Leo Bertos facts for kids
Bertos playing for Wellington Phoenix in 2008
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Leonida Christos Bertos | ||
| Date of birth | 20 December 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Wellington, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1997–2000 | Wellington Olympic | 53 | |
| 2000–2003 | Barnsley | 12 | (1) |
| 2003–2005 | Rochdale | 82 | (13) |
| 2005 | Chester City | 5 | (0) |
| 2005 | Barrow | ||
| 2005–2006 | York City | 5 | (0) |
| 2006 | Scarborough | 1 | (0) |
| 2006 | Worksop Town | ||
| 2006–2008 | Perth Glory | 35 | (1) |
| 2008–2014 | Wellington Phoenix | 127 | (9) |
| 2014–2015 | East Bengal | 11 | (0) |
| 2014 | → NorthEast United (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2015–2018 | Hamilton Olympic | 40 | (9) |
| International career | |||
| 2003–2004 | New Zealand U23 | 5 | (1) |
| 2003–2013 | New Zealand | 56 | (0) |
| 2014– | New Zealand Futsal | 2 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2020– | Weston Bears | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Leonida Christos Bertos (born December 20, 1981) is a football coach and former player from New Zealand. He used to play as a winger, which is a player who runs along the sides of the field. Leo Bertos played for the New Zealand national team from 2003 to 2013. He even represented his country at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which is a huge international football tournament. Today, he is the head coach for the Weston Bears team.
Contents
Early Life and Football Beginnings
Leo Bertos was born in Wellington, New Zealand. His father was Greek, and his mother was Māori. He went to Holy Cross primary school and then Wellington College. During his time at Wellington College, he played for the school's top football team.
Before starting his professional career, Bertos played for Wellington Olympic in New Zealand. He played for them between 1997 and 2000.
Club Career Highlights
Leo Bertos played for several football clubs during his career. He started in England before returning to play in Australia and New Zealand.
Playing in England
Bertos began his career in England with Barnsley. He joined their youth team and made his first team debut in April 2001. He signed a professional contract with the club shortly after. He scored one goal for Barnsley during his time there.
After Barnsley, he moved to Rochdale. He played there for two years and scored an important goal in 2004. This goal helped his team stay in their league. Later, he played for a short time at Chester City. He also played for other non-league teams like Barrow, York City, Scarborough, and Worksop Town.
Time with Perth Glory
In 2006, Bertos signed with A-League team Perth Glory in Australia. He played as a midfielder and was known for his speed and ability to cross the ball. In his first season, he had nine assists, which means he helped his teammates score many goals. This made him the player with the most assists in the league that season.
He stayed with Perth Glory for two seasons. During the 2007–08 season, he played 14 games, scored one goal, and made two assists.
Playing for Wellington Phoenix
On January 24, 2008, Bertos joined his hometown club, Wellington Phoenix. He signed a two-year contract with them. He played his first game for the Phoenix in the opening match of the 2008–09 season.
Bertos scored his first goal for Wellington Phoenix in November 2008. He played in 16 games that season, scoring 2 goals and making 4 assists. Because of his great performance, he was named the Wellington Phoenix Player of the Year for 2008–09.
The 2009–10 season was very successful for both Bertos and the Phoenix. He played a key role in helping the club reach the finals for the first time. He played in every game that season, scoring 2 goals and providing 8 assists. He holds the record for the most assists for the club. He left the club in April 2014.
Later Club Experiences
After leaving Wellington Phoenix, Bertos signed with East Bengal FC in India in July 2014. He played 11 games for them.
While in India, he also joined NorthEast United on loan. This was for the Indian Super League. There, he played under his former national team coach, Ricki Herbert.
Later, Bertos returned to Australia and signed with Hamilton Olympic for the 2016 season.
International Career for New Zealand
Leo Bertos played for the New Zealand national team many times. He made his international debut in October 2003 against Iran. He played over 50 games for his country. He also represented New Zealand at the under-23 level.
Bertos was known for his excellent dribbling skills and control of the ball. He showed these skills in games against strong teams like Brazil. He also helped New Zealand score goals in friendly matches.
He represented New Zealand at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.
2010 FIFA World Cup Journey
Leo Bertos played a big part in New Zealand qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In November 2009, he provided the assist for the winning goal against Bahrain. This win secured New Zealand's spot in the World Cup.
In May 2010, Bertos was chosen as one of the 23 players to go to the World Cup in South Africa. Before the tournament, the team played several warm-up games.
At the World Cup, Bertos played in all three of New Zealand's games. The team had impressive results, drawing 1–1 with Slovakia, 1–1 with the defending champions Italy, and 0–0 with Paraguay. These strong performances meant New Zealand did not lose any games at the World Cup.
Futsal Experience
In July 2014, Bertos was also named to the New Zealand Futsal squad. Futsal is a type of indoor football. He scored a goal in his first game for the futsal team.
Management Career
After his playing career, Leo Bertos became a coach. In January 2020, he was named the head coach of Weston Bears.
Images for kids
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Bertos playing for Wellington Phoenix in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Leo Bertos para niños
