Ivan Franjic

Ivan Franjic

Franjic playing for Torpedo Moscow in 2014
Personal information
Full name Ivan Frankie Franjic[1]
Date of birth (1987-09-10) 10 September 1987
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Playing position Right back
Club information
Current team
 Melbourne City
Number 5
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 St Albans Saints 39 (5)
2007–2008 Melbourne Knights 50 (9)
2009 Oakleigh Cannons 17 (2)
2009–2014 Brisbane Roar 115 (11)
2014–2015 Torpedo Moscow 4 (0)
2015– Melbourne City 18 (0)
National team‡
2012– Australia 20 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 20 November 2015.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 4 September 2015

Ivan Frankie Franjic (Croatian pronunciation: [ǐʋan frǎːɲit͡ɕ]; born 10 September 1987) is an Australian football (soccer) player who plays for A-League club Melbourne City FC.

Club career

Victorian Premier League (2005–2009)

Franjic played at Junior level for Meadow Park Eagles, Melbourne Knights, and St Albans Saints. During the 2005 season he made his senior debut for the Saints, playing 39 times for a reward of five goals. He then moved back to his former Youth club Melbourne Knights where he played 50 times, scoring nine goals. After the 2008 season he moved to Oakleigh Cannons where his performances would soon earn him a move to the A-League with Brisbane Roar.[3] Due to the Victorian Premier League being a semi-professional league, Franjic also was employed as a Carpenter.[4]

Brisbane Roar (2009–2014)

On 31 August 2009, he was signed as a short-term injury replacement for Andrew Packer.[5] After being signed on loan to Brisbane he was signed on a long term contract. During his first season in the A-League he made a combined 20 appearances for the club.

Franjic scored his first goal for Brisbane in a pre-season friendly against the Newcastle Jets on 2 July 2010. His 85th-minute penalty was the match-winning goal, with the Roar winning 1–0. His first A-League goal for Brisbane came in the Round 10, midweek clash with Central Coast Mariners at Suncorp Stadium with a powerful volley from outside of the box. His goal was made famous for his team's "human kayak" celebration. Brisbane won the game 2–0.[6] Playing as a wingback, Franjic has impressed at the Roar.[7]

In Round 17, Franjic scored an equalising goal against the North Queensland Fury in the 85th minute. The game ended 1–1. This goal meant that the Roar continued their undefeated run, extending it to 12 matches. Franjic played at right-back for the Brisbane Roar in the 2011 A-League Grand Final. The Roar were down 2–0 in extra time against the Central Coast Mariners before scoring two goals in under four minutes to send the match to a penalty shoot-out. Franjic scored the first penalty for the Roar who ended up winning 4–2 in the shootout after two saves from Michael Theoklitos.

Franjic was one of six Brisbane Roar players to be selected in the All-Star Team for the 2010–11 season.[8] Goal.com named Franjic as one of five Australian defenders in the A-League who are ready to play in Europe.[9]

In 2012, Franjic played in the 2012 A-League Grand Final against Perth Glory, where he scored an own goal to give Perth an unlikely lead. Brisbane managed to claw back and take the lead courtesy a late penalty by Besart Berisha, becoming the first A-League side to win the championship two years in succession.

Torpedo Moscow (2014–2015)

In August 2014, Franjic moved to newly promoted Russian Premier League side FC Torpedo Moscow, signing a three-year contract at the club.[10][11] Franjic made his debut for Torpedo on 25 October 2014, in a 0-0 home draw against FC Kuban Krasnodar, coming on as a half-time substitute for Ivan Novoseltsev.[12][13] During January 2015 Torpedo blocked a loan move for Franjic back to the A-League, with Franjic later being linked with a move to Dinamo Zagreb during the summer of 2015.[14] He quit Torpedo Moscow due to unpaid wages on 23 April 2015.[15]

Melbourne City FC (2015–present)

Just over a month after leaving Russia, Franjic was unveiled as A-League side Melbourne City FC's first signing of the summer.[16] Signing a three-year deal, Franjic expressed his pleasure at returning to his home town, and cited the prospect of first team football as a key factor in his decision to join City, particularly in light of his desire to retain his place in the Socceroos starting line-up.[16]

International career

In December 2012, Franjic made his international debut for the Socceroos under Holger Osieck.[17]

In the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil he started at right back in Australia's 3-1 loss to Chile. At the 35th minute he crossed to Tim Cahill who scored Australia's only goal in the game. Franjic later succumbed to a hamstring injury and was substituted in the second half. He was later ruled out of the remainder of the tournament to his bitter disappointment.

Franjic was named as part of Australia's squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Franjic started in Australia's first match of the tournament against Kuwait, playing the full 90 minutes and providing the assist for Massimo Luongo to score Australia's second goal of the match.

Franjic started for Australia in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup Final. However, after suffering an injury in the middle of the second half, Franjic was substituted off for Matt McKay as Australia won 2-1.

Career statistics

As of match played 13 April 2015[18]
Club performance League Cup Continental Total
Season Club League Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
2009–10 Brisbane Roar A-League 190––190
2010–11 232––232
2011–12 291–60351
2012–13 233–10243
2013–14 215––215
2014–15 Torpedo Moscow Russian Premier League 4010–50
2015–16 Melbourne City FC A-League 0000–00
Total Australia 11511–7012211
Russia 4010–50
Career total 11911107012711

Honours

Club

Brisbane Roar

International

Australia

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 June 2014. p. 3. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  2. ↑ "Ivan Franjic". socceroos.com.au. Football Federation Australia. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  3. ↑ Ivan Franjic on fire at Brisbane Roar
  4. ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/ivan-franjic-says-postecoglous-magic-dust-will-reinvigorate-socceroos-20131111-2xcdn.html
  5. ↑ Franjic looks long-term
  6. ↑ "Brisbane defeat Mariners". A-League. 20 October 2010. Archived from the original on 6 March 2011. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  7. ↑ http://www.foxsports.com.au/football/a-league/a-league-leaders-brisbane-roar-depth-to-be-tested-with-injury/story-e6frf4gl-1225979927088
  8. ↑ http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/brisbane-roar-players-dominate-fans-all-stars-a-league-team/story-e6frf7jo-1226019008514
  9. ↑ http://www.goal.com/en/news/1717/editorial/2011/08/19/2624985/who-is-the-next-lucas-neill-five-australian-defenders-ready
  10. ↑ "Ivan Franjic leaves Brisbane Roar for Torpedo Moscow". http://www.theguardian.com. The Guardian. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 4 August 2014. External link in |website= (help)
  11. ↑ СОСТАВ «ТОРПЕДО» ПОПОЛНИЛИ ХОРВАТ И АВСТРАЛИЕЦ (in Russian). FC Torpedo Moscow. 4 September 2014.
  12. ↑ "Mile Jedinak's penalty highs and lows, Ivan Franjic returns, Tommy Oar linked to Ajax". www.heraldsun.com.au. Herald Sun. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  13. ↑ "Torpedo Moscow 0-0 Kuban Krasnodar". uk.soccerway.com. Soccerway. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  14. ↑ "Socceroo Ivan Franjic linked with move from Torpedo Moscow to Dinamo Zagreb". http://www.foxsports.com.au. Fox Sports (Australia). 18 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015. External link in |website= (help)
  15. ↑ "Франьич следом за Кокошкой разорвал контракт с "Торпедо"" (in Russian). Championat.com. 27 April 2015.
  16. 1 2 "Melbourne City FC Signs Ivan Franjic". melbournecityfc.com.au. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  17. ↑ http://www.socceroos.com.au/player/ivan-franjic/1v4wxmuf0k1tw13xgf4fxs9nsw
  18. ↑ "I.Franjić". uk.soccerway.com/. Soccerway. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.