Alex Brosque

Alex Brosque

Brosque training with Sydney FC in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Alex Brosque
Date of birth	12 October 1983
Place of birth	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11 ^1⁄2 in)[1]
Playing position	Striker, Left winger, Central midfielder
Club information
Current team	Sydney FC
Number	14
Youth career
2001	AIS
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2001–2004	Marconi Stallions	53	(13)
2004–2005	Feyenoord	0	(0)
2004–2005	→ Westerlo (loan)	16	(2)
2005–2006	Brisbane Roar	21	(8)
2006–2011	Sydney FC	104	(28)
2011–2012	Shimizu S-Pulse	56	(13)
2012–2014	Al Ain	39	(14)
2014–	Sydney FC	49	(20)
National team^‡
2002–2003	Australia U-20	9	(4)
2004	Australia U-23	5	(2)
2004–	Australia	21	(5)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 4 December 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 28 September 2012

Alex Brosque (born 12 October 1983) is an Australian football (soccer) player of Uruguayan descent^[2] who is the current captain of A-League club Sydney FC.^[3] He plays primarily as a striker but has played predominately as a midfielder in central midfield since moving to Japan in 2011.

Club career

In 2001 Brosque, aged 18, began his career playing for Marconi Stallions in the now defunct National Soccer League. In three seasons at the club he made over 50 appearances and was considered one of Australia's best prospects having been voted NSL Under-21 Player of the Year for consecutive seasons in 2003 and 2004.

His form at club and international level attracted international attention, and after the conclusion of the 04-05 NSL season Brosque signed for Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam. He was immediately loaned out to Belgian club Westerlo where he struggled due to an ankle injury, making only sixteen appearances and scoring two goals.

Brisbane Roar

With the creation of the new A-League Brosque returned to Australia, signing for Brisbane Roar. Brosque, along with his team, struggled in front of goal for much of the 2005–06 season (at one point Brisbane led the league in total shots but was second last in goals scored^[4]) before scoring four times in the last three games of the season to nearly take his team to the A-League semi finals. Brosque won the inaugural Reebok Golden Boot along with Stewart Petrie, Archie Thompson and Bobby Despotovski with 8 goals.

Sydney FC

Alex Brosque playing for Sydney FC.

On 11 February 2006 Alex Brosque announced his move to then champions Sydney FC.^[5] He joined the club for the A-League 2006-07 season on a three-year contract. Brosque played his first game for Sydney against his former club Queensland Roar in the Pre-season cup on 15 July 2006, setting up the first goal before scoring the match-winner in Sydney's 2–1 victory. He scored his first A-League goal for Sydney FC against Perth Glory in round 17. Brosque scored in the 1–1 draw that got Sydney FC into the 2006–2007 finals series against his old club the Roar which knocked them out in the process.

After a disappointing first year at Sydney FC, Brosque discovered some of his best form and was the leading goal scorer for Sydney FC with 8 in the regular season. He scored two crucial braces against Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners which gained Sydney some valuable points during the season. His partnership with Juninho Paulista was evident during the season, with 5 of his goals coming from the Brazilian's killer passes.

Brosque also scored 2 of the 5 goals scored by Sydney against Los Angeles Galaxy at Telstra Stadium in November 2007. At the end of the 2007/2008 season he became Sydney's highest goalscorer, with 11 goals (including the games against Los Angeles Galaxy) for the season.

Brosque continued to be a regular for Sydney FC entering into his third season with the club. He scored his first goal of the 08/09 season in Sydney's 5–2 demolition of Perth Glory, taking his tally to 13 – making him Sydney's 2nd highest goalscorer behind former captain Steve Corica on 15. He scored his next goal a fortnight later against Adelaide United in Sydney's 3–0 win, taking him to within a goal of being Sydney's highest goalscorer. Brosque led the Hyundai A-League with 7 assists in the 08/09 season.

Brosque started the 09/10 season impressively forming a strong partnership with Mark Bridge in the forward line. These performances saw Brosque rewarded with a recall to the Socceroos for the first time in over four years. On 22 July 2010, Brosque signed a three-year contract extension with Sydney FC, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2013–14 season.^[6]

Brosque was capped in his 100th game for Sydney FC during the Round 14 game against Perth Glory at Parramatta Stadium. Sydney would go on to win 2–0, with Brosque scoring his 29th goal to seal the victory for the Sky Blues.^[7]

Shimizu S-Pulse

On 31 January 2011, Sydney FC agreed to release Brosque for $400,000 to join Shimizu S-Pulse, however Sydney FC vice chairman Scott Barlow announced Sydney would considering its options as to filing a complaint with FIFA, for the club believed Shimizu S-Pulse approached Brosque without the club's permission.^[8] Alex made his debut for his new club on 5 March 2011, playing a full game in the 3–0 loss to Kashiwa Reysol, the club's first match of the 2011 J-league Season^[9] Brosque scored his first goal for the club on 7 May 2011, scoring in the 18th minute to help his side claim a one-all draw against Nagoya Grampus.^[10]

Al Ain FC

On 26 September 2012, Brosque joined UAE Pro-League side Al Ain on a two-year contract.^[11]

Return to Sydney FC

On 26 June 2014, Brosque rejoined his former club Sydney FC on a two-year contract, after being released from Al Ain.^[12] On 8 October 2014, Brosque was announced as the captain of Sydney FC for the 2014–15 A-League season, alongside vice-captains Saša Ognenovski and Nikola Petković.^[13]

On 18 October 2014, Brosque played in his first Sydney Derby and scored the winning goal in the 79th minute.^[14]

International career

Brosque represented Australia at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship where they reached the second round. In 2004, Brosque made his senior international debut for Australia against Fiji in the OFC Nations Cup, where he made three appearances. Later in that year he also helped Australia reach the quarter finals at the 2004 Olympics.

On 9 November 2009, Brosque was called up to the senior national team as an injury replacement for Joshua Kennedy. It was his first call up for over 3 years. On 9 October, Brosque came off the bench in the 90th minute to replace Richard Garcia in the friendly match against Paraguay.^[15]

On 15 December 2010, Brosque was selected in the preliminary 50 man squad for the 2011 Asian Cup in January. Many people believed that he would be selected in the final 23 man squad, after Joshua Kennedy and Archie Thompson were both injured, but Brosque was then ruled out with an injury himself, costing him a chance to represent Australia for the first time in an international competition. On 2 September 2011, Brosque scored the winner in the 86th minute in Australia's 2–1 win over Thailand for the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers. A month later, on 7 October, Brosque scored a double in Australia's 5–0 win over Malaysia in a friendly match in Canberra. In Australia's 2013 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia, Brosque scored another brace to help Australia win 4–2.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	2 September 2011	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia	Thailand	2–1	Won	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
2.	7 October 2011	Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia	Malaysia	5–0	Won	Friendly
3.	7 October 2011	Canberra Stadium, Canberra, Australia	Malaysia	5–0	Won	Friendly
4.	29 February 2012	AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia	Saudi Arabia	4–2	Won	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
5.	29 February 2012	AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia	Saudi Arabia	4–2	Won	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 5 August 2015

Club	Season	League			Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Marconi Stallions	2001–02	National Soccer League	17	1	—		—		17	1
	2002–03	National Soccer League	21	9	—		—		21	9
	2003–04	National Soccer League	17	3	—		—		17	3
	Total		55	13	—		—		55	13
Westerlo	2004–05	Pro League	16	2	0	0	—		16	2
Queensland Roar	2005–06	A-League	21	8	4	1	0	0	25	9
Sydney FC	2006–07	A-League	20	4	2	0	6	1	28	5
	2007–08	A-League	22	8	5	1	0	0	27	9
	2008–09	A-League	18	5	2	2	0	0	20	7
	2009–10	A-League	29	7	0	0	0	0	29	7
	2010–11	A-League	15	6	0	0	0	0	15	6
	Total		104	30	9	3	6	1	119	34
Shimizu S-Pulse	2011	J1 League	32	7	3	0	—		35	7
	2012	J1 League	23	6	3	1	—		26	7
	Total		55	13	6	1	—		61	14
Al Ain FC	2012–13	UAE Arabian Gulf League	0	0	0	0	—		0	0
	2013–14	UAE Arabian Gulf League	0	0	0	0	6	1	0	0
	Total		0	0	0	0	6	1	0	0
Sydney FC	2014–15	A-League	27	9	2	1	—		29	10
	2015–16	A-League	13	5	1	0	1	0	15	5
	Total		40	14	3	1	1	0	44	15
Australia total			220	65	12	4	7	1	239	70
Belgium total			16	2	0	0	0	0	16	2
Japan total			55	13	6	1	0	0	61	14
Career total			291	80	18	5	7	1	316	86

Honours

With Australia:

• OFC Nations Cup: 2004

With Sydney FC:

• A-League Premiership: 2009–2010
• A-League Championship: 2009–2010

Personal Honours:

• A-League Golden Boot: 2005–2006 with Queensland Roar – 8 goals
• Fox Sports Player of the Year: 2005–2006
• Sydney FC Player's Player of the Year: 2007–2008, 2008–2009, 2009–2010
• Queensland Roar Player's Player of the Year: 2005–2006
• Queensland Roar Member's Player of the Year: 2005–2006
• NSL Papasavas Medal (U-21): 2002–2003, 2003–2004
• A-League PFA Team of the Season: 2009-10
• Most goals in all competitions: 46

References

1. "Alex Brosque". Sydney FC. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
2. "Brosque getting off on right foot with Stallions before horse trading in Europe". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
3. "Sydney FC names Alex Brosque captain for the 2014/15 A-League season". ABC.
4. "Looking Ahead – Brisbane Roar". 20 December 2005.
5. "Brosque confirms Sydney move". 11 February 2006.
6. "Sky Blue elation: Brosque signs on for three more". Sydney FC. 22 July 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
7. "Brosque helps Sydney to 2–0 win over Perth". Sydney Morning Herald. 21 November 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
8. "Brosque allowed to leave Sydney FC". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 31 January 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
9. "Josh Rescues J.League Cham". FourFourTwo. 6 March 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
10. "Brosque Nets First In Japan". FourFourTwo. 8 May 2011. Retrieved 18 June 2011.
11. "Al Ain sign a two – season contract with Australian Alex". Pro League Committee. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
12. "Sky Blues sign Brosque as Aussie marquee". Football Federation Australia. 27 June 2014.
13. "Brosque to skipper Sydney". FourFourTwo. 8 October 2014.
14. "Sky Blues win Sydney derby thriller". FourFourTwo. 18 October 2014.
15. Shock Socceroo call-up for Sydney FC's Alex Brosque

External links

• OzFootball profile
• Sydney FC profile
• FFA – Socceroo profile