Ben Kantarovski
Encyclopedia
Ben Kantarovski is an Australia
n football (soccer)
player currently playing for the Newcastle Jets.
at only 15 years of age, making him the youngest player in A-League history to sign a full-time A-League contract, and one of the youngest players in world football to do so. He made his A-League
debut in Round 1 of the 2008-09
season against the Central Coast Mariners
playing as a defender. He was only 16 years and 208 days old making him at the time, the youngest player in A-League history. Kantarovski has since played in many different positions for the Newcastle Jets, including all positions across the defence, and all positions across the midfield, most commonly his preferred holding midfielder role. Kantarovski was named the Newcastle Jets Player of the Season in his debut year, despite only playing a handful of games.
Kantarovski has already attracted the interest of one of the powerhouses of German, European and world football, Bayern Munich. Kantarovksi spent a week trialling with the Bundesliga
giants in April, 2009. At the conclusion of this trial, it appeared Bayern's interest in Kantarovski only grew, making it increasingly likely that Kantarovksi would depart the A-League for Bayern once he reached the age of 18, FIFA
's minimum age for a football player to play for a foreign club. After turning 18, Kantarovski opted to turn down an offer to join Bayern Munich's youth system. He did so after receiving the Kimon Taliadoros
scholarship for his educational achievements.
On 12 November 2010, Kantarovski signed a 3-year contract extension keeping him at the Jets until the end of the 2013. He scored his first goal for the club with a header against Brisbane Roar in a 1-1 at EnergyAustralia Stadium
on 17 November 2010.
Kantarovski was called up by Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek into the Socceroos squad to play Kuwait in the AFC Asian Cup qualifying game against Kuwait, as well as inviting Ben to a training camp with the Socceroos squad.
Kantarovksi has been selected by Young Socceroos coach Jan Verslejen to captain the Young Socceroos despite being one of the youngest players in the squad. Verslejen cited Kantarovski's Hyundai A-League and AFC Champions League
experience, as well as being a member of the Young Socceroos U/20 World Cup campaign as three big reasons for his appointment as captain.
Kantarovksi recently captained the Young Socceroos to victory in the 2010 Asean Football Federation Under-19 Championship, after their 1-0 win in the final against Thailand.
He has again been selected to lead the Young Socceroos in their upcoming 2011 U-20 World Cup.
1 - includes A-League
final series statistics
2 - includes FIFA Club World Cup
statistics; AFC Champions League
:
Personal Honours:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player currently playing for the Newcastle Jets.
Newcastle Jets
Kantarovski was signed to a four year contract by the Newcastle Jets in January 2008 while attending Lambton High SchoolLambton High School
Lambton High School is a state run high school in the suburb of Lambton in Newcastle, New South Wales operated by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training...
at only 15 years of age, making him the youngest player in A-League history to sign a full-time A-League contract, and one of the youngest players in world football to do so. He made his A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
debut in Round 1 of the 2008-09
A-League 2008-09
The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasian A-League association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion...
season against the Central Coast Mariners
Central Coast Mariners FC
Central Coast Mariners Football Club is a professional football club based on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. They participate in the A-League and are one of three teams from the state of New South Wales playing in the competition...
playing as a defender. He was only 16 years and 208 days old making him at the time, the youngest player in A-League history. Kantarovski has since played in many different positions for the Newcastle Jets, including all positions across the defence, and all positions across the midfield, most commonly his preferred holding midfielder role. Kantarovski was named the Newcastle Jets Player of the Season in his debut year, despite only playing a handful of games.
Kantarovski has already attracted the interest of one of the powerhouses of German, European and world football, Bayern Munich. Kantarovksi spent a week trialling with the Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
giants in April, 2009. At the conclusion of this trial, it appeared Bayern's interest in Kantarovski only grew, making it increasingly likely that Kantarovksi would depart the A-League for Bayern once he reached the age of 18, FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
's minimum age for a football player to play for a foreign club. After turning 18, Kantarovski opted to turn down an offer to join Bayern Munich's youth system. He did so after receiving the Kimon Taliadoros
Kimon Taliadoros
Kimon Taliadoros is a former Australian footballer, sports commentator and businessman.-Football career:Taliadoros played over 11 seasons in the National Soccer League for South Melbourne, Marconi, Sydney Olympic, Collingwood Warriors and Parramatta Power...
scholarship for his educational achievements.
On 12 November 2010, Kantarovski signed a 3-year contract extension keeping him at the Jets until the end of the 2013. He scored his first goal for the club with a header against Brisbane Roar in a 1-1 at EnergyAustralia Stadium
EnergyAustralia Stadium
Newcastle International Sports Centre is a multi-purpose sports stadium located in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is the home ground of the Newcastle Knights and the Newcastle United Jets teams. It is owned by the New South Wales government and administered by the Hunter Region...
on 17 November 2010.
International career
Kantarovski has represented Australia's U-17 team on 12 occasions, scoring 3 times. In 2009, he represented the U-20 team at the U-20's World Cup as the youngest player in the squad, being a mere 17 years of age, starting in all of their group games, playing as a midfielder in the first game, before being shifted in to the heart of defence. Despite suffering from a knee injury that would eventually sideline him for 6 months, Kantarovski played for Young Socceroos throughout their World Cup campaign, and was a clear standout, named by many as the Socceroo's top player.Kantarovski was called up by Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek into the Socceroos squad to play Kuwait in the AFC Asian Cup qualifying game against Kuwait, as well as inviting Ben to a training camp with the Socceroos squad.
Kantarovksi has been selected by Young Socceroos coach Jan Verslejen to captain the Young Socceroos despite being one of the youngest players in the squad. Verslejen cited Kantarovski's Hyundai A-League and AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
experience, as well as being a member of the Young Socceroos U/20 World Cup campaign as three big reasons for his appointment as captain.
Kantarovksi recently captained the Young Socceroos to victory in the 2010 Asean Football Federation Under-19 Championship, after their 1-0 win in the final against Thailand.
He has again been selected to lead the Young Socceroos in their upcoming 2011 U-20 World Cup.
Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League1 | Cup | Asia2 | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Newcastle United Jets Newcastle United Jets Newcastle United Jets Football Club is a professional football club based in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The club competes in the A-League and plays its home games at Ausgrid Stadium . The Jets have won one A-League championship, defeating arch rivals the 1–0 in the 2007–08 Grand Final... |
2008–09 A-League 2008-09 The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasian A-League association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion... |
14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| 2009–10 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2011–12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 49 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 56 | 1 | |
1 - includes A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
final series statistics
2 - includes FIFA Club World Cup
FIFA Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup is a football competition between the champion clubs from all six continental confederations.The first FIFA Club World Championship took place in Brazil in January 2000...
statistics; AFC Champions League
AFC Champions League
The AFC Champions League is the premier Asian club football competition hosted annually by Asian Football Confederation . The tournament is contested among the top thirty-two clubs from the top 10 Asian leagues, two of which must qualify through the playoffs...
Honours
With AustraliaAustralia national football (soccer) team
The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
:
- AFC U-19 Championship: 2010 (Runners-Up)
- AFF U-19 Youth Championship: 20102010 AFF U-19 Youth ChampionshipThe 2010 AFF U-19 Youth Championship was held from 24 July to 30 July 2010, hosted by Vietnam. Only four teams will be participating, two teams from member associations of the AFF along with associate member Australia, and an invitee team from the East Asian Football Federation .- Group stage...
- AFF U-16 Youth Championship: 2008AFF U16 Youth Championship 2008The 2008 AFF U-16 Youth Championship is the first edition of the tournament as an under-16 youth championship as it was previously played at under-17 level...
Personal Honours:
- Newcastle Jets Player of the Year: 2008-2009Newcastle United Jets FC season 2008-09The 2008-09 Season will be the fourth season of the A-League and the first for the Newcastle Jets as defending champions. The Jets will also be competing in the AFC Asian Champions League for the first time at season's end.-Changes:...
- Newcastle Jets Rising Star: 2008-2009Newcastle United Jets FC season 2008-09The 2008-09 Season will be the fourth season of the A-League and the first for the Newcastle Jets as defending champions. The Jets will also be competing in the AFC Asian Champions League for the first time at season's end.-Changes:...