Josip Skoko facts for kids
Skoko playing for Wigan Athletic in 2007
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Josip Skoko | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 10 December 1975 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Mount Gambier, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Central midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991 | North Geelong Warriors | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | AIS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | North Geelong Warriors | 32 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1999 | Hajduk Split | 97 | (20) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Genk | 100 | (8) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Gençlerbirliği | 58 | (4) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Wigan Athletic | 45 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | → Stoke City (loan) | 9 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Hajduk Split | 52 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Melbourne Heart | 22 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 415 | (43) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1995 | Australia U20 | 11 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Australia Olympic (O.P.) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–2007 | Australia | 51 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Geelong Warriors (youth) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Josip Skoko, born on December 10, 1975, is a famous Australian former professional footballer. He played as a central midfielder, a player who helps both defense and attack. Skoko was known for his amazing ball control, very accurate passes, and his ability to quickly change the game from defending to attacking. He played for many clubs around the world, including North Geelong Warriors, Hajduk Split, Genk, Gençlerbirliği, Wigan Athletic, Stoke City, and Melbourne Heart. Skoko also proudly represented Australia's national team, the Socceroos, for ten years. Today, he is the Director of Football at North Geelong Warriors FC.
Contents
Josip Skoko's Football Journey
Starting Out and Moving to Europe
Josip Skoko was born in Mount Gambier, Australia, to a Croatian family. He started playing football at a young age for Mt Gambier Croatia. When he was nine, his family moved to Geelong. There, he played for North Geelong Warriors.
In 1995, Skoko moved to Croatia to play for Hajduk Split. He spent four years with this team. After that, he signed with the Belgian club Genk. At Genk, he became the team captain and helped them win the league title in the 2001–02 season. In 2003, he joined the Turkish club Gençlerbirliği, where he played for two years before moving to England.
Playing in England: Wigan and Stoke
In 2005, Skoko joined the Premier League club Wigan Athletic. At first, he didn't play regularly. So, in January 2006, he went on loan to Football League Championship side Stoke City until the end of the season. He played nine games for Stoke and scored two goals.
When he returned to Wigan for the 2006–07 season, his coach, Paul Jewell, gave him more chances to play. Skoko became a key player in Wigan's midfield. He even signed a new contract to stay with Wigan until 2008. However, he eventually left Wigan because of rules about how many games he needed to play and issues with his visa after he stopped playing for Australia internationally.
Back to Croatia and Australia
After leaving Wigan, Josip Skoko faced some challenges with work permits in Europe. But on July 21, he finally signed a two-year deal to return to his former club, Hajduk Split. He said it took only minutes for them to agree. Skoko was very happy to return to Hajduk, a club he called "a second home." He had played over 100 games for them between 1995 and 1999.
In 2010, Skoko returned home to Australia to play for the new A-League team, Melbourne Heart. He was signed for one season as their special "marquee player," which means he was a big-name player for the team. He was also one of the first leaders of the team. Sadly, in his second game, he got a hamstring injury, which kept him out for about a month. In February 2012, Skoko played in a special tournament called the 2012 Hawaiian Island Invitational before officially retiring from football for good.
Representing Australia: The Socceroos
Josip Skoko was a very important player for the Australian senior team, known as the Socceroos, for ten years. He played for them from 1997 to 2007. His first game for Australia was against Macedonia in 1997. He helped the team try to qualify for the FIFA World Cup twice. He also played for Australia at the Olympics in 2000.
In November 2005, Skoko came on as a substitute in a very important game. Australia won against Uruguay, which meant they qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. This was a huge moment for Australian football! In 2006, he also captained a less experienced Australian team in an Asian Cup qualifying match against Bahrain.
On May 25, 2006, Skoko scored an amazing goal for Australia in a friendly game against Greece. He hit the ball from about 25 meters away, and it flew into the net! This goal, scored in front of over 95,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, was something he called "the most legendary moment of all time." He was chosen for the 2006 World Cup squad in Germany but did not get to play in any of the four games.
On September 11, 2007, Skoko announced that a friendly match against Argentina in Melbourne would be his last international game in Australia. He ended his international career 51 minutes into that match when he was replaced by another midfielder. He played 51 games for Australia and scored 9 goals.
What Josip Skoko Won
With Genk
- Belgian First Division: 2001–02 (Champions)
- Belgian Cup: 1999–2000 (Winners)
With Australia
- FIFA Confederations Cup:
- Runner-up in 1997
- Third place in 2001
- OFC Nations Cup: 2004 (Winners)
See also
In Spanish: Josip Skoko para niños
