés | 2005–06 | La Liga | 33 | 10 | 1 | 0 | – | 34 | 10 | |
| 2006–07 | Segunda División | 25 | 6 | 1 | 0 | – | 26 | 6 | ||
| Total | 58 | 16 | 2 | 0 | – | 60 | 16 | |||
| CC Mariners | 2007–08 | A-League | 15 | 7 | 0 | 0 | – | 15 | 7 | |
| Sydney | 2008–09 | A-League | 16 | 2 | 3 | 2 | – | 19 | 4 | |
| 2009–10 | 24 | 10 | 0 | 0 | – | 24 | 10 | |||
| Total | 40 | 12 | 3 | 2 | – | 43 | 14 | |||
| Melbourne Heart | 2010–11 | A-League | 20 | 8 | – | – | 20 | 8 | ||
| Career total | 462 | 126 | 37 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 499 | 143 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1997 | 11 | 7 |
| 1998 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1999 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2000 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2001 | 10 | 7 | |
| 2002 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2004 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2005 | 8 | 5 | |
| 2006 | 10 | 4 | |
| 2007 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 55 | 27 | |
- Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Aloisi goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 June 1997 | Parramatta Stadium, Sydney, Australia |  Solomon Islands |
3–0 | 13–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 5–0 | |||||
| 3 | 10–0 | |||||
| 4 | 11–0 | |||||
| 5 | 12–0 | |||||
| 6 | 28 June 1997 | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland, New Zealand |  New Zealand |
1–0 | 3–0 | 1998 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 12 December 1997 | King Fahd II Stadium, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |  Mexico |
2–0 | 3–1 | 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 8 | 4 October 2000 | Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates |  Kuwait |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2000 Friendship Tournament |
| 9 | 9 April 2001 | Coffs Harbour International Stadium, Coffs Harbour, Australia |  Tonga |
3–0 | 22–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 10 | 6–0 | |||||
| 11 | 8–0 | |||||
| 12 | 10–0 | |||||
| 13 | 11–0 | |||||
| 14 | 14–0 | |||||
| 15 | 24 June 2001 | Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia | New Zealand |
3–1 | 4–1 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 4 June 2004 | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, Australia |  Vanuatu |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2004 OFC Nations Cup |
| 17 | 3–0 | |||||
| 18 | 15 June 2005 | Commerzbank-Arena, Frankfurt, Germany |  Germany |
2–2 | 3–4 | 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 19 | 3–4 | |||||
| 20 | 18 June 2005 | Frankenstadion, Nuremberg, Germany |  Argentina |
1–3 | 2–4 | 2005 FIFA Confederations Cup |
| 21 | 2–3 | |||||
| 22 | 9 October 2005 | Craven Cottage, London England |  Jamaica |
4–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 23 | 7 June 2006 | Donaustadion, Ulm, Germany |  Liechtenstein |
3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 24 | 12 June 2006 | Fritz-Walter-Stadion, Kaiserslautern, Germany |  Japan |
3–1 | 3–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 25 | 11 October 2006 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia |  Bahrain |
1–0 | 2–0 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup Qualification |
| 26 | 14 November 2006 | Loftus Road, London England |  Ghana |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 27 | 21 July 2007 | Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hà Nội, Vietnam | Japan |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2007 AFC Asian Cup |
Managerial statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Melbourne Heart Youth |  |
23 October 2011 | 4 March 2012 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 38.89 |
| Melbourne Heart | |
8 May 2012 | 28 December 2013 | 39 | 8 | 7 | 24 | 20.51 |
| Brisbane Roar | |
26 May 2015 | 28 December 2018 | 108 | 41 | 24 | 43 | 37.96 |
| Western United | |
July 2021 | Present | 70 | 30 | 11 | 29 | 42.86 |
| Total | 235 | 86 | 47 | 102 | 36.60 | |||
Honours
Player Achievements
Adelaide City
- NSL championship: 1991–92
Osasuna
- Copa del Rey runner-up: 2004–05
Central Coast Mariners
- A-League premiership: 2007–08
Sydney FC
- A-League premiership: 2009–10
- A-League championship: 2010
Australia National Team
- FIFA Confederations Cup: runner-up, 1997; 3rd place, 2001
- OFC Nations Cup: 2004
- AFC–OFC Challenge Cup: runner-up 2001
Individual Awards
- FIFA Confederations Cup Bronze Shoe: 2005
Manager Achievements
Western United
- A-League championship: 2022
See also
In Spanish: John Aloisi para niños
