Aurelio Vidmar
Personal information
Date of birth (1967-02-03) 3 February 1967 (age 56)
Place of birth Adelaide, Australia
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1991 Adelaide City 157 (29)
1991–1992 Kortrijk 30 (10)
1992–1994 Waregem 57 (25)
1994–1995 Standard Liège 32 (22)
1995–1996 Feyenoord 15 (2)
1996 Sion 14 (7)
1997–1998 Tenerife 25 (1)
1998–1999 Sanfrecce Hiroshima 24 (6)
1999–2003 Adelaide City 110 (21)
2001 → Croydon Kings (loan) 3 (0)
2003–2004 Adelaide United 27 (2)
Total 494 (125)
International career
1996 Australia Olympic 4 (3)
1991–2001 Australia 44 (17)
Managerial career
2005–2006 Adelaide United (assistant)
2007–2010 Adelaide United
2010–2016 Australia (assistant)
2010–2016 Australia U-23
2012 Australia U-20
2013 Australia (caretaker)
2016–2017 Bangkok Glass
2019–2021 Lion City Sailors
2021 BG Pathum United
2022 Bangkok United
2023– Melbourne City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Aurelio Vidmar (/ɔːˈriːlioʊ ˈvɪdmɑːr/ aw-REEL-ee-oh VID-mar; born 3 February 1967) is an Australian association football manager and former player, currently manager of Melbourne City.

He is a former captain of the Australia national team and former coach of the Australia U23 national team.[1]

In recognition of decorated national team career, and his service to Adelaide United, the southern end of Hindmarsh Stadium is named the Vidmar End.[2]

Club career

Vidmar started his professional career with local Adelaide team Adelaide City before moving to Europe in the mid-1990s to Belgium, where he was the league's top scorer in the 1994–95 season. He also played in Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and in Japan before returning to Australia in 1999 to rejoin City. Vidmar signed with Adelaide United when they took Adelaide City's spot in the National Soccer League and was awarded the captaincy by then coach John Kosmina. Despite plans to play in the inaugural A-League season he retired in 2005[3] bringing an end to a 20-year playing career in which time he played 517 games scoring 127 goals.

International career

Vidmar was a member of the Australia national team for 12 years and was a member of three unsuccessful FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns. He played and scored against Diego Maradona's Argentina in Australia's final qualifying ties in 1993, he played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Iran in 1997 when a 2–0 lead slipped from Australia's grasp. He also played in the match between Australia and American Samoa in 2001 and scored twice. Vidmar sometimes captained the Socceroos between 1995 and 2001[4] when he retired for international competition accumulating 44 caps and scoring 17 goals.

He was also selected as overage player on the Australia Olympic soccer team at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Managerial career

After his retirement in 2005 he took up a role of assistant coach working under Kosmina, he was appointed as head coach on 2 May 2007. The 2007–08 A-League season was not very successful for Aurelio Vidmar, his side finishing 6th out of 8 teams on the ladder the first time Adelaide failed to make the finals. Calls for his resignation were being made and his unsuccessful Asian Champions League campaign, albeit against talented opposition, only fuelled these accusations, coming 3rd in his group with only the winner progressing to the quarter-finals.

Vidmar began to regain the support of the United supporters by securing valuable acquisitions such as Cristiano and Sasa Ognenovski and built up Adelaide's defence and improved their attacking options. He created history by leading Adelaide to the 2008 AFC Champions League Final, becoming the first Australian team to achieve such a feat. This led Adelaide United CEO Sam Ciccarello to re-sign Vidmar and his assistant Phil Stubbins for another three years in November 2008.[5]

Vidmar was inducted into the Football Federation Australia Football Hall of Fame in the same month.[6] He is also in the Football Federation of South Australia Hall of Champions.[7] He made a controversial diatribe after the semi-final against Melbourne Victory, in which Adelaide lost 4–0, and 6–0 on aggregate.[8] Post-match, he claimed that Adelaide was a "piss-ant town", and that politics within the club was to blame for the loss. He later apologised for his remarks.[9]

However, with the start of the new season, Vidmar was unable to retain the form from the previous season with a slow start by taking only five of the 15 available points. He has been criticised for his use of playing a lone striker. Adelaide finished last in the 2009–10 season. As a result of comments he made at a media conference in November 2009 about "beheading his players like they would do in Saudi Arabia" if they did not perform well, Adelaide United handed Vidmar a two-match touchline ban. The club also issued Vidmar a $10,000 fine.[10][11] After leaving Adelaide United, Vidmar became the coach of the Young Socceroos.[12] Vidmar was the caretaker coach of the Socceroos team for one match in 2013, after Holger Osieck's contract was terminated.[13]

He was appointed in 2018 as Director of Football for Adelaide United FC.[14] After five months, the club announced on 6 February 2019, that Vidmar had resigned from his role.[15]

In 2022, Vidmar has been named as coach of Bangkok United, the struggling Thai League 1 side.[16] On 28 December 2022, Vidmar resigned his post for personal reasons.[17]

Melbourne City

On the 1st of November 2023, Vidmar was announced as the new Melbourne City manager, until the end of the 2023-24 season.[18]

Personal life

Vidmar is the brother of Tony Vidmar, who is also a former footballer.[19]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[20]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Adelaide City 1985 National Soccer League 10 2 10 2
1986 26 2 26 2
1987 23 2 23 2
1988 22 5 22 5
1989 25 5 25 5
1989–90 23 9 23 9
1990–91 28 4 28 4
Total 157 29 157 29
Kortrijk 1991–92 Belgian First Division 30 10 30 10
Waregem 1992–93 Belgian First Division 32 18 32 18
1993–94 25 7 25 7
Total 57 25 57 25
Standard Liège 1994–95 Belgian First Division 32 22 32 22
Feyenoord 1995–96 Eredivisie 15 2 15 2
Sion 1995–96 Nationalliga A 14 7 14 7
Tenerife 1996–97 La Liga 25 1 25 1
1997–98 0 0 0 0
Total 25 1 25 1
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1998 J1 League 15 4 3 1 0 0 18 5
1999 9 2 0 0 2 1 11 3
Total 24 6 3 1 2 1 29 8
Adelaide City 1999–2000 National Soccer League 34 8 34 8
2000–01 21 4 21 4
2001–02 23 3 23 3
2002–03 32 6 32 6
Total 110 21 110 21
Croydon Kings (loan) 2001 3 0 3 0
Adelaide United 2003–04 National Soccer League 27 2 27 2
Career total 494 125 3 1 2 1 499 127

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Australia 1991 6 1
1992 2 0
1993 5 2
1994 4 2
1995 1 0
1996 1 0
1997 16 8
1998 0 0
1999 0 0
2000 5 0
2001 4 4
Total 44 17

Managerial statistics

As of match played 28 December 2023
Team Nat From To Record
G W D L Win %
Adelaide United Australia 2 May 2007 3 June 2010 94 35 26 33 037.23
Bangkok Glass Thailand 13 August 2016 10 July 2017 30 16 6 8 053.33
Lion City Sailors Singapore 18 December 2019 30 April 2021 22 13 5 4 059.09
BG Pathum United Thailand 1 June 2021 15 November 2021 20 14 2 4 070.00
Bangkok United Thailand 11 March 2022 28 December 2022 25 15 5 5 060.00
Melbourne City Australia 1 November 2023 Present 11 4 5 2 036.36
Total 202 97 49 56 048.02

Honours

Player

Adelaide City

FC Sion

National team

Individual

Manager

Adelaide United

Runner-up (1): 2009
Runner-up (1): 2008–09
Winners (1): 2007
Runner-up (1): 2008

BG Pathum United

Individual

References

  1. ^ Ganesan, Deepanraj (19 December 2019). "Former Socceroos skipper Aurelio Vidmar gets new Home". The New Paper. Retrieved 18 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Pickard and Vidmar Ends". Adelaide United FC. 26 October 2012. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  3. ^ Veteran Vidmar announces retirement[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Socceroo Captains
  5. ^ "Adelaide re-sign Vidmar & Stubbins for three years". Archived from the original on 14 April 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2008.
  6. ^ "FFA honours Aurelio Vidmar, Peter Desira". Archived from the original on 8 September 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2008.
  7. ^ "FFSA ANNOUNCES 2008 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES". Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
  8. ^ "Vidmar's Astonishing Adelaide Rant - Australia News - Australian FourFourTwo - the Ultimate Football Website". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  9. ^ "Sorry Viddy Clears the Air - Australia News - Australian FourFourTwo - the Ultimate Football Website". Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  10. ^ "Adelaide United Ban Aurelio Vidmar For Two Matches For Saudi Arabia Slur". Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  11. ^ "Vidmar absence will not affect Adelaide players". Archived from the original on 4 January 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2009.
  12. ^ "Aurelio Vidmar and Paul Okon to coach national youth sides - Football Australia 2013". Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  13. ^ "Holger Osieck's contract terminated - FFA - Football Australia 2013". Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  14. ^ "Reds legend Vidmar returns as Director of Football". Football Federation Australia. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  15. ^ Adelaide United Club Statement: Aurelio Vidmar, adelaideunited.com.au, 6 February 2019
  16. ^ Aussie Vidmar gets job to lift fallen Angels
  17. ^ "ลีกกินโค้ช... 'วิดมาร์"แยกทาง'ทรูแบงค็อก' ต้องใช้บริการ'โค้ชแบน'ชั่วคราว". Thai Post. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  18. ^ https://melbournecityfc.com.au/news/20231101-vidosic-departs
  19. ^ Rosengarten, Jake (5 May 2020). "Catch-Ups: John Aloisi with Tony and Aurelio Vidmar". Optus (in Thai). Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  20. ^ Aurelio Vidmar at National-Football-Teams.com
  21. ^ "Coupe de Suisse: Christophe Bonvin, le recordman du FC Sion". rts.ch. Retrieved 22 February 2022.

External links

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Awards Preceded byGary van Egmond Hyundai A-League Coach of the Year 2008/09 Succeeded byErnie Merrick
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