Dean Bouzanis
Encyclopedia
Dean Anthony Bouzanis is an Australian football (soccer) player who currently plays as a goalkeeper for League One
side Oldham Athletic
on non-contract terms.
, Bouzanis was raised in Australia
to Greek
parents, and attended De La Salle College in Cronulla. His talents were first seen at his local soccer club, Carss Park, whilst playing in the Under 9's alongside close friend Nikolas Tsattalios
. Bouzanis then went on to play in the NSW State League
for St George Saints
at 14 before joining the NSW Institute of Sport
.
Bouzanis spent three weeks with the Liverpool
first team squad in January 2007 and was offered a three year deal. Liverpool's manager Rafael Benítez
rated him at the time as the best goalkeeper in the world of his age.
He was loaned to A-League
side Sydney FC
as understudy to Clint Bolton
and was included in the club's squad for their AFC Champions League 2007
campaign, but did not appear at the tournament. The loan spell was expected to be extended until January 2008, but Sydney delisted him from the club.
He appeared for Liverpool's under 18 and reserve teams and after a loan deal with Conference National
team Wrexham fell through in July 2009, in November he joined Accrington Stanley
on loan, subsequently making 14 league appearances for the club.
In May 2011 Bouzanis left Liverpool after mutually agreeing to a release with one year remaining on his contract.
In July 2011, Bouzanis claimed he had agreed terms with A-league
club Melbourne Victory
but this was denied by the club.
On 26 November 2011, Bouzanis joined Football League One
side Oldham Athletic
on a one month contract as cover for injured back - up keeper Paul Gerrard.
side in 2005 at the age of 15. He was also later included in the squad for Australia's unsuccessful 2006 AFC U17 Championships qualifying
campaign.
On 2 February 2008, Bouzanis was invited by the Greek FA manager Alexis Alexiou to represent the youth team against Slovakia
on 5 February 2008. Bouzanis visited Greece on 3 February 2008 for an interview with Greek radio station SportFM, and also to play in the friendly against Slovakia, in which he kept a clean sheet. He also played in a 1–0 win against Serbia in March 2008.
Despite playing for the Greek U19 team Bouzanis remained eligible to play for either the Greek or Australian full international sides. The Australian press stated that his departure would be a "disaster" likening it to the loss of Joey Didulica to the Croatian national side
.
In April 2008 he was called up to the Australia Under 23 squad to compete in the Intercontinental Cup in Malaysia as part of their preparations for the Olympics due to Danny Vukovic's suspension. He played in the 4–0 defeat of Togo
in the final group match. With the announcement that Vukovic's suspension would not be lifted for the Olympics, suggestions were made that Bouzanis would be included in the squad but this did not eventuate.
In June 2008, Bouzanis accepted an invitation to represent Greece in the UEFA U-19 European Championships. and stated he was proud to be competing at the finals with Greece. Bouzanis' decision to play for the Greek under-age team upset some of Australia's football community. Bouzanis' agent suggested he still wanted to play for Australia. In April 2008 Australian national coach Pim Verbeek met Bouzanis in Liverpool to discuss his football allegiance.
In February 2009, his agent stated that Bouzanis wanted to play for Australia rather than Greece. Bouzanis subsequently appeared in in Australia's first two group matches at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
in Egypt. Bouzanis' next international appearance was as a half-time as substitute in an Under-23 friendly in 1 June 2011 against Japan. He was subsequently named in the squad for the Olyroos London Olympics 2012 qualifying matches to be played against Yemen in June 2011.
Statistics accurate as of match played 24 April 2010
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
on non-contract terms.
Club career
Born in Sydney, New South WalesNew South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Bouzanis was raised in Australia
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...
to Greek
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
parents, and attended De La Salle College in Cronulla. His talents were first seen at his local soccer club, Carss Park, whilst playing in the Under 9's alongside close friend Nikolas Tsattalios
Nikolas Tsattalios
Nikolas Constantinos Tsattalios is an Australian football player who currently plays for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League.-Club career:...
. Bouzanis then went on to play in the NSW State League
New South Wales Premier League
The New South Wales Premier League is the highest state-level men's soccer competition in New South Wales, Australia. Nationally, it is considered one grade lower than the A-League...
for St George Saints
St George Saints
The St. George Saints Football Club are an Association football club based in the St. George region of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The club plays its home games at St. George Stadium, after playing a brief stint at Belmore Sports Ground in the 2007-08. The St...
at 14 before joining the NSW Institute of Sport
NSW Institute of Sport
The NSW Institute of Sport , located at Sydney Olympic Park, was established as a statutory body under the Institute of Sport Act, 1995 following a review recommending central coordination and monitoring of high performance sports programs. Operations officially commenced in 1996...
.
Bouzanis spent three weeks with the Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
first team squad in January 2007 and was offered a three year deal. Liverpool's manager Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
rated him at the time as the best goalkeeper in the world of his age.
He was loaned to 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...
side Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
as understudy to Clint Bolton
Clint Bolton
Clint Brian Bolton is an Australian football player who plays as a goalkeeper for Melbourne Heart in the Australian A-League. He was one of the most experienced goalkeepers in the history of the National Soccer League, which preceded the A-League...
and was included in the club's squad for their AFC Champions League 2007
AFC Champions League 2007
The 2007 AFC Champions League was the 26th edition of the top-level Asian club football tournament and the 5th edition under the current AFC Champions League title....
campaign, but did not appear at the tournament. The loan spell was expected to be extended until January 2008, but Sydney delisted him from the club.
He appeared for Liverpool's under 18 and reserve teams and after a loan deal with Conference National
Conference National
Conference National is the top division of the Football Conference in England. It is the highest level of the National League System and fifth highest of the overall English football league system...
team Wrexham fell through in July 2009, in November he joined Accrington Stanley
Accrington Stanley F.C.
Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system....
on loan, subsequently making 14 league appearances for the club.
In May 2011 Bouzanis left Liverpool after mutually agreeing to a release with one year remaining on his contract.
In July 2011, Bouzanis claimed he had agreed terms with 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...
club Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
but this was denied by the club.
On 26 November 2011, Bouzanis joined Football League One
Football League One
Football League One is the second-highest division of The Football League and third-highest division overall in the English football league system....
side Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic A.F.C.
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is an English association football club based at Boundary Park, on Sheepfoot Lane in Oldham, Greater Manchester. The club currently competes in the Football League One, the third tier of the English league...
on a one month contract as cover for injured back - up keeper Paul Gerrard.
International career
Bouzanis was first named in the Australian U17Australia national under-17 football team
The Australia national under-17 association football team, more commonly known as the Joeys, is controlled by Football Federation Australia and represents Australia in international Under 17 or youth football competitions.-FIFA U-17 World Cup:...
side in 2005 at the age of 15. He was also later included in the squad for Australia's unsuccessful 2006 AFC U17 Championships qualifying
AFC U-17 Championship 2006 Qualification
AFC U-17 Championship 2006 Qualification in a 2005- Group A :----------------- Group B :----------------- Group C :----------------- Group D :----------------- Group E :------------- Group F :--------...
campaign.
On 2 February 2008, Bouzanis was invited by the Greek FA manager Alexis Alexiou to represent the youth team against Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
on 5 February 2008. Bouzanis visited Greece on 3 February 2008 for an interview with Greek radio station SportFM, and also to play in the friendly against Slovakia, in which he kept a clean sheet. He also played in a 1–0 win against Serbia in March 2008.
Despite playing for the Greek U19 team Bouzanis remained eligible to play for either the Greek or Australian full international sides. The Australian press stated that his departure would be a "disaster" likening it to the loss of Joey Didulica to the Croatian national side
Croatia national football team
The Croatia national football team represents Croatia in international football. The team is controlled by the Croatian Football Federation, the governing body for football in the country, and has been managed since 2006 by former player Slaven Bilić...
.
In April 2008 he was called up to the Australia Under 23 squad to compete in the Intercontinental Cup in Malaysia as part of their preparations for the Olympics due to Danny Vukovic's suspension. He played in the 4–0 defeat of Togo
Togo national football team
The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers The Togo national football team, nicknamed Les Eperviers (The Sparrow Hawks, is controlled by the Fédération Togolaise de Football.They played at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Their team bus...
in the final group match. With the announcement that Vukovic's suspension would not be lifted for the Olympics, suggestions were made that Bouzanis would be included in the squad but this did not eventuate.
In June 2008, Bouzanis accepted an invitation to represent Greece in the UEFA U-19 European Championships. and stated he was proud to be competing at the finals with Greece. Bouzanis' decision to play for the Greek under-age team upset some of Australia's football community. Bouzanis' agent suggested he still wanted to play for Australia. In April 2008 Australian national coach Pim Verbeek met Bouzanis in Liverpool to discuss his football allegiance.
In February 2009, his agent stated that Bouzanis wanted to play for Australia rather than Greece. Bouzanis subsequently appeared in in Australia's first two group matches at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup
The 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup, was the 17th U-20 tournament, which was hosted by Egypt from 24 September to 16 October, in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Suez and Ismaïlia...
in Egypt. Bouzanis' next international appearance was as a half-time as substitute in an Under-23 friendly in 1 June 2011 against Japan. He was subsequently named in the squad for the Olyroos London Olympics 2012 qualifying matches to be played against Yemen in June 2011.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
2010–11 2010–11 Premier League The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011... |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Liverpool Liverpool F.C. Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups... |
2009–10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Accrington Stanley Accrington Stanley F.C. Accrington Stanley is an English association football club from Accrington in Lancashire, in the North West of England, who play in Football League Two, the fourth-highest division in the English football league system.... (loan) |
2009–10 2009–10 Football League Two The Football League 2009–10 , was the seventeenth season under its current league division format. It began in August 2009 and ended on 8 May 2010.... |
14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
| Career total | 14 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 0 | |
Statistics accurate as of match played 24 April 2010
Club
Liverpool- Winner
- Liverpool Senior CupLiverpool Senior CupThe Liverpool County Football Association Senior Cup, commonly known as the Liverpool Senior Cup, is a football knockout tournament involving teams from the city of Liverpool, England and surrounding areas....
: 2009
- Liverpool Senior Cup
- Runner-Up
- Liverpool Senior CupLiverpool Senior CupThe Liverpool County Football Association Senior Cup, commonly known as the Liverpool Senior Cup, is a football knockout tournament involving teams from the city of Liverpool, England and surrounding areas....
: 2008 - FA Youth CupFA Youth CupThe Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
: 2009FA Youth CupThe Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
- Liverpool Senior Cup
Country
Australia- Runner-Up
- Intercontinental U23 Cup: 2008