Patrick Yazbek
Personal information
Full name Patrick Yazbek[1]
Date of birth (2002-04-05) 5 April 2002 (age 21)
Place of birth Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia[1]
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Viking
Number 14
Youth career
2006–2009 Austral
2010–2011 Football NSW SAP
2012 Club Marconi
2013–2015 Sydney United
2016 Western Sydney Wanderers
2017–2020 Sydney FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Sydney FC NPL 23 (1)
2021–2023 Sydney FC 28 (1)
2023– Viking 26 (2)
International career‡
2021– Australia U23 12 (0)
2024– Australia 0 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 December 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023 (UTC)

Patrick Yazbek (born 5 April 2002) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Eliteserien club Viking FK.

Early life

Having begun playing soccer aged three,[3] Yazbek joined Austral Soccer Club's under-5s.[4] In 2010, he moved Football NSW's "Skill Acquisition Program".[4] Yazbek then played for other youth teams, namely Club Marconi, Sydney United, Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC.[3][5]

Club career

Sydney FC

After making the bench a few times during the 2020–21 A-League season, Yazbek signed a two-year scholarship contract with Sydney FC in July 2021.[6]

He made his senior debut in the 2021 FFA Cup round of 32, in a 4–2 victory over Sydney Olympic.[7] Yazbek's A-League debut came on 12 December 2021, as a substitute in a 2–0 defeat to Central Coast Mariners.[8] On 19 December, he made his starting debut for Sydney FC in a 2–1 win over Wellington Phoenix.[9]

Viking FK

On 2 February 2023, Norwegian Eliteserien club Viking announced the signing of Yazbek.[10] On 15 April 2023, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 home win against Lillestrøm.[citation needed]

International career

Yazbek was selected for the Australia national under-23 team ahead of their qualifiers for the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup.[11] He played in both of Australia's games against Indonesia in October 2021, helping his side qualify for the final tournament.[1] In the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, Yazbek played six games;[1] Australia finished in fourth place, losing the third place match against Japan.[12]

Style of play

In 2021, Yazbek described himself as a "hardworking box-to-box midfielder".[13]

Personal life

Born in Australia, Yazbek is of Lebanese descent.[14] Growing up a Sydney FC supporter,[3] Yazbek studied at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School in Carnes Hill,[4] and at Clancy Catholic College in West Hoxton.[3] As of 2021, he was a Construction Management student at the University of New South Wales.[7]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 11 June 2023[15]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sydney FC Youth 2020 NPL NSW 11 0 — — — 11 0
2021 NPL NSW 12 1 — — — 12 1
2022 NPL NSW 0 0 — — — 0 0
Total 23 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 23 1
Sydney FC 2020–21 A-League 0 0 — — — 0 0
2021–22 A-League 14 1 4 0 7[b] 0 — 25 1
2022–23 A-League 14 0 3 0 0 0 1[c] 0 18 0
Total 28 1 7 0 7 0 1 0 43 1
Viking 2023 Eliteserien 9 1 3 0 — — 12 1
Career total 60 3 10 0 7 0 1 0 78 3
  1. ^ Includes Australia Cup and Norwegian Cup
  2. ^ Appearances in AFC Asian Champions League
  3. ^ Appearance in Sydney Super Cup

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Patrick Yazbek". Global Sports Archive. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  2. ^ Patrick Yazbek at WorldFootball.net
  3. ^ a b c d Lulham, Amanda (19 October 2021). "Olyroos: Sydney FC's Patrick Yazbek in AFC U23 Asian Cup qualifier squad". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Haigh, Paul (31 July 2012). "West Hoxton soccer boy is on the ball". Liverpool City Champion. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  5. ^ Sydney FC [@SydneyFC] (3 August 2021). "One of this season's Sydney FC Academy graduates....take a look at Patrick Yazbek's pathway to the A-League!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "Bright Prospect Yazbek Signs As We Say Thanks Luke". Sydney FC. 20 July 2021.
  7. ^ a b Phelan, Adam (6 December 2021). "The perfect match: UNSW and Sydney FC partnership kicks off new season". University of New South Wales. Patrick Yazbek, a UNSW Construction Management student, made his first senior appearance last week in the FFA Cup game against Sydney Olympic
  8. ^ Rugari, Vince (12 December 2021). "Outlook darkens for injury-hit Sky Blues as Mariners pile on misery". WAtoday. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  9. ^ Smith, Pete (19 December 2021). "Sydney FC finally return to winning ways". Northern Beaches Review. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Nysignering: Patrick Yazbek". Viking FK (in Norwegian). 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Hammond, Caroutas & Scarcella added to Australia U23s for Indonesia fixtures". MyFootball. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
  12. ^ "AFC U23 : Japan beat Australia 3–0 secured 3rd place". SNE Sports Co. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Quick Catch Up: Patrick Yazbek". Sydney FC. 10 May 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  14. ^ Werner, Tilly (5 November 2022). "Sydney FC midfielder Patrick Yazbek used the Covid-19 lockdown to turn a footballing hobby into a professional career". CODE Sports. Retrieved 12 December 2022. As a young Lebanese family in western Sydney, life for the Yazbeks was about work.
  15. ^ Patrick Yazbek at Soccerway. Retrieved 2 February 2023.

External links

Viking FK – current squad
Australia squad – 2023 AFC Asian Cup
Categories