Mitchell Langerak facts for kids
Langerak with VfB Stuttgart in 2015
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 August 1988 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Emerald, Queensland, Australia | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.93 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Melbourne Victory | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 1 | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996–2002 | Tieri Tigers | |||||||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Bundaberg Waves | |||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | AIS | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Melbourne Victory | 21 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007 | → South Melbourne (loan) | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Borussia Dortmund II | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2015 | Borussia Dortmund | 19 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | VfB Stuttgart | 36 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | VfB Stuttgart II | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Levante | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2024 | Nagoya Grampus | 241 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2025– | Melbourne Victory | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Australia U-20 | 5 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2017 | Australia | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Mitchell James Langerak (born 22 August 1988) is an Australian professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Melbourne Victory. He has also played for the Australian national team.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Playing for Melbourne Victory
Mitchell Langerak started his professional football journey in February 2007. He signed his first contract with Melbourne Victory, an A-League club in Australia. To gain more experience, he was loaned to South Melbourne for a short time.
After his loan, Langerak became the third-choice goalkeeper for Melbourne Victory. He got his first chance to play in a big game in the 2007–08 season. It was against their rivals, Sydney FC. Even though two goals were scored against him, he played well in the 2–2 draw.
Over time, he moved up to become the second-choice goalkeeper. Then, he became the main goalkeeper for the team. In 2010, a big German club, Borussia Dortmund, tried to sign him. Melbourne Victory first said no, but later agreed to let him go.
Time at South Melbourne
In 2007, Langerak joined South Melbourne on a loan deal. This was for the 2007 Victorian Premier League season. The club was having a tough time when he arrived. Their main goalkeeper was injured, and they were near the bottom of the league.
Langerak's strong performances helped the team improve. They finished in the middle of the table. This loan period gave him valuable experience playing in important matches.
Playing for Borussia Dortmund
On 12 May 2010, Langerak officially joined Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He signed a four-year contract with the club. He became the second-choice goalkeeper for Dortmund. His goal was to learn as much as he could.
He got his first start for Dortmund when the main goalkeeper, Roman Weidenfeller, was injured. Langerak played in a big match against Bayern Munich, which Dortmund won 3–1. He played very well in this game.
Langerak also played in a cup game, the DFB-Pokal, where he kept a "clean sheet." This means the other team didn't score any goals. In 2012, he helped Dortmund win the DFB-Pokal final. They beat Bayern Munich 5–2. This was his third title with the club.
In 2013, he won the DFL-Supercup with Dortmund, again beating Bayern Munich. He also made his UEFA Champions League debut that year. During one game, he bravely tried to stop a goal and broke two front teeth.
Moving to VfB Stuttgart
For the 2015–16 season, Langerak moved to VfB Stuttgart, another German club. He played his first Bundesliga game for them in May 2016. Unfortunately, Stuttgart was moved down to a lower league that season.
After the team's main goalkeeper left, Langerak became the starting goalkeeper. He quickly became a favorite among the fans. He helped the team win the 2. Bundesliga title in the 2016–17 season. This meant they were promoted back to the top league.
Short Spell at Levante
On 30 August 2017, Langerak joined Levante in Spain. He signed a two-year deal with the club. However, he did not play any official matches for them.
Success with Nagoya Grampus
On 14 January 2018, Langerak moved to Japan to play for Nagoya Grampus. He quickly became a key player for the team. In December 2020, he played his 100th game in the J.League, which is Japan's top football league.
He set a new J.League record in 2020 by keeping 17 clean sheets in one season. A clean sheet means the goalkeeper prevents the other team from scoring. In 2021, he broke his own record with 18 clean sheets. He also set an amazing record of 823 minutes without letting in a goal.
In 2023, Langerak played his 200th J.League game. In 2024, he helped Nagoya Grampus win the J.League Cup. He even scored a penalty kick in the final shootout.
Return to Melbourne Victory
On 3 August 2024, it was announced that Langerak would return to Melbourne Victory. He signed an 18-month contract. His transfer will happen in January 2025. This marks his return to the club where he started his professional career.
International Career
Langerak played for Australia's national youth team, the Young Socceroos, in 2006. He was first called up to the senior Australian national team in March 2011. This was for a friendly match against Germany.
He made his debut for the senior team, known as the Socceroos, in October 2013. It was a friendly game against France. He was also part of the squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
In 2015, he was part of the Australian team that won the AFC Asian Cup. This big tournament was held in Australia. Even though he didn't play in any matches, he was part of the winning squad.
In 2021, Langerak decided to stop playing for the national team. He wanted to spend more time with his family during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in September 2022, he said he would be available again. He was not chosen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup team.
Career Stats
Here are Mitchell Langerak's appearances and goals for his clubs and national team.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| South Melbourne (loan) | 2007 | Victorian Premier League | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Melbourne Victory | 2007–08 | A-League | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2008–09 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| 2009–10 | 16 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | 21 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 0 | ||
| Borussia Dortmund | 2010–11 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2011–12 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |||
| Total | 19 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| VfB Stuttgart | 2015–16 | Bundesliga | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | 2. Bundesliga | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 0 | |||
| Total | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||
| Levante | 2017–18 | La Liga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Nagoya Grampus | 2018 | J1 League | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2020 | 34 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 38 | 0 | ||||
| 2021 | 38 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 54 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 41 | 0 | |||
| 2023 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 43 | 0 | |||
| Total | 206 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 246 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 296 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 365 | 0 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2013 | 2 | 0 |
| 2014 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 8 | 0 | |
Achievements and Awards
Mitchell Langerak has won many awards and titles throughout his career:
With Melbourne Victory
- A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup: 2008
- A-League Championship: 2008–09
- A-League Premiership: 2008–09
With Borussia Dortmund
- Bundesliga: 2010–11, 2011–12
- DFB-Pokal: 2011–12
- DFL-Supercup: 2013, 2014
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2012–13
With VfB Stuttgart
- 2. Bundesliga: 2016–17
With Nagoya Grampus
- J.League Cup: 2021, 2024
With Australia U20
- AFF U-19 Youth Championship: 2006
With Australia
- AFC Asian Cup: 2015
Individual Awards
- PFA Harry Kewell Medal: 2009–10
- J.League MVP of the month: December 2020, September 2021
- J.League Best XI: 2021
- Nagoya Grampus Player of the Season: 2022
- J.League Cup MVP: 2024
Records
- J.League 1 most clean sheets in a season: 21 (2021)
- Longest consecutive run without conceding a goal in J.League 1: 823 minutes
Images for kids
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Langerak playing for the Melbourne Victory youth team in 2009.
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Langerak with Borussia Dortmund in 2013.
See also
In Spanish: Mitchell Langerak para niños
