Paul Agostino

Paul Agostino
Born	(1975-06-09) June 9, 1975 Adelaide, Australia
Occupation	Professional footballer (retired)
Years active	1991–2009
Known for	Forward for 1860 Munich; Australia national team player

Paul Agostino (born 9 June 1975) is a retired Australian professional footballer who operated primarily as a forward. The majority of his club career was spent overseas, most notably during a decade-long tenure with German side 1860 Munich. On the international stage, he represented Australia 18 times and was included in the squad that secured the OFC Nations Cup title in 2000.

Agostino completed his secondary education at Findon High School in Adelaide. In 2011, he relocated permanently to Munich—his wife Monika's hometown—where he co-founded MunichSoccerCamp alongside former 1860 teammate Roman Týce. This initiative focuses on youth soccer training and development.

Club career

Originating from Adelaide, Australia, Agostino launched his club career with Salisbury United before stepping up to the national level in 1991 by joining West Adelaide SC competing in the NSL. During this period, he was selected for Australia's squad at the World Youth Championships alongside notable players such as Paul Okon and Mark Bosnich, members of one of Australia's celebrated 'Golden Generations' that advanced to the semi-finals.

European ventures

In 1992, Agostino embarked on his European journey by signing with Swiss outfit Young Boys based in Bern, where he spent two seasons acclimating to European football and acquiring German language skills, which later facilitated his move to Germany. Following a short stint at Yverdon, he transferred to English club Bristol City in 1995. During his second season there, he netted 16 goals in the Second Division, enhancing his reputation.

His impressive form caught the attention of Bundesliga team 1860 Munich, who secured his services in 1997 when he was 22 years old. Agostino remained with 1860 Munich for ten years, competing at top-flight level and participating in prestigious tournaments such as the Champions League and UEFA Cup. His standout season occurred in 2000–01 when he scored 12 goals and was a consistent starter between 1999 and 2002. In later seasons, his playing time diminished until he departed amicably following the conclusion of the 2006–07 2. Bundesliga campaign.

Return to Adelaide United

In February 2007, Agostino made a homecoming to Australia by signing a two-year deal with A-League club Adelaide United, marking his first return to Adelaide after a 15-year absence. He declared his retirement on 30 December 2008, bringing his professional playing career to an end at the close of the 2008–09 season.

International career

Agostino earned his first cap for the Australia national team in 1996 against Chile. Although part of Australia's squad at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he did not feature on the field. In 1999, he scored twice against Brazil's "B" team. In a crucial World Cup playoff match against Uruguay in 2001, he won a penalty that resulted in Australia's sole goal during their defeat. His final appearance for the Socceroos came in 2005 versus South Africa, concluding with a total of 18 caps and seven goals.

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Cup		International		Total		Ref.
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
West Adelaide	1991–92	National Soccer League	17	6	?	?	0	0	17	6
Young Boys	1992–93	Nationalliga A	12	2	?	?	?	?	12	2
	1993–94	Nationalliga A	14	1	?	?	?	?	14	1
	1994–95	Nationalliga A	3	0	?	?	0	0	3	0
	Total		29	3					29	3	–
Yverdon Sport	1994–95	Nationalliga A	9	3	?	?	0	0	9	3
Bristol City	1995–96	Football League Second Division	40	10			–		40	10
	1996–97	Football League Second Division	45	9	7	6	–		52	15
	85	19	7	6	0	0	92	25	–
1860 Munich	1997–98	Bundesliga	16	4	2	0	1	0	19	4
	Bundesliga	7	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
	Bundesliga	18	4	2	0	0	0	20	4
	Bundesliga	27	12	3	3	8	2	38	17
	Bundesliga	19	5	1	0	2	1	22	6
	Bundesliga	12	0	0	0	(2)	0	(14)	0
	Bundesliga	22	5	2	0	24	5
	(31)	(7)	(2)	(1)	(0)	(0)	(33)	(8)
	(31)	(9)	(3)	(2)	(0)	(0)	(34)	(11)
	(19)	(7)	(1)	(0)	(0)	(0)	(20)	(7)
	202	53	16	6	13	3	231	62	–

International

Appearances and goals categorized by national team and year

National team	Year	Appearances	Goals
Australia	1996	2	0
	2000	12	5
	2001	2	0
	2004	1	1
	2005	1	0
Overall total		18	6

The score column reflects Australia's tally first, indicating the score immediately following each goal scored by Agostino.

Comprehensive list of international goals by Paul Agostino

No.	Date	Location	Opponent	Score after goal	Final result	Tournament
1	15 February 2000	Estadio Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile	Template:Fb	1–0	1–1	Friendly match
2	29 June 2000	Papeete, Tahiti	Template:Fb	1–0	17–0	2000 OFC Nations Cup
3				12–0
4	7 October 2000	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	Template:Fb	1–0	2–4	2000 Friendship Tournament
5				2–0
6	18 February 2004	Estadio Olímpico, Caracas, Venezuela	Template:Fb	1–0	1–1	Friendly match

Honours

Australia

• OFC Nations Cup: Champions, 2000 OFC Nations Cup

External links

• Profile at OzFootball