Joshua Kennedy facts for kids
Kennedy with Australia in 2009
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joshua Blake Kennedy | ||
| Date of birth | 20 August 1982 | ||
| Place of birth | Wodonga, Victoria, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.94 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Twin City Wanderers | |||
| SS&A Boomers | |||
| 1999 | AIS | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2000 | Carlton | 4 | (0) |
| 2000–2002 | VfL Wolfsburg | 8 | (2) |
| 2002–2003 | Stuttgarter Kickers | 23 | (1) |
| 2003–2004 | 1. FC Köln | 4 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | Dynamo Dresden | 60 | (16) |
| 2006–2007 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 12 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | Karlsruher SC | 33 | (6) |
| 2009–2014 | Nagoya Grampus | 133 | (64) |
| 2015 | Melbourne City | 12 | (2) |
| Total | 290 | (92) | |
| National team | |||
| 1999 | Australia U-17 | 9 | (0) |
| 2001 | Australia U-20 | 14 | (7) |
| 2006–2014 | Australia | 36 | (17) |
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Joshua Blake Kennedy (born 20 August 1982) is an Australian former professional soccer player. He was a striker for the Australian national team. Fans sometimes called him "Jesus" because his long hair looked like traditional pictures of Jesus.
Contents
Josh Kennedy's Club Career
Josh Kennedy was born in Wodonga, Australia. He started playing junior soccer in his hometown area. He played for Twin City Wanderers and SS&A Boomers. His talent earned him a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). This led to his first professional contract with Carlton in 1999.
After one season, he moved to Europe to play for Bundesliga club VfL Wolfsburg in Germany. He was only 17 when he played his first game for VfL Wolfsburg in September 2000. This made him the youngest player ever for the club. He scored his first goal in the 2001–02 season.
Later, Kennedy played for other German clubs. He joined Stuttgarter Kickers and then 1. FC Köln. He mostly played for their reserve team at Köln. In 2004, he moved to Dynamo Dresden. This move was very important for his career. He became a regular player and scored many goals. His good performance caught the eye of 1. FC Nürnberg and the Australian national coach, Guus Hiddink.
In 2006, Kennedy signed with 1. FC Nürnberg. However, he got a serious injury to his Achilles tendon during his first training session. This injury kept him from playing for a long time.
In 2008, he joined Karlsruher SC. He scored in his very first game against his old club, Nürnberg! He had a great start, scoring four goals in five games. But then he struggled to score for a while. After some disagreements with his coach, he was briefly removed from the team. He eventually returned and scored two goals in the final game of the season.
In 2009, Kennedy moved to Japan to play for Nagoya Grampus. He scored in his first game for the club. In 2010, he helped Nagoya win their first-ever league title. He was also the top scorer in the league that year with 17 goals. He won the J-League golden boot again in 2011, scoring 19 goals.
In 2015, Kennedy returned to Australia to play for Melbourne City. He scored two goals for them.
Josh Kennedy announced his retirement from professional soccer on 26 June 2015. He decided to retire because of ongoing injuries. He finished his career with many achievements. These included a J-League Championship, two J-League Golden Boots, and a German Cup. He also scored 17 goals for the Australian national team.
Playing for Australia
Josh Kennedy played for Australia's youth teams. He was part of the U17 World Cup team in 1999. He also played for the Young Socceroos (U20 team) in 2001.
He got his first chance to play for the senior national team in 2006. This was in a friendly game against Liechtenstein before the World Cup. He scored a goal in that game. He then played as a substitute in Australia's first game at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Australia won that game against Japan 3–1. Many thought Kennedy was a "secret weapon" because he was taller than the Japanese defenders.
An injury stopped him from playing in the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. But he returned to the team and scored more important goals. He scored against Qatar, South Africa, and the Netherlands. In 2009, he scored a header against Uzbekistan. This goal gave Australia a 1–0 lead and helped them qualify for the World Cup.
Under a new coach, Holger Oseick, Kennedy played even better. He scored eight goals in just five matches in 2011. These goals included two against New Zealand and two against Saudi Arabia.
His most famous goal came on 18 June 2013. It was Australia's last World Cup qualification match. Kennedy came on as a substitute and scored with a header in the 83rd minute against Iraq. This goal secured Australia's spot in the 2014 World Cup finals.
After this goal, some Australian media called Kennedy a "saviour." This was because of his nickname "Jesus" and the importance of his goal. However, some people complained about the headlines. They felt it was not respectful, especially since Iraq is a Muslim country.
Kennedy was chosen for the 2014 World Cup squad in Brazil. But sadly, he had to leave the team before the tournament. This was due to another injury.
Off the Field
Josh Kennedy is married to Jacinta Hamilton. She is an Australian Opals player. The Australian Opals are the national women's basketball team.
Awards and Achievements
1. FC Nürnberg
- DFB-Pokal (German Cup): 2006–07
Nagoya Grampus
- J1 League (Japanese League): 2010
- Japanese Super Cup: 2011
Australia
- OFC U-20 Championship: 2001
Individual Awards
- Bundesliga Player of the Month: February 2008
- J. League Top Scorer: 2010, 2011
- J. League Best Eleven: 2010, 2011
Images for kids
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Josh Kennedy at Rotterdam Airport before leaving for the World Cup Finals in Germany in June 2006
See also
In Spanish: Joshua Kennedy para niños
