Marko Rudan

Marko Rudan
Born	Marko Ante Rudan (1975-08-27) August 27, 1975 Australia
Occupation(s)	Soccer player, manager
Years active	1993–2010 (player), 2011–2024 (manager)
Known for	Former Australian association football player and manager, notably for Sydney FC, Wellington Phoenix, Western United, and Western Sydney Wanderers

Marko Ante "Mark" Rudan (born 27 August 1975) is a former Australian association football player and current manager, most recently leading the A-League Men team Western Sydney Wanderers.

In 2015, Rudan was among the first to be inducted into the Sydney FC Hall of Fame. Following a productive four-year spell as head coach at Sydney United, where he secured two National Premier Leagues championships, he transitioned to a coaching role with the Australia national under-20 soccer team. However, he returned to Sydney United early in the 2017 season.

Club career

After completing the AIS program, Rudan began his professional journey with NSL club Sydney United in 1993. Across five seasons, he accumulated 73 NSL appearances by the conclusion of the 1997–98 campaign. He then joined newly formed side Northern Spirit for the 1998–99 NSL season. Despite an early suspension due to a red card, Rudan contributed two goals in Round 3 and established himself as a regular starter. Northern Spirit finished fifth but were eliminated in their initial semi-final match. The following season, 1999–00, saw Rudan participate in 22 games during a less successful year for the club.

Overseas

Midway through 2000, frustrated with his situation at Northern Spirit, Rudan terminated his contract and transferred on a free move to German second-tier club Alemannia Aachen. Holding Croatian citizenship allowed him to play in Europe without restrictions. He initially secured a place in Aachen’s starting lineup but soon became entangled in a corruption investigation dubbed the 'suitcase affair'. In 2001, irregularities emerged concerning transfer dealings involving him and fellow Australian Goran Lozanovski. Although Rudan was arrested, he was subsequently released; legal action focused on Aachen’s treasurer Bernd Krings, who was found guilty of fraud. It was revealed that fabricated documents alleged a DM 290,000 transfer fee paid via suitcase—a claim neither authorized nor received by Rudan or Northern Spirit. Both players were ultimately exonerated.

Unable to find stability at Aachen, Rudan parted ways with the club in January 2002 amid transfer speculation. He then joined Chinese first division side Nanjing Yoyo before returning to Sydney United for the 2002–03 NSL season. As a seasoned international player, he featured regularly but was unable to guide the club into finals contention. In the NSL’s final season, Rudan missed the opening game due to injury but played every subsequent match. Following the league's dissolution, he ventured abroad once more, signing with Malaysia’s new Super League team Public Bank. There, he earned defender of the year accolades and contributed significantly to the club’s highest-ever second-place finish.

Sydney FC

Formed in 2005 for the launch of the A-League, Sydney FC attracted Australians returning from overseas leagues. Rudan was signed as part of their inaugural squad and appointed club captain. Late in that season, he played a pivotal role by scoring the decisive goal against Adelaide United during the semi-final second leg, helping Sydney secure the first-ever A-League Championship.

With John Aloisi's departure before the start of the 2006–07 campaign, Rudan resumed captaincy duties. However, his season began poorly when he was dismissed within 14 minutes in a match against Melbourne Victory. After serving his suspension and under new management from coach Terry Butcher, he returned to lead the team. Following elimination from domestic finals, Sydney competed in the 2007 AFC Champions League, where Rudan captained all six group stage matches, drawing on his experience in Asian competitions. At the beginning of 2007–08, with Socceroo Tony Popovic joining Sydney FC, Rudan passed on captaincy responsibilities to him.

On 15 December 2007, Rudan’s farewell home appearance took place before an audience of 12,530 spectators against Perth Glory. For this final game, Popovic returned captaincy to Rudan as a mark of respect. His time at Sydney FC was marked by considerable success; he is celebrated as the club’s first Footballing Legend and received a standing ovation from over 4,000 fans chanting his name following his last match.

Avispa Fukuoka

In December 2007, Rudan joined the J2 League club Avispa Fukuoka, reconnecting with his former Sydney FC manager Pierre Littbarski and taking the place of teammate Alvin Ceccoli.

FC Vaduz

On 6 January 2009, Rudan transferred on a free to FC Vaduz, a team competing in Switzerland's top tier, the Axpo Super League, though based in Liechtenstein. His contract extended until 30 June 2010, reuniting him with the coach he had previously worked with at Avispa Fukuoka.

Adelaide United

Ahead of the 2009–10 A-League season, on 6 August 2009, Rudan signed a one-year contract with Adelaide United. While he did not appear in their first match against Perth Glory, he participated throughout their AFC Champions League campaign before retiring from playing to focus on coaching.

International career

Rudan's abilities were recognized in 1992 when he entered the AIS program, aimed at nurturing young Australian talent. In 1993, he toured South America with the Young Socceroos and served as vice-captain during Australia's undefeated run in Youth World Cup qualifiers, scoring the winning goal against New Zealand. At the 1995 Youth World Cup, he featured in three matches before Australia was eliminated in extra time by Portugal. He later progressed to the under-23 squad, taking part in most of the Olympic qualifiers for Atlanta.

Coaching career

After retiring at Adelaide United, Rudan began his coaching career as head coach of NSW first division side Rockdale City Suns in 2011.

In 2013, he assumed the head coach role at Sydney United 58. During his debut season, Rudan guided the team to clinch both the NSW Premier League Premiership and the inaugural National Premier Leagues championship, earning him the 2013 Coach of the Year award. Over four seasons, he captured two NSW premierships and two national titles before resigning to join Australia's U/20 coaching staff.

Wellington Phoenix

On 30 May 2018, Rudan was appointed head coach of Wellington Phoenix, competing in Australia's A-League, signing a two-year contract. He became the first coach in Phoenix history to win his debut match, leading them to a 2–1 victory over Newcastle Jets in the opening round of the 2018–19 season and receiving Coach of Round 1 recognition. Following a goalless draw against Brisbane Roar in Round 2, it marked their strongest start since the 2012/13 season. Their first loss came in Round 3 with a 3–0 defeat to Western Sydney Wanderers.

After mixed performances between Rounds 3 and 5, Phoenix drew 1–1 against league leaders Perth Glory, during which Rudan openly criticized refereeing and VAR decisions; however, no disciplinary measures were taken. The team then achieved notable consecutive wins: a 3–1 triumph over Sydney FC followed by a 2–0 victory against Central Coast Mariners, marking their first back-to-back wins since April 2017 and earning Rudan another Coach of the Round accolade. On 15 April 2019, it was announced that Rudan would leave before completing his second contracted year.

Western United

On 23 May 2019, Rudan was appointed as the first-ever head coach of the newly established A-League team Western United. In their debut season under his guidance, the club secured a spot in the finals by finishing 5th with a record of 12 wins, 3 draws, and 11 losses. Western United achieved their inaugural A-League finals victory by defeating Brisbane Roar 1–0 but were subsequently knocked out in the semi-finals by Melbourne City.

The following season saw a downturn in performance, with Western United ending up in 10th place, recording 8 wins, 4 draws, and 14 losses. Although the team was positioned 6th after Round 18 and appeared poised for a finals appearance, they concluded the campaign with a nine-game streak without a win, including eight straight defeats. On 8 June 2021, Rudan and Western United mutually agreed to part ways after the season concluded.

Western Sydney Wanderers

Rudan was appointed interim head coach of Western Sydney Wanderers on 31 January 2022 for the remainder of the 2021–22 A-League season. The squad began strongly under his leadership, winning his first match in charge 1–0 against Perth Glory. On 4 March 2022, he earned a permanent two-year contract extension through to the end of the 2023–24 season. That same week, Rudan guided Western Sydney to a 2–0 triumph over Sydney FC in the Sydney Derby.

On 16 May 2024, Rudan and Western Sydney Wanderers reached a mutual decision to end their partnership.

Personal life

Rudan’s older sister, Mariana, worked as a presenter on the Australian football television program The World Game.

Originally named "Marko," Rudan professionally used "Mark" until 2022 when he chose to return to his birth name in tribute to his mother Ana, who has been fighting brain cancer.

His father, Luka Rudan, passed away in May 2025.

Managerial statistics

Team	Nat	From	To	Record
				G	W	D	L	Win %
Wellington Phoenix		May 2018	May 2019
Western United		May 2019	June 2021
Western Sydney Wanderers		January 2022	May 2024
Total