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Terry Antonis

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Terry Antonis
Born (1993-11-26) November 26, 1993 (age 32)
Bankstown, Sydney, Australia
OccupationProfessional footballer
Known forMidfielder for Uthai Thani, former Australian international player


Template:Use Australian English Template:Infobox football biography

Lefteris "Terry" Antonis (Greek: Λευτέρης "Τέρι" Αντώνης;[1] born on the 26th of November, 1993) is an Australian professional footballer who operates as a midfielder for the Thai League club Uthai Thani.

Originating from Sydney, Antonis developed through the youth ranks at the Australian Institute of Sport Football Program, making his senior debut with Sydney FC when he was just sixteen.

Antonis has earned three caps with the senior Australian national team and was part of the victorious squad that secured the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. At youth level, he frequently represented Australia, including participation in the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Known for his adaptability, Antonis is capable of performing as a box-to-box midfielder, a defensive holding midfielder, or an attacking midfielder. His strongest contributions come from deeper midfield roles where his broad passing ability enables him to orchestrate play effectively.[2]

Early life

Antonis was born in the Sydney suburb of Bankstown and is of Greek heritage. His brother, George Antonis, is also a professional footballer.

At just 10 years old, Antonis gained national attention in Australia after winning a football talent contest featured on the Channel 7 program Today Tonight. This victory earned him a trip to Madrid to participate in creating a training skills video alongside David Beckham. Former Socceroos coach and judge of the competition, Frank Farina, remarked: "His juggling skills are exceptional; he even juggled a squash ball without dropping it once, which was very impressive." Due to his remarkable juggling ability, Antonis secured sponsorship from Adidas.

Renowned former Australian international Alex Tobin praised Antonis as "one of the most exceptional young players I have witnessed" and acknowledged his "undeniable talent." He has been regarded as a potential successor to Tim Cahill and Brett Holman within the Australian national squad.

Antonis possesses dual citizenship, holding both Australian and Greek passports.

Early career

Antonis started playing football at St Christopher's Soccer Club in Bankstown before advancing to Sydney Olympic and then Marconi.

At the age of 14, he signed a five-year deal with Everton; however, this contract was later nullified due to FIFA regulations that prohibit international transfers of players under 18 years old.

Sydney FC

File:Terry Antonis.jpg
Antonis representing Sydney FC in 2010

Antonis made his first appearance for Sydney FC on 22 June 2010 during a friendly match against the Macarthur Rams held at Campbelltown Stadium.[3] Shortly thereafter, on 5 July 2010, he secured a three-year contract with the club.[4]

His official competitive debut came on 11 September 2010 in a 2–1 defeat facing Wellington Phoenix. Antonis netted his inaugural goal for Sydney FC on 16 February 2013 in a contest versus Adelaide United.

A significant thigh muscle tear sidelined Antonis for nine months, disrupting potential overseas transfers. Upon recovery, he marked his return by scoring against Perth Glory in February 2014.

Speculation and trials

Following his signing with Sydney FC, there were rumors linking Antonis to clubs such as Everton, Inter Milan, and Marseille.[5] These transfer speculations were fueled by his close relationship with Everton and Socceroo star Tim Cahill,[6][7] and further intensified after he made a brief 25-minute appearance in a friendly between Sydney FC and Everton at ANZ Stadium on 10 July 2010.[8] In February 2012, Antonis reaffirmed his dedication to Sydney FC and expressed satisfaction with remaining at the club throughout his contract term.[9]

In April 2012, Antonis traveled to Germany for a trial period with Bundesliga side Borussia Mönchengladbach, considered as a possible successor to Roman Neustadter.[10] However, this trial did not result in a contract.

At the end of the 2012–13 season, Dutch outfit FC Utrecht invited Antonis for a trial. Despite this opportunity, he ultimately signed a four-year agreement with Italian Serie A team Parma after they activated a release clause in his Sydney contract.[11][12] Nevertheless, the transfer failed to materialize, leading Antonis to return to Sydney FC.[13]

PAOK

At 21 years old, Antonis returned to Sydney following preseason training on the Gold Coast, amid reports from News Corp of a $500,000 offer from PAOK FC for the midfielder.[14]

According to Greek media, Antonis engaged in extensive discussions with PAOK's Technical Director and former Danish international Frank Arnesen regarding the possibility of joining the club in his ancestral homeland and PAOK's ambitions for the season's championship.

Antonis made his first appearance for PAOK during the Greek Cup fixture against Chania on 3 December 2015, entering as a substitute in the 64th minute for Eyal Golasa. He later debuted in the Greek Super League on 21 February 2016, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Giannis Mystakidis in an away game versus Panathinaikos.

Loan to Veria

Unable to secure a regular starting role at PAOK, Antonis was loaned to fellow Greek Super League club Veria FC, managed by Georgios Georgiadis, who had previously been a popular player at PAOK.[15][16] On 31 August 2016, Antonis secured a one-year loan contract with Veria.[17] He appeared for the first time on 16 October 2016, substituting Sisinio González Martínez in the 88th minute during an away fixture against Atromitos.[18]

Loan to Western Sydney Wanderers

Similar to his time at PAOK, Antonis found it difficult to secure a starting spot at Veria and was subsequently recalled by PAOK. He was then promptly loaned out to Western Sydney Wanderers FC for the remainder of the 2016–17 A-League season.[19] Antonis made his debut for the Wanderers on 28 January 2017, coming off the bench in the 77th minute for Mitch Nichols during an away match against Brisbane Roar.[20]

VVV-Venlo

Following a brief loan period with the Wanderers, PAOK informed Antonis that he was no longer part of their future plans. On 8 July 2017, it was confirmed that Antonis had secured a two-year contract with Dutch Eredivisie club VVV-Venlo.

Melbourne Victory

Antonis was released by VVV-Venlo on 3 January 2018 without featuring in any league matches. Shortly thereafter, he inked a two-and-a-half-year deal with Melbourne Victory competing in the A-League. During his tenure there, he accumulated 40 appearances before transferring to Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the K-League.

Return to Western Sydney Wanderers

On 25 July 2021, Antonis rejoined the Western Sydney Wanderers by signing a three-year contract. Throughout his initial season back, he frequently alternated between starting lineups and substitute appearances. After the coaching change from Carl Robinson to Marko Rudan, club management excluded Antonis from the squad as part of an effort to encourage his departure, thereby freeing salary cap space and a roster spot.

His contract with Western Sydney Wanderers was officially terminated on 24 May 2023, effective immediately.

Melbourne City

Antonis became part of Melbourne City ahead of the 2023–24 A-League campaign. By joining Melbourne City, he achieved the distinction of being the first professional footballer to represent all four teams involved in the Melbourne and Sydney derbies, narrowly surpassing Josh Brillante by a few days.

International career

File:Terry Antonis free kick 2013.jpg
Terry Antonis representing the Young Socceroos in 2013.

Antonis was included in the final roster for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, although he did not participate in any matches during the tournament. On 23 December 2015, he received a call-up from Australia U-23 coach Aurelio Vidmar for the Olympic Games 2016 qualifying matches held in Doha.

Career statistics

Template:Updated

Club appearances and goals by season and competition
Team Season League Cup International Overall
Division Matches Goals Matches Goals Matches Goals Matches Goals
Sydney FC 2010–11 A-League 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
2011–12 19 0 0 0 — 19 0
2012–13 16 1 0 0 — 16 1
2013–14 10 2 0 0 — 10 2
2014–15 19 2 3 0 — 22 2
Totals 69 5 3 0 0 0 72 5
PAOK 2015–16 Superleague Greece 4 0 2 0 0 0 6 0
Veria (loan) 2016–17 Superleague Greece 1 0 0 0 — 1 0
Western Sydney Wanderers (loan) 2016–17 A-League 11 1 0 0 3 2 14 3
VVV-Venlo 2017–18 Eredivisie 0 0 2 1 — 2 1
Melbourne Victory 2017–18 A-League 17 1 0 0 5 0 22 1
2018–19 26 4 2 0 3 0 31 4
Totals! 43 5 2 0 8 0 53 5
Suwon Samsung Bluewings 2019 K League 1 11 0 4 0 — 15 0
2020 16 0 2 0 2 1 20 1
2021 K League 1 4 0 1 0 colspan="2"|— 5 0
Totals 31 0 7 0 2 1 40 1
Western Sydney Wanderers 2021–22 Western Sydney Wanderers FC season A-League Men 21 1 1 0 — 22 1
2022–23 Western Sydney Wanderers FC season 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Totals 21 1 1 0 0 0 22 1
Melbourne City FC 2023–24 Melbourne City FC season A-League Men 22 5 4 0 2 0 28 5
Uthai Thani F.C. 2024–25 Thai League 1 Thai League 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Career totals 203 17 21 1 15 3 239 21

Honours

Melbourne Victory

Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Australia

Australia U-20

References

  1. ↑ superleaguegreece.net ΛΕΥΤΕΡΗΣ ΑΝΤΩΝΗΣ
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  14. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  17. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  19. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  20. ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).

External links

Template:Australia squad 2015 AFC Asian Cup

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