Mathew Leckie

Mathew Allan Leckie (born 4 February 1991) is an Australian footballer who plays for Hertha BSC in the Bundesliga and the Australian national team. Leckie, being a quick and agile player, is usually placed on the wing. However, he has previously been deployed as a midfielder, striker/second striker[3] and even as a wing-back.[4]

Mathew Leckie
Leckie in 2019
Personal information
Full name Mathew Allan Leckie[1]
Date of birth (1991-02-04) 4 February 1991[1]
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Forward, winger
Club information
Current team
 Hertha BSC
Number 7
Youth career
2007 Bulleen Lions
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2009 Bulleen Lions 37 (15)
2009–2011 Adelaide United 35 (8)
2011–2013 Borussia Mönchengladbach II 10 (3)
2011–2012 Borussia Mönchengladbach 9 (0)
2012–2013 → FSV Frankfurt II (loan) 5 (5)
2012–2013 → FSV Frankfurt (loan) 28 (4)
2013–2014 FSV Frankfurt 31 (10)
2014–2017 FC Ingolstadt 04 94 (10)
2017– Hertha BSC 54 (7)
2019 Hertha BSC II 1 (0)
National team‡
2009–2011 Australia U20 13 (3)
2012– Australia 63 (11)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 November 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 10 October 2019

Club career

Early life

As a child growing up in Melbourne's Western Suburbs, Leckie actually aspired to play Australian rules football, his family supporting Essendon and Box Hill, however at 11 years old a change to a school in Melton with a more multicultural student body and close friends inspired him to take up football and he "never looked back".[5]

Leckie was a member of Victorian State League Division 1 outfit, Bulleen Lions until 2 September 2009, where Leckie was signed to Adelaide United for a two-year professional contract.[6]

Adelaide United

He made his A-League debut on 18 September for Adelaide United coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute against Melbourne Victory.[7]

Leckie scored the winning goal in his first AFC Champions League match on 24 February 2010, against the reigning champions Pohang Steelers at Hindmarsh Stadium.[8] He followed this up by scoring his second goal in as many games against Shandong Luneng in Adelaide's 2–0 win on Match Day 2 of the Champions League.[9] Leckie is considered to be one of Australia's best young players.[10]

Leckie started the 2010–11 season with a bang, scoring twice in Adelaide's first five games, earning wide praise for his entertaining and robust style of play and winning the favour of the Australian U19 side for their competing in the 2010 AFC Under-19 championships.

Borussia Mönchengladbach

At the end of the A-League season he signed for German side Borussia Mönchengladbach. He scored his first goals for his new club with a double in a 5–2 friendly win against Aberdeen on 9 July 2011. In early 2013, he was loaned out to Frankfurt and has since scored 3 goals in only 2 appearances for the reserve team.

FSV Frankfurt

On 3 June 2013, Leckie made his loan move to FSV Frankfurt permanent, signing a three-year contract that runs till 2016. Mathew stated the move was made to maximise his personal development and to build on the successes of his first season spent at FSV on loan where he made 28 appearances and scored 4 goals.[11]

FC Ingolstadt 04

On 7 May 2014, he signed a three-year contract with FC Ingolstadt 04.[12] While playing for Ingolstadt, the club was promoted to the Bundesliga at the end of the 2014–15 season.[13] In the 2015–16 Bundesliga season Leckie scored a goal against FC Augsburg, which was one of three goals he scored that season and one of the seasons best goals.

Hertha BSC
Leckie with Hertha BSC in pre-season, 2019.

On 22 May 2017, it was announced that Leckie had signed for Hertha BSC for the 2017–18 season.[14] He began his spell positively, appearing in many pre-season matches and assisting two goals in his first competitive appearance for the club in the first round of the DFB Pokal against Hansa Rostock.[15] Leckie scored two goals on his debut for Hertha BSC on matchday one of the 2017–18 Bundesliga season against VfB Stuttgart in a 2–0 home victory.[16] After the game Leckie said: "It's probably one of the best weeks of my life, so I'm definitely a happy guy at the moment."[15]

Leckie scored his first European goal in a 3–2 away defeat to Athletic Bilbao in the 2017–18 Europa League on 23 November 2017.[17]

Since the 2019–20 season, Leckie has played a combined total of thirteen matches in all competitions for Hertha (excluding his one appearance for Hertha BSC II in Regionalliga Nordost [IV]), compared to his forty-eight in the previous two. Leckie has also scored zero goals in the latter two seasons and eight in the former. It was reported in early 2020 that Leckie wanted to leave Hertha BSC, with Leckie stating: "[I'll] do everything I can to leave," adding that "I wanted to leave [before this season] and I had the feeling a lot would change."[18] In May 2020, Leckie decided to stay with Hertha BSC for another season when he stated on the Fox Football Podcast, "...so for family reasons I decided to stay here for another season."[19]

International career

In August 2009, Leckie was selected to represent Australia in the AFF U19 Youth Championship 2009, where he opened up the score-sheet in the 4–1 win over hosts, Vietnam, in the semi-finals.[20] Mathew was called up to the Australian Under-19s for the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship.

Ex-Australian National Coach, Pim Verbeek, named Leckie in the 25 man Socceroos squad for the AFC Asian Cup 2011 Qualifier against Indonesia.[21] Leckie didn't make an appearance in the game which Australia won 1–0 to book their place in the Asian Cup.[22]

Leckie playing for Australia against Cameroon at the 2017 Confederations Cup.

Ex-Australian national coach Holger Osieck included Leckie in the squad for the international friendly against the Republic of Korea on 14 November 2012. Leckie came on as a late substitution with only limited time on the ball.

Australian National Coach, Ange Postecoglou, included Leckie in the squad for the international friendly against Costa Rica on 19 November 2013.

2014 World Cup

Leckie had an outstanding World Cup campaign resulting in pundits estimating his worth at $10 million. He was quoted saying he does not regret his decision to sign for German second division club FC Ingolstadt, recognising that he may have had offers from larger clubs following his World Cup performances. "So whether I could have maybe had other offers now after this World Cup if I hadn't signed, I never would have known." [23]

2015 Asian Cup

Leckie was named as part of Australia's 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad.[24][25] He started Australia's first game of the tournament against Kuwait, hitting the crossbar in the second half, and then providing the assist for James Troisi to score Australia's fourth goal of the match and helping Australia to a 4–1 win.[26]

2017 Confederations Cup

Leckie took part in Australia's hopes of success in the 2017 Confederations Cup after the squad was announced in May 2017.[27][28] He started the first two group matches and came on as a Substitute in the last group match in the 57th minute against Chile.

2018 World Cup qualification

On 3 September 2015, Leckie scored his second goal for Australia, and his first since 2013, opening the scoring against Bangladesh in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier.[29] On 5 September 2017, Leckie scored his 6th international goal for Australia against Thailand.

In May 2018 he was named in Australia's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[30]

Career statistics

Club
As of 7 November 2020[31]
Club Season Division League Cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Adelaide United 2009–10 A-League 203——203
2010–11 1556[lower-alpha 2]2217
Total 358—624110
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2011–12 Bundesliga 9020—110
FSV Frankfurt 2012–13 2. Bundesliga 28421—305
2013–14 3110223312
Total 591443—6317
FC Ingolstadt 2014–15 2. Bundesliga 32700—327
2015–16 Bundesliga 32300323
2016–17 30020320
Total 941020—9610
Hertha BSC 2017–18 Bundesliga 265102[lower-alpha 3]1296
2018–19 18210—192
2019–20 702090
2020–21 301040
Total 5475021618
Career total 251391338327245
  1. Appearances in the DFB Pokal
  2. Appearances in the AFC Champions League
  3. Appearances in the Europa League

International
Statistics accurate as of match played 10 October 2019.[32]
Australia
YearAppsGoals
201210
201341
2014110
2015121
201691
2017123
2018103
201942
Total6311

International goals
As of match played 10 September 2019. Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Leckie goal.[33]
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 15 October 2013Craven Cottage, London, England4 Canada3–03–0Friendly
2 3 September 2015Perth Oval, Perth, Australia26 Bangladesh1–05–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
3 4 June 2016Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia31 Greece1–01–0Friendly
4 23 March 2017PAS Stadium, Teheran, Iran38 Iraq0–11–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 28 March 2017Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia39 United Arab Emirates2–02–0
6 5 September 2017Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia46 Thailand2–12–1
7 1 June 2018NV Arena, Sankt Pölten, Austria52 Czech Republic0–10–4Friendly
8 0–3
9 20 November 2018Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia59 Lebanon3–03–0
10 10 September 2019Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait62 Kuwait0–10–32022 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 0–2

Honours

Country

Australia:

Club

FC Ingolstadt 04:

Personal Honours:

References
  1. "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of players: Australia" (PDF). FIFA. 2 July 2017. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  2. "Mathew Leckie". socceroos.com.au. Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  3. Kidd, Robert (14 November 2018). "Mathew Leckie: 'Anything can happen at the Asian Cup'". The Guardian Australia. Retrieved 19 November 2020. I’ve played striker in the past.
  4. "Leckie eyes new Socceroos role after big Ange 'change'". The Morning Bulletin. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  5. Leckie proves AFL's loss is the Socceroos' gain Goal.com
  6. "Reds make final signing". Adelaide United FC. A-League. 2 September 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  7. "Reds' horror run against Victory continues". Adelaide United FC. A-League. 18 September 2009. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  8. "Reds upset Asian champions in ACL". Adelaide United FC. A-League. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  9. "Adelaide United dismantle Shandong in China". Adelaide United FC. A-League. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  10. "Bright Future For Adelaide United Starlet Matthew Leckie – Aurelio Vidmar". goal.com. 30 September 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  11. "Leckie makes permanent FSV Frankfurt move". Bundesliga.com. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  12. "Leckie wechselt zum FCI – Trio verlängert". kicker.de (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  13. "Mathew Leckie Ingolstadt: Socceroo scores as club seals promotion to Bundesliga". Fox Sports Australia. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  14. "Hertha BSC verpflichtet Mathew Leckie" [Hetha BSC signs Mathew Leckie]. Hertha BSC. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  15. "Hertha Berlin's Mathew Leckie can't stop scoring". Bundesliga. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  16. "Hertha BSC – Stuttgart". Bundesliga. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  17. "Hertha Berlin suffer costly Europa League defeat to Bilbao". Bundesliga. 23 November 2017.
  18. Rinaldo, Lucas (21 February 2020). "'I'll do everything I can to leave': Frozen out Socceroo Mathew Leckie opens up on German frustration". Fox Sports Australia. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  19. Jackson, Ed (19 May 2020). "Frustrated Leckie Eager For Berlin Exit". FTBL. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  20. "Thailand-Australia Final in U19 Meet". ASEAN Football Federation. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  21. "Reds score four in Qantas Socceroos squad". Adelaide United FC. A-League. 17 February 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  22. "Australia qualifies". Football Federation Australia. Football Federation Australia. 8 March 2010. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
  23. http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2014/06/22/socceroos-10-million-man-leckie-surprises-himself
  24. "Socceroos' provisional 46-man squad for Asian Cup named". footballaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  25. "SOCCEROOS ANNOUNCE ASIAN CUP SQUAD". afcasiancup.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  26. "Socceroos' Asian Cup opener sold out!". socceroos.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  27. "Aussies name squad for June". fifa.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  28. "FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 21 June 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 July 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  29. "2018 World Cup qualification Australia vs. Bangladesh". the-afc.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  30. http://www.goal.com/en-gb/amp/news/revealed-every-world-cup-2018-squad-23-man-preliminary-lists/oa0atsduflsv1nsf6oqk576rb
  31. http://www.kicker.de/news/fussball/bundesliga/vereine/2014-15/68111/vereinsspieler_leckie-matthew.html
  32. "Mathew Leckie". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
  33. Mathew Leckie at Soccerway
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