Mark Milligan facts for kids
Milligan with Australia in 2018
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Daniel Milligan | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 4 August 1985 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.78 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder Defender |
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| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Malaysia (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Parramatta Melita Eagles | ||||||||||||||||
| 2002 | AIS | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Northern Spirit | 16 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2004 | Blacktown City | 9 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Sydney FC | 42 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Newcastle Jets | 11 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2009 | Shanghai Shenhua | 25 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | JEF United Chiba | 53 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | → Melbourne Victory (loan) | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Melbourne Victory | 63 | (13) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Baniyas | 43 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Melbourne Victory | 14 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2018 | Al Ahli | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Hibernian | 28 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Southend United | 30 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Macarthur FC | 27 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 379 | (37) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Australia U-20 | 11 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Australia U-23 | 25 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2019 | Australia | 80 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Macarthur FC (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
| 2022 | St George | |||||||||||||||
| 2022–2025 | Adelaide United (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Malaysia (assistant) | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Mark Daniel Milligan (born 4 August 1985) is an Australian former professional footballer. He started his career as a defender but later played mostly as a midfielder. Mark is now a football expert for TV commentary and analysis at 10 Sport. He is also an assistant coach for the Malaysian national football team.
Contents
Mark Milligan's Club Career
Mark began playing football at his local club, Birrong Sports Football Club, in 1991. He quickly moved on to play for bigger junior teams.
Early Football Journey
In 2007, Mark was linked with European clubs like FC Metz and RC Lens in France. He also had interest from English clubs such as Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City in 2008.
On 21 October 2008, Milligan signed a short-term contract with Newcastle United Jets. He played his first game for them on 24 October 2008.
Playing Football in Asia
In January 2009, Milligan joined the Chinese team Shanghai Shenhua. He signed a three-year contract with them. On 19 May, he scored his first goal for Shanghai Shenhua in an AFC Champions League match.
Later, Mark moved from Shanghai Shenhua to the Japanese team JEF United Chiba. When the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami happened in Japan, Milligan decided to leave the country for his family's safety. He trained with his old club Sydney FC to stay fit.
Time with Melbourne Victory
On 24 January 2012, Mark signed a loan deal to play for Melbourne Victory. He was the first player from Sydney FC to move to Melbourne Victory. After his loan, he returned to Japan. In July 2012, Milligan officially joined Melbourne Victory on a three-year contract.
Mark was a star player for Melbourne Victory during the 2012–13 season. He switched from playing as a centre-back to a defensive midfielder. He quickly became one of the best players in the league. Mark scored 8 goals that season, many of them important goals in big games. He also won the Victory Medal for being the club's best player of the season.
On 17 September 2013, Mark became the captain of Melbourne Victory. There were rumors that he might join Crystal Palace in England. However, Melbourne Victory turned down a large offer for him.
On 17 May 2015, Milligan captained his team to a 3–0 win against Sydney FC in the 2014–15 A-League Grand Final. He was named the best player in the match and received the Joe Marston Medal.
Moving to Baniyas SC
After the 2014–15 season, Mark moved to Baniyas SC in the UAE Pro-League. They paid a transfer fee of $1 million to sign him on a two-year contract.
Back to Melbourne Victory
On 31 July 2017, it was announced that Mark would return to Melbourne Victory. He signed a one-year deal with them.
Playing for Al Ahli
On 28 January 2018, Melbourne Victory sold Mark Milligan to Al-Ahli for $1 million. He made his debut for Al-Ahli on 4 February in a league game. He played as a centre-half in the match.
Time with Hibernian
On 18 August 2018, Milligan signed a two-year contract with Scottish Premiership club Hibernian. He played regularly for Hibernian during the 2018–19 season. He left the club after that season.
Joining Southend United
On 1 July 2019, Milligan signed for Southend United. He was released by Southend United on 19 June 2020. This happened after the team was moved down to a lower league.
Playing for Macarthur FC
On 30 July 2020, Mark returned to Australia to join the new A-League club Macarthur FC. He signed a two-year deal with them. On 22 October, he was named the club's captain for their first season. In the club's first match, Mark scored their first-ever goal, which helped them win.
On 2 June 2021, Milligan announced that he would retire from playing football. He also said he would join the coaching staff at Macarthur FC.
Mark Milligan's International Career
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Mark Milligan played for Australia at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. In May 2006, he was the youngest player chosen for Australia's 2006 FIFA World Cup squad. He was one of only two players from the A-League to be selected.
He made his first senior international appearance against Liechtenstein on 7 June 2006. This was Australia's final warm-up game before the World Cup. He did not play in any of Australia's World Cup games in Germany.
In February 2007, Milligan became captain of the Australian U-23 team, also known as the 'Olyroos'. He led the Olyroos to qualify for the Olympics. He was a very important player in their final games, scoring in each match.
Milligan was part of the Australian squad for the 2007 Asian Cup. He played a great game against Thailand, helping Australia win 4–0. Australia moved to the quarter-finals.
Mark scored his first international goal for the Socceroos against Indonesia in a 2011 Asian Cup Qualifier. Australia won the match 1–0 and qualified for the 2011 competition.
He was chosen for the 31-man squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. His profile described him as a "mobile defender with good ball skills."
Milligan was also selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. He played one game in the 2014 World Cup, a 3–1 loss against Chile.
In 2015, he was a key player when Australia won the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. He played in five matches, including the final against South Korea. He scored a goal against Oman national football team.
Milligan captained Australia at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. He scored a penalty goal in a 1-1 draw against Cameroon.
In the third round of qualification, he played in 8 games. Australia had to play in a play-off against Syria, which they won. He also played in the final play-off game against Honduras. Australia won 3-1, which meant they qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup for the fourth time in a row. In May 2018, he was named in Australia's squad for the World Cup in Russia.
Milligan captained Australia at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup. Australia was knocked out in the quarter-finals of that tournament.
He officially retired from international football in December 2019.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances and Goals
Here are Mark Milligan's appearances and goals for his clubs:
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cups | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Northern Spirit | 2002–03 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04 | 13 | 1 | – | – | 13 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 16 | 1 | – | – | 16 | 1 | ||||
| Blacktown City | 2004 | 9 | 5 | – | – | 9 | 5 | |||
| Sydney FC | 2005–06 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | 13 | 1 | ||
| 2006–07 | 17 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 1 | ||
| 2007–08 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 17 | 0 | |||
| Total | 42 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 55 | 2 | ||
| Newcastle Jets | 2008–09 | 11 | 1 | – | – | 11 | 1 | |||
| Shanghai Shenhua | 2009 | 25 | 1 | – | 6 | 1 | 31 | 2 | ||
| JEF United Chiba | 2010 | 15 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 0 | |||
| 2011 | 29 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 31 | 1 | |||
| 2012 | 9 | 2 | – | – | 9 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 53 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 55 | 3 | |||
| Melbourne Victory | 2011–12 | 10 | 1 | – | – | 10 | 1 | |||
| 2012–13 | 22 | 8 | – | – | 22 | 8 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 21 | 4 | – | 5 | 1 | 26 | 5 | |||
| 2014–15 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 22 | 1 | |||
| Total | 73 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 80 | 15 | ||
| Baniyas SC | 2015–16 | 21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 23 | 3 | ||
| 2016–17 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | 23 | 2 | |||
| Total | 43 | 5 | 3 | 0 | – | 46 | 5 | |||
| Melbourne Victory | 2017–18 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 0 | – | 16 | 3 | ||
| Al Ahli | 2017–18 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |
| Hibernian | 2018–19 | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 31 | 0 | ||
| Southend United | 2019–20 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 33 | 0 | ||
| Macarthur FC | 2020–21 | 27 | 3 | — | — | 27 | 3 | |||
| Career total | 379 | 37 | 25 | 1 | 23 | 2 | 427 | 40 | ||
International Appearances and Goals
Here are Mark Milligan's appearances and goals for the Australian national team:
- Statistics accurate as of match played 10 October 2019.
| Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| 2009 | 2 | 0 |
| 2010 | 2 | 1 |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 |
| 2012 | 6 | 1 |
| 2013 | 8 | 0 |
| 2014 | 7 | 0 |
| 2015 | 11 | 2 |
| 2016 | 9 | 1 |
| 2017 | 11 | 1 |
| 2018 | 10 | 0 |
| 2019 | 6 | 0 |
| Total | 80 | 6 |
- Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 3 March 2010 | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia |  Indonesia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification |
| 2. | 7 December 2012 | Mong Kok Stadium, Mong Kok, Hong Kong |  Guam |
8–0 | 9–0 | 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup |
| 3. | 13 January 2015 | Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia |  Oman |
3–0 | 4–0 | 2015 AFC Asian Cup |
| 4. | 8 September 2015 | Pamir Stadium, Dushanbe, Tajikistan |  Tajikistan |
1–0 | 3–0 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5. | 24 March 2016 | Adelaide Oval, Adelaide, Australia | Tajikistan |
3–0 | 7–0 | |
| 6. | 22 June 2017 | Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia |  Cameroon |
1–1 | 1–1 | 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup |
Football Honours and Awards
Mark Milligan has won many awards and championships throughout his career:
Sydney FC
- A-League Championship: 2005–06
- Australian Club World Championship Qualifying Tournament: 2005
Melbourne Victory
- A-League Championship: 2014–15
- A-League Premiership: 2014–15
Australia National Team
- AFC Asian Cup: 2015
- OFC U-20 Championship: 2005
Individual Awards
- A-League PFA Team of the Season: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15
- A-League PFA Team of the Decade: 2005–15
- Melbourne Victory FC Player of the Season: 2012–13
- Joe Marston Medal: 2015
See also
In Spanish: Mark Milligan para niños
