The first 14 seasons of the Hyundai A-League have been a non-stop production line of new Socceroos, as the next generation cut their teeth on professional football and went on to be international stars for their country.
From the very beginning, Hyundai has been there to help ensure the burgeoning talent can grow in the best environment, starting from juniors right the way through to the elite of Australian football.
Hyundai brings top and bottom tiers together with every round of the A-League through their fantastic Goals For Grassroots program.
Every round of the Hyundai A-League, including the Grand Final, features a different grassroots club which can earn between $1000 and $10,000 depending on the final score, not to mention free match tickets and more, to give local clubs a vital boost.
And since 2007, Hyundai has donated over $620,000 to more than 250 local clubs across Australia through Goals for Grassroots, and the youngsters who benefited will now be on the verge of a Hyundai A-League breakthrough themselves.
Want your club to sign up for a chance to benefit too? It's simple - just click here.
But who has already been made in the Hyundai A-League? With one for each season of the Hyundai A-League since it launched, here are the top 14 Socceroos already Made In The Hyundai A-League
Mat Ryan
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: You’re never too young.
Central Coast Mariners 2010-2013
Socceroos debut: 2012
Like a rabbit in the headlights, Ryan burst onto the Hyundai A-League without fanfare when he replaced injured Jess Vanstrattan as a slightly gawky 18 year old. It was an inauspicious start – and his error led to a Sydney goal in his first senior game. But he won the confidence of coach Graham Arnold who saw the seeds of greatness and both persevered. The rest, as they say, is history. He went on to help the Mariners win a Premiership and a Championship, and a move to Europe led him to further accolades and a regular starting spot in the English Premier League and the Socceroos.
Danny Vukovic
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Never give up
Central Coast Mariners 2005-10
Wellington Phoenix 2010-11
Perth Glory 2011-2015
Melbourne Victory 2015-16
Sydney FC 2016-17
Socceroos debut: 2018
Vuka finally got to pull on the green and gold as a senior for the first time on his 33rd birthday… but by all rights it should have been much earlier. His high five palm slap with a ref at the 2008 Hyundai A-League Grand Final ruled him out of the Olympics and at the very least put back his international career by a decade. He got called up to the occasional Australia training camp – but had to wait until he was in his 30s and prove himself time and again with a string of Hyundai A-League clubs before he finally got his international break. But he never gave up and he never got angry about his lot. He just got his head down and forced his way back into the reckoning.
Rhyan Grant
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Believe in yourself
Sydney FC 2008-
Socceroos debut: 2018
Grant is the original one club Socceroo. A Sky Blue stalwart, the kid from Canowindra came through the NWIS and AIS before joining Sydney – and he’s been there ever since. Although he’s primarily a rightback, he’s often been used as a utility player in almost every position on the field. Over the past decade, despite the occasional injury, he’s honed his skills to the point where his talent could no longer be overlooked. The arrival of his former Sydney coach Graham Arnold as Socceroos boss was the final piece of the jigsaw and he was drafted in for a Socceroos trial in the friendly against Lebanon. Arnold saw enough to draft him into the Asian Cup – and he nailed it. In the space of a few matches, his vision, touch and decision-making went to another level and he made that rightback slot his own, earning a new three year deal from his club in the process as they sought to tie him down to a long-term contract before overseas clubs could strike for free.
Aaron Mooy
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Find a place to shine
Western Sydney Wanderers 2012-2014
Melbourne City 2014-2016
Socceroos debut: 2012
While the Pasty Pirlo, as fans have nicknamed him, may not have started his career in the Hyundai A-League, he was definitely made there. Mooy was picked up as one of Tony Popovic’s band of so-called “discards and rejects” when he put together the inaugural WSW squad for the new club’s first season. Mooy had started off with Bolton Wanderers in the UK and then moved on to Scottish club St Mirren without making much impression. Alongside Shinji Ono though, he began to shine. Ongoing debate about his best position saw him move south to City and a shift further forward on the field let Mooy sparkle. He dominated the Hyundai A-League for two seasons, rattling home both goals and assists on a scale never seen before or since, earning him a move to Manchester City and an eventual record-breaking $10m move to Huddersfield Town, helping them get promoted to the Premier League on the way. He’s the first name on the team sheet for the Socceroos now too.
Trent Sainsbury
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Football’s a serious business
Central Coast Mariners 2010-14
Socceroos debut: 2014
Sainsbury was a Hyundai A-League standout in the Mariners backline alongside Alex Wilkinson and the pair looked naturals to transition that partnership into the Socceroos. He earned a national team call-up to the EAFF East Asian Cup in 2013 but was the only outfield player not to make it onto the field, after coach Holger Osieck was said to feel Sainsbury was just too laid back. A switch of coach to Ange Postecoglou quickly revealed Sainsbury to be a very serious player indeed though – and only injury forced him out of 2014 World Cup plans. Since then, he’s been the rock at the centre of the Australian defence at both the 2015 and 2019 Asian Cup campaigns and the 2018 World Cup. He’s tipped to be our next captain when Mark Milligan retires from international football.
Mark Milligan
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Hold onto your dreams
Sydney 2005-08
Newcastle Jets 2008-09
Melbourne Victory 2012-15 and 2017-18
Socceroos debut: 2006
A Hyundai A-League original, Milligan’s been pivotal to every Hyundai A-League team he’s played in. His dream, though, was always to play in the UK – but it took the Hyundai A-League to make that happen. While still at Sydney FC, he caught the eye of several big name clubs in Europe, including Arsenal. A possible move ended in heartbreak though when he couldn’t qualify for an EU passport or a visa spot. He returned to the Hyundai A-League and continued to improve, ultimately going with the Socceroos to four World Cups, and again attracted the interest of big name clubs… but a downturn in the national team’s fortunes meant that once again – despite being a first team regular – Australia’s ranking had slipped too far for him to earn a visa spot. He persevered for both club and country and as Australia pushed back into the top 50 nations, his form with Victory earned a move first to the Middle East and then finally last year, that coveted move to the UK and a contract with Hibs in the Scottish Premiership.
Josh Risdon
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Take your chance
Perth Glory 2010-17
Western Sydney Wanderers 2017-19
Western United 2019-
Socceroos debut: 2015
Risdon’s a Western Australian boy, who came through ECU Joondalup and the WA NTC before being snapped up by Perth Glory’s youth team and later its Hyundai A-League team. In 2017, he joined Western Sydney Wanderers – and given his history, it seemed perfect for him to be the first Australian to be signed for new season’s new Hyundai A-League club Western United! It took five years in the Hyundai A-League before he made his Socceroos debut, but given the chance at last, he staked his claim to the right back slot, forcing his way onto the plane to Russia for the 2018 World Cup. He faces stiff competition now from Rhyan Grant for his spot – but that’s the way it should be…and Risdon will rise to the fresh challenge.
Jamie Maclaren
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Consistency is everything
Perth Glory 2013-15
Brisbane Roar 2015-17
Melbourne City 2019-
Socceroos debut: 2016
Maclaren plugged away with Perth Glory from his late teens but never really got a significant run in the first team to really shine – so much so he ended up in the NPL side for his final season in the West. A much-needed move to Brisbane Roar changed everything. With a coach who believed in him and a regular starting spot, he smashed the record for goals scored by an Australian in a Hyundai A-League season with 20 from 25 games…and then repeated the feat the following season to share the Golden Boot with Besart Berisha. A move overseas saw him end up on loan at Hibs where he again became a scoring sensation and ended up on the flight to Russia for the 2018 World Cup and led the line at the 2019 Asian Cup. His boss at Hibs left the club while he was away in the UAE and he chose to return to the A-League and his hometown to play for Melbourne City…where he started in true Maclaren-style with two goals in two games.
Andrew Nabbout
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Regroup and return
Melbourne Victory 2012-15
Newcastle Jets 2016-18Socceroos debut: 2018
It’s often remembered as his debut, but Nabbout’s spectacular appearance for Victory off the bench against Sydney FC in 2012 was actually his second game for the side. His debut came in a crushing 5-0 defeat to Brisbane Roar…but fast forward a month, and Victory were losing again, down 2-0 to their big city rival. Nabbout joined the action in the 66th minute, scored 12 minutes later and then grabbed the winner in the 91st for an unforgettable 3-2 win. After the game, he said the coach had told him to make an impression…and he did. But his form slipped in the ensuing years and he struggled to even get a contract in Malaysia before a return to the Hyundai A-League and Newcastle Jets where he turned his life around. A starring role in their 2017/18 campaign helped take the side to the Grand Final and saw him land a move to Urawa Red Dragons, and the main strikers’ role with the Socceroos at the 2018 World Cup.
Robbie Kruse
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Focus on what you really want in life
Brisbane Roar 2007-09
Melbourne Victory 2009-11
Socceroos debut: 2011
While Kruse had obvious raw talent at Brisbane in his early years, he also had distractions off the field that were getting in the way of his development. A move to Melbourne Victory (and away from those distractions in Brisbane) saw him focus on his football – and take him to the next level. Although a constant target for hard tackles and rough treatment, Kruse frequently rips through defences to deliver the ball into the box time after time. His ability on the wing has seen him swap the Hyundai A-League for some of the biggest clubs in the Bundesliga and play in the last three Asian Cups and the 2018 World Cup.
Awer Mabil
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Football can take you anywhere
Adelaide United 2012-15
Socceroos debut: 2018
His Sudanese family fled civil war which meant Mabil first kicked a ball as a five year old in a refugee camp. Today he plays in Europe and represents Australia on the world stage. He joined Adelaide in his mid-teens and his talent was obvious from the start, making lightning fast mazy runs up the wing to either shoot himself or deliver the assist. Although undoubtedly talented, that skill needed refinement and after 47 games (and 8 goals) for the Reds, it time to make the move overseas in a reported $1.3m switch to Danish club FC Midtjylland. His form overseas finally earned him a Socceroos call up under new coach Graham Arnold and he made an instant impact, scoring on his debut against Kuwait. Since then, he’s earned another eight caps, for three more goals.
Craig Goodwin
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Do what it takes
Melbourne Heart 2012
Newcastle Jets 2012-14
Adelaide United 2014-16, 2018-
Socceroos debut: 2013
Goodwin’s family always believed in him and helped in any way they could. Even when he was flipping burgers to eke out a living on the fringes of the Hyundai A-League, no-one in his family ever doubted he would one day make it. But it probably did take longer than anyone really anticipated – or indeed should have done. He won man of the match on his Hyundai A-League debut for Heart and shone during his spell in the Hunter Valley, but struggled to force his way into the Socceroos under Holger Osieck. A return to his hometown and a two year deal with Adelaide United saw his form improve yet again and earned a move to Sparta Rotterdam, but after a change of boss there saw him frozen out, he returned once more to the Reds…and his game was at a whole new level. He has been in blistering form for Adelaide this season and probably should have been part of Australia’s Asian Cup campaign. A return to the green and gold is imminent though.
Mathew Leckie
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: Fear nothing
Adelaide United 2009-11
Socceroos debut: 2012
Leckie might only have been with the Reds for two years as a teenager, but he ripped up the Hyundai A-League during that spell. He burst on the scoring charts in fine fashion, scoring in both his first Asian Champions League games against reigning champions Pohang Steelers, then again against Shandong Luneng in the following fixture. There was no doubt about his talent. His powerful presence powering up the sidelines was a key feature of the Reds attack and was quickly spotted by overseas talent scouts, who snatched him away to the Bundesliga. Since then he’s featured at Borussia Monchengladbach, FSV Frankfurt, FC Ingolstadt and now Hertha Berlin. His Socceroos career has taken him to two World Cups and two Asian Cups where his influence and importance have actually grown as the years have gone on, despite increasing competition for his spot.
Daniel Arzani
LESSON FOR THE NEXT GEN: You’re never too young
Melbourne City 2016-18
Socceroos debut 2018
Possibly Australia’s favourite Socceroo right now, Arzani captured the heart of the nation with his aggressive runs at defenders, full of self-confidence and bravado that were actually backed up and matched by his ability and talent. In just a short series of cameos for Melbourne City, he created a massive buzz around his skills that led to a huge push for him to be part of the 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia. Every time he came on, the excitement cranked up a whole new level. In Kazan, tens of thousands of people sang out his name in one of his very first appearances in green and gold, such was the passion he stirred among fans. The performances earned him a switch to Manchester City and a loan to Celtic where he caught the attention of Scotland with his star turns for Celtic reserves. Disaster struck on his debut for the Celtic senior team though when he fell awkwardly just minutes after coming off the bench and ripped his ACL, ending his season and his hopes of making it the 2019 Asian Cup. He will be back though – and fans wait with bated breath to see him return to action to set games on fire again.
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