Mile Sterjovski
Encyclopedia
Mile Sterjovski (born 27 May 1979) is an Australian football (soccer)
player, who currently plays for Perth Glory and played for the Australian national team from 2000 to 2010, before he retired from international football after his non-selection for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
. Sterjovski plays mainly as a right winger or as a second striker, but has also played as a left winger and as a central midfielder.
at Wollongong Wolves
and briefly played for Illawarra Lions
before making a name for himself with successful spells at Sydney United
and Parramatta Power
, his performances and record of 31 goals in 68 games earning him a move to French
Ligue 1
side Lille
in 2000.
After 4 seasons at Lille, Sterjovski moved to Swiss side FC Basel
, where he remained for 3 seasons. In his first season at St. Jakob-Park
, Sterjovski won the Swiss Super League
and in his second season was part of the team that reached the UEFA Cup Quarter-finals. Sterjovski moved to Turkey
in the summer of 2007.
On 2 September 2007 Sterjovski scored on his debut after coming off the bench for his new club Gençlerbirliği OFTAŞ
(now called Hacettepe Spor Kulübü
) in their match against Fenerbahçe.
On 9 January 2008, Sterjovski announced his plan to leave Turkey for personal reasons relating to his family. He announced that he was in negotiations with Premier League side Derby County
and joined them after work permit problems on 24 January 2008. He made his debut as a substitute against Tottenham
in a 3–0 defeat, and was a regular in the side towards the end of the season, usually playing out on the right wing.
In the 2008–09 season, Sterjovski was largely frozen out of the Derby squad by manager Paul Jewell
, his first appearance of the season coming on 21 October 2008 against Blackpool, in which he scored his first goal for Derby. However, following Jewell's departure, he produced an impressive performance against Manchester United in the first leg of the League Cup
semi-final under caretaker manager David Lowe
. New Derby manager Nigel Clough
was watching in the stands. Following the match, Sterjovski said: "Now I am glad there is a new manager. It’s a new start for me and, hopefully, I will get more chances." Sterjovski went on to make 14 further appearances before the end of the season, scoring once and playing well in the middle of the injury-hit Derby midfield.
After initial speculation linking Sterjovski with a move to Gold Coast, he moved to Perth Glory on 11 June 2009 for an undisclosed fee on a three year contract as their marquee player.
Sterjovski was selected to represent Australia at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
in Germany. In the build-up, he made an appearance in the Australia vs. Greece
friendly at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
and also played against Liechtenstein
, scoring the first goal for the Socceroos in a 3–1 win. In the finals he started in the games against Brazil
and against Croatia
.
Sterjovski was selected for the first group match in Australia's 2007 Asian Cup campaign, starting against Oman and substituted in the 46th minute, which Australia drew 1–1. Due to illness Sterjovski did not feature further in Australia's failed campaign in its first Asian Cup.
Sterjovski scored against Ghana
during a friendly match at the Sydney Football Stadium, but was sent off in the 85th minute after receiving a second yellow card for a tackle on Ghana's Richard Manu
. He scored again on 20 August in a friendly against South Africa
in which the Socceroos drew 2–2.
On 10 June 2009, Sterjovski notched his 9th goal for Australia in a 2–0 win over Bahrain at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, in his 41st appearance for his national side.
|2000||1||0
|-
|2001||2||0
|-
|2002||0||0
|-
|2003||2||0
|-
|2004||10||3
|-
|2005||4||0
|-
|2006||9||1
|-
|2007||5||1
|-
|2008||6||2
|-
|2009||2||1
|-
|2010||2||0
|-
!Total||43||8
|}
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, who currently plays for Perth Glory and played for the Australian national team from 2000 to 2010, before he retired from international football after his non-selection for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
. Sterjovski plays mainly as a right winger or as a second striker, but has also played as a left winger and as a central midfielder.
Club career
Sterjovski began his career in AustraliaAustralia
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...
at Wollongong Wolves
Wollongong Wolves
The South Coast Wolves Football Club is an Australian Association football club based in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia currently playing in the NSW Premier League.The club was formed in 2009 as a not for profit organisation, run and owned by the community since the financial...
and briefly played for Illawarra Lions
Wollongong United
Wollongong United is an Australian soccer club based in Wollongong, currently participating in the Illawarra Premier League. The club played in the 1991 season of the National Soccer League under the name Wollongong Macedonia, where it finished last....
before making a name for himself with successful spells at Sydney United
Sydney United
Sydney United Football Club are an Australian football club from Sydney, Australia, established in 1957 by Croatian Australians in the area...
and Parramatta Power
Parramatta Power
Parramatta Power were a football team which was based in western Sydney. They played in the National Soccer League from season 1999/2000 until the league folded in 2004. The Power were runners up to Perth Glory in the 2003/04 season of the NSL after Perth made the Grand Final look easy in...
, his performances and record of 31 goals in 68 games earning him a move to French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Ligue 1
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 , is the French professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the French football league system. Ligue 1 is one of two divisions making up the Ligue de Football Professionnel, the other being Ligue 2....
side Lille
Lille OSC
LOSC Lille Métropole is a French association football club based in Lille. The club was founded in 1944 as a result of a merger and currently play in Ligue 1, the first division of French football. Lille plays its home matches at the Stade Lille-Metropole in nearby Villeneuve-d'Ascq. In 2012, the...
in 2000.
After 4 seasons at Lille, Sterjovski moved to Swiss side FC Basel
FC Basel
Fussball Club Basel 1893, widely known as FC Basel is a Swiss football club based in Basel. They are one of the most successful clubs in Swiss football, having won the Swiss Super League 14 times, the third most for any Swiss club. They were most successful in the late 1960s and 1970s, winning the...
, where he remained for 3 seasons. In his first season at St. Jakob-Park
St. Jakob-Park
' is a Swiss sports stadium in Basel. It is the largest football venue in Switzerland and home to FC Basel. "Joggeli", as the venue is nicknamed by the locals, was originally built with a capacity of 33,433 seats. The capacity was increased to 42,500 for Euro 2008, which was hosted by Switzerland...
, Sterjovski won the Swiss Super League
Swiss Super League
The Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
and in his second season was part of the team that reached the UEFA Cup Quarter-finals. Sterjovski moved to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in the summer of 2007.
On 2 September 2007 Sterjovski scored on his debut after coming off the bench for his new club Gençlerbirliği OFTAŞ
Hacettepe Spor Kulübü
Hacettepe Spor Kulübü , commonly know has Hacettepe is a Turkish football club located in Ankara.-History:Hacettepe Spor Kulübü was founded as Sanayi Barbarosspor in 1949. The club played in third division in the Turkish League System between the years 1968 and 1972. It was renamed as Asaşspor in...
(now called Hacettepe Spor Kulübü
Hacettepe Spor Kulübü
Hacettepe Spor Kulübü , commonly know has Hacettepe is a Turkish football club located in Ankara.-History:Hacettepe Spor Kulübü was founded as Sanayi Barbarosspor in 1949. The club played in third division in the Turkish League System between the years 1968 and 1972. It was renamed as Asaşspor in...
) in their match against Fenerbahçe.
On 9 January 2008, Sterjovski announced his plan to leave Turkey for personal reasons relating to his family. He announced that he was in negotiations with Premier League side Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
and joined them after work permit problems on 24 January 2008. He made his debut as a substitute against Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
in a 3–0 defeat, and was a regular in the side towards the end of the season, usually playing out on the right wing.
In the 2008–09 season, Sterjovski was largely frozen out of the Derby squad by manager Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell
Paul Steven Jewell is a former English footballer who is currently the manager of Ipswich Town.His playing career started with Liverpool before moving to Wigan Athletic and then a ten-year spell with Bradford City...
, his first appearance of the season coming on 21 October 2008 against Blackpool, in which he scored his first goal for Derby. However, following Jewell's departure, he produced an impressive performance against Manchester United in the first leg of the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
semi-final under caretaker manager David Lowe
David Lowe (footballer)
David Anthony Lowe is an English former footballer. He made almost 600 appearances in the Football League in a career spanning seventeen years.-Playing career:...
. New Derby manager Nigel Clough
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
was watching in the stands. Following the match, Sterjovski said: "Now I am glad there is a new manager. It’s a new start for me and, hopefully, I will get more chances." Sterjovski went on to make 14 further appearances before the end of the season, scoring once and playing well in the middle of the injury-hit Derby midfield.
After initial speculation linking Sterjovski with a move to Gold Coast, he moved to Perth Glory on 11 June 2009 for an undisclosed fee on a three year contract as their marquee player.
International career
Sterjovski made his Australian national team debut against Scotland in 2000.Sterjovski was selected to represent Australia at the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
in Germany. In the build-up, he made an appearance in the Australia vs. Greece
Greece national football team
The Greece national football team represents Greece in association football and is controlled by the Hellenic Football Federation, the governing body for football in Greece. Greece's home ground is Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus and their head coach is Fernando Santos...
friendly at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
and also played against Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, scoring the first goal for the Socceroos in a 3–1 win. In the finals he started in the games against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
and against Croatia
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...
.
Sterjovski was selected for the first group match in Australia's 2007 Asian Cup campaign, starting against Oman and substituted in the 46th minute, which Australia drew 1–1. Due to illness Sterjovski did not feature further in Australia's failed campaign in its first Asian Cup.
Sterjovski scored against Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
during a friendly match at the Sydney Football Stadium, but was sent off in the 85th minute after receiving a second yellow card for a tackle on Ghana's Richard Manu
Richard Manu
Richard Manu is a footballer who is currently playing for Asante Kotoko in Ghana's Glo Premier League.-Career:...
. He scored again on 20 August in a friendly against South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
in which the Socceroos drew 2–2.
On 10 June 2009, Sterjovski notched his 9th goal for Australia in a 2–0 win over Bahrain at the ANZ Stadium in Sydney, in his 41st appearance for his national side.
Personal life
Sterjovski and his wife Sharon have 2 sons: Luka and Sonny who was born on 2 June 2008.A-League career statistics
(Correct as of 21 March 2011)| Club | Season | League | Finals | Asia | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | Apps | Goals | Assists | ||
| Perth Glory | 2009–10 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| 23 | 6 | 6 | |||||||||||
| 2010–11 | 23 | 5 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 23 | 5 | 4 | |||||||||||
| Total | 45 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | 46 | 11 | 10 | |
National team statistics
|-|2000||1||0
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|2001||2||0
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|2002||0||0
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|2003||2||0
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|2004||10||3
|-
|2005||4||0
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|2006||9||1
|-
|2007||5||1
|-
|2008||6||2
|-
|2009||2||1
|-
|2010||2||0
|-
!Total||43||8
|}
FC Basel
- Swiss Super LeagueSwiss Super LeagueThe Swiss Super League or Axpo Super League is the top tier of the Swiss Football League. The Swiss Super League is currently ranked 16th according to UEFA's ranking of league coefficients, which is based upon Swiss team performances in European competitions.-Names:-Participating clubs:The teams...
:- Winner (1): 2005Swiss Super League 2004-05Statistics of Swiss Super League in the 2004–2005 season.-Overview:It was contested by 10 teams, and FC Basel won the championship. FC Servette withdrew from the league after eighteen matches due to financial problems, and subsequently was demoted to the Second Division. All their remaining...
- Runner-up (2): 2006Swiss Super League 2005-06Statistics of Swiss Super League in the 2005–2006 season.-League standings:-References:...
, 2007
- Winner (1): 2005
- Swiss Cup:
- Winner (1): 2007
- UEFA CupUEFA CupThe UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
:- Quarter-finals (1): 2006
International
- Confederations Cup:
- Third place (1): 2001
- Oceania Nations Cup:
- Winner (1): 2004