Paul Agostino
Paul Agostino (born 9 June 1975) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He played the majority of his club football outside Australia, most notably with 1860 Munich in Germany for ten years. He played 18 times for Australia, winning the OFC Nations Cup of the year 2000.
 Agostino | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 9 June 1975 | ||
| Place of birth | Adelaide, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Salisbury United | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990 | Salisbury United | ||
| 1991 | West Adelaide | 17 | (6) |
| 1992–1994 | Young Boys | 29 | (3) |
| 1994–1995 | Yverdon-Sport | 9 | (3) |
| 1995–1997 | Bristol City | 85 | (19) |
| 1997–2007 | 1860 Munich | 248 | (77) |
| 2006 | 1860 Munich II | 4 | (1) |
| 2007–2009 | Adelaide United | 20 | (4) |
| Total | 412 | (113) | |
| National team | |||
| 1991 | Australia U-17 | 4 | (4) |
| 1993 | Australia U-20 | 6 | (2) |
| 1996 | Australia U-23 | 3 | (1) |
| 1996–2005 | Australia | 18 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only | |||
Agostino attended Findon High School in his hometown of Adelaide. In 2011, he returned to Munich, where his wife Monika was born, with a view to settle there permanently. There he has since partnered with his former 1860 teammate Roman Týce and opened a soccer school called MunichSoccerCamp.[1][2]
Club career
Born in Adelaide, Australia, Agostino started his club career at Salisbury United. He on to the national scene in 1991 in his first season at senior level with West Adelaide SC in the NSL. It was at this time that "Aga" was picked in the Australian World Youth Championships squad – a squad which contained the likes of Paul Okon and Mark Bosnich during one of Australia's 'Golden Generations' – which made the semi-finals of that competition.
Overseas
Agostino left for Europe in 1992 and headed for Switzerland, where he signed with Young Boys. Agostino stayed in Bern for two seasons which was invaluable in enabling him to adapt to European life and football. It was in Switzerland that he learnt to speak German which would later help his move to Germany in 1997. He then had a short stint with Yverdon before making the move to England. Agostino signed with Bristol City in 1995 and it was in his second season with Bristol City that he began to score more regularly, bagging 16 goals in the Second Division (the third tier of English club football).
After two productive seasons in Bristol, Agostino's growing reputation caught the eye of German Bundesliga side 1860 Munich. He was signed by the club in 1997 at the age of 22. Agostino stayed with the Munich club for a full decade, enduring spells both in and out of the side. Agostino played at the highest level while in Munich, representing 1860 in both the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. He enjoyed his best form for 1860 in the 2000–01 season, scoring 12 goals for the light blues, while Agostino regularly featured in the first team from 1999 to 2002. He fell down the pecking order at 1860 after this and typically played only a handful of games each season until it was revealed that he would be leaving the club on amicable terms at the end of the 2006–07 2. Bundesliga season.
Adelaide United
It was announced in February 2007 that A-League team Adelaide United had agreed on a two-year contract with Agostino which saw the striker return to his home city for the first time in 15 years. It was announced on 30 December 2008 that Agostino would retire at the end of the 2008–09 season.
International career
Agostino debuted in 1996 in a match against Chile for the "Socceroos," the Australian national team. In 2005, he played versus South Africa for the 18th and last time for his country. In his 18 full international matches he scored seven goals. In 1996, he was part of the Australian squad for the Olympics in Atlanta, but he was not used in Australia's three matches there. In 1999, he played twice against the Brazilian "B" team, scoring two goals. In 2001, Agostino earned the penalty resulting in Australia’s goal in the 1-0 home victory over Uruguay in their ultimately ill-fated World Cup playoff.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League1 | Cup | International2 | Total | Ref. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| West Adelaide | 1991–92 | National Soccer League | 17 | 6 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 | [3] |
| Young Boys | 1992–93 | Nationalliga A | 12 | 2 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 12 | 2 | [4] |
| 1993–94 | Nationalliga A | 14 | 1 | ? | ? | ? | ? | 14 | 1 | [4] | |
| 1994–95 | Nationalliga A | 3 | 0 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | [4] | |
| Total | 29 | 3 | 29 | 3 | – | ||||||
| Yverdon Sport | 1994–95 | Nationalliga A | 9 | 3 | ? | ? | 0 | 0 | 9 | 3 | [4] |
| Bristol City | 1995–96 | Football League Second Division | 40 | 10 | – | 40 | 10 | [3] | |||
| 1996–97 | Football League Second Division | 45 | 9 | 7 | 6 | – | 52 | 15 | [5] | ||
| Total | 85 | 19 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 92 | 25 | – | ||
| 1860 Munich | 1997–98 | Bundesliga | 16 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 4 | [6] |
| 1998–99 | Bundesliga | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | [6] | |
| 1999–00 | Bundesliga | 22 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 8 | [6] | |
| 2000–01 | Bundesliga | 27 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 34 | 14 | [6] | |
| 2001–02 | Bundesliga | 29 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 32 | 9 | [6] | |
| 2002–03 | Bundesliga | 32 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 11 | [6] | |
| 2003–04 | Bundesliga | 28 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 9 | [6] | |
| 2004–05 | 2. Bundesliga | 31 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 8 | [6] | |
| 2005–06 | 2. Bundesliga | 31 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 11 | [6] | |
| 2006–07 | 2. Bundesliga | 19 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 7 | [6] | |
| Total | 248 | 77 | 10 | 3 | 12 | 3 | 270 | 83 | – | ||
| 1860 Munich II | 2006–07 | Regionalliga Süd | 4 | 1 | – | – | 4 | 1 | [4] | ||
| Adelaide United | 2007–08 | A-League | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | [4] |
| 2008–09 | A-League | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 0 | [4] | |
| Total | 20 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 24 | 4 | – | ||
| Career total | 412 | 113 | 18 | 9 | 15 | 3 | 445 | 125 | – | ||
1 – included A-League final series statistics
2 – includes Club World Cup statistics; UEFA Cup statistics; UEFA Intertoto Cup statistics; Asian Champions League statistics (included in season commencing after group stages).
International goals
- Source:[3]
- Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first.
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 15 February 2000 | Estadio Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile |  Bulgaria | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 2. | 29 June 2000 | Papeete, Tahiti |  Cook Islands | 1–0 | 17–0 | OFC Nations Cup 2000 |
| 3. | 29 June 2000 | Papeete, Tahiti | Cook Islands | 12–0 | 17–0 | OFC Nations Cup 2000 |
| 4. | 7 October 2000 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates |  South Korea | 1–0 | 2–4 | Friendly |
| 5. | 7 October 2000 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | South Korea | 2–0 | 2–4 | Friendly |
| 6. | 18 February 2004 | Estadio Olímpico, Caracas, Venezuela | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Venezuela | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
Honours
References
- Griss, Oliver (25 August 2011). "“Maurer wird nur ein großer 1860-Trainer, wenn er aufsteigt”" (in German). dieblaue24.de. Retrieved 10 January 2013.
- "msc" (in German). munichsoccercamp.de. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- Paul Agostino at National-Football-Teams.com
- "Paul Agostino » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
- "Games played by Paul Agostino in 1996/1997". Soccerbase. Centurycomm.
- "Paul Agostino". kicker (in German). Retrieved 9 April 2020.
.svg.png.webp){kind=small}