Antony Golec
Antony Golec | |
|---|---|
| Born | Antony Paul Golec May 29, 1990 Sydney, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Professional soccer player (retired), real estate agent |
| Years active | 2008–2019 (soccer) |
| Known for | Soccer career as a centre back; played for multiple clubs including Sydney FC, Adelaide United, Western Sydney Wanderers, Perth Glory, Sheriff Tiraspol, Persepolis, Central Coast Mariners, Wellington Phoenix, Badak Lampung |
| Notable work | AFC Champions League winner with Western Sydney Wanderers (2014) |
Antony Paul Golec (; born 29 May 1990) is a retired Australian professional soccer player who specialized as a centre back. After concluding his athletic career, Golec shifted his professional focus to real estate, working as an agent in Sydney.[1]
Sydney FC
Golec was part of the first-ever Sydney FC squad in the National Youth League during the 2008/2009 season. His first appearance for Sydney FC came on 25 October 2008 against Melbourne Victory. Throughout his 10 matches, he notably received commendations for his defensive display against Perth Glory.
Adelaide United
On 26 September 2011, Golec inked a one-year deal with Adelaide United. He made his club debut on 22 December 2011 and scored his maiden A-League goal playing at left back on 30 December 2011, helping secure a 2–0 victory over Wellington Phoenix. In March 2012, he extended his contract by an additional two years, committing to the team until 2014.
After spending three seasons with Adelaide United, Golec pursued an opportunity with Chinese Super League team Liaoning Whowin in January 2014.
Western Sydney Wanderers
Following his release from Adelaide United on 4 February 2014, Golec promptly signed with Western Sydney Wanderers. Due to roster restrictions, he was initially registered exclusively for the club’s participation in the 2014 AFC Champions League during the 2013–14 season.
He earned a starting position on 12 March in a match against Guizhou Renhe, contributing to a 1–0 away victory. Subsequently, Golec renewed his contract for the 2014/2015 Hyundai A-League season.
Golec played an instrumental role in Western Sydney Wanderers’ triumph in the 2014 AFC Champions League and took part in the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup, where the team secured fifth place after competing against Cruz Azul and ES Sétif.
On 15 May 2015, Western Sydney Wanderers released him from their squad.
Perth Glory
Golec committed to Perth Glory on a two-year contract beginning on 23 May, covering the 2016–2017 seasons. He made his debut on 11 August during the FFA Cup clash versus Newcastle Jets, scoring during a penalty shootout that ended 4–3 in favor of Perth Glory.
Sheriff Tiraspol
On 15 January 2016, Golec departed Perth Glory to join Moldovan National Division outfit Sheriff Tiraspol under an eighteen-month agreement. He featured in thirteen matches and contributed to the club securing the championship title on 29 May, which granted them qualification for the UEFA Champions League.
Persepolis
On 22 June 2016, Golec signed a two-year contract with Iranian Persian Gulf Pro League team Persepolis. Nevertheless, he ended his contract on 22 September through FIFA intervention due to unresolved wage payments.
Bucheon FC 1995
On 8 December 2016, Golec agreed to a two-season contract with K League Challenge side Bucheon FC 1995, planned to last until December 2018. However, this agreement was mutually dissolved on 22 February 2017 prior to the start of the season.
Central Coast Mariners
On 30 May 2017, Golec made his return to the A-League by signing a one-year deal with Central Coast Mariners. He subsequently renewed his contract on 25 April 2018, committing to the club for the 2018–19 Hyundai A-League campaign.
Wellington Phoenix
Following his release from Central Coast Mariners in January 2019, Golec joined Wellington Phoenix. During his one-and-a-half seasons with the Mariners, he accumulated 31 appearances. At Phoenix, he became the club’s third acquisition during the January transfer window, alongside former Republic of Ireland forward Cillian Sheridan and All Whites defender Justin Gulley.
Badak Lampung
On 26 August 2019, Golec inked a one-year contract with Badak Lampung, a club competing in Indonesia’s Liga 1. Registered as an Australian national, he occupied the Asian foreign player slot, taking over from Kunihiro Yamashita. Golec made his first appearance in a 1–0 away victory against Persija Jakarta on 1 September.
International career
Golec’s international journey began in 2009 with the Australian U20 team in Argentina, where he played full matches against Uruguay and the United States. He was also included in the 30-player roster for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup held in Egypt.
In 2010, he made his debut for Australia’s Olympic football squad under coaches Aurelio Vidmar and Paul Okon, featuring in complete matches versus DPR Korea and Kuwait U23 teams.
On 19 October 2011, Golec was invited to a combined training camp for Australia’s senior and Olympic teams led by Holger Osieck and Aurelio Vidmar.
He earned selection for the Australian U23 squad on 24 February 2012 to compete in the London Olympic qualifiers against Uzbekistan and the United Arab Emirates.
On 17 September 2017, Golec publicly expressed his willingness to represent Croatia should he be called upon.
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental1 | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sydney | 2008–09 | A-League | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 2010–11 | 1 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 10 | 0 | ||
| Adelaide United | 2011–12 | A-League | 11 | 1 | – | 2 | 1 | – | 13 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | 15 | 0 | – | – | – | 15 | 0 | |||||
| 2013–14 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 26 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | 28 | 2 | ||
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 2013–14 | A-League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 1 | – | 13 | 1 | |
| 2014–15 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | 24 | 0 | |||
| Total | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 1 | - | - | 37 | 1 | ||
| Perth Glory | 2015–16 | A-League | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||
| Sheriff Tiraspol | 2015–16 | Divizia Națională | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Career total | 70 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 98 | 3 | ||
1 – includes FIFA Club World Cup data; AFC Champions League figures are recorded in the season following group stages (for example, the 2011 ACL statistics are counted within the 2011–12 A-League season)
Club
- A-League Premiership title secured in the 2009–10 season
- A-League Championship won during the 2009–10 campaign
- National Youth League champions for the 2008–09 season
- Champions of the AFC Champions League in 2014
- Winners of the Moldovan National Division in the 2015–16 season
External links
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1990 births
- Australian people of Croatian descent
- Men's association football defenders
- A-League Men players
- Moldovan Super Liga players
- Liga 1 (Indonesia) players
- Malaysia Super League players
- Sydney FC players
- Adelaide United FC players
- Western Sydney Wanderers FC players
- Perth Glory FC players
- Central Coast Mariners FC players
- Wellington Phoenix FC players
- Sydney United 58 FC players
- FC Sheriff Tiraspol players
- Badak Lampung F.C. players
- Perak F.C. players
- Macarthur FC players
- Soccer players from Sydney
- Living people
- Australian men's soccer players
- Australian expatriate men's soccer players
- Expatriate men's footballers in Moldova
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in Moldova
- Expatriate men's footballers in Iran
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in Iran
- Expatriate men's footballers in South Korea
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea
- Expatriate men's footballers in Indonesia
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in Indonesia
- Expatriate men's footballers in Malaysia
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in Malaysia
- Expatriate men's association footballers in New Zealand
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand
- AFC Champions League Elite–winning players
- 21st-century Australian sportsmen
- Persepolis F.C. players