Mathew Leckie

Mathew Allan Leckie (born 4 February 1991) is an Australian soccer player who plays for Melbourne City FC in the A-League and the Australian national team (for whom he has previously been the captain).[3] 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[4] and even as a wing-back.[5]

Mathew Leckie
Leckie with Hertha BSC 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
Team information
Current team
 Melbourne City
Number 7
Youth career
Brimbank Stallions
2007 Bulleen Lions
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2009 Bulleen Lions 27 (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 (4)
2012–2013 → FSV Frankfurt (loan) 28 (4)
2013–2014 FSV Frankfurt 31 (10)
2014–2017 FC Ingolstadt 04 94 (10)
2017–2021 Hertha BSC 68 (7)
2019 Hertha BSC II 1 (0)
2021– Melbourne City 45 (16)
International career‡
2009–2011 Australia U20 13 (3)
2012– Australia 76 (14)
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Men's Association football
AFC Asian Cup
Winner2015 Australia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 June 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17:25, 30 November 2022 (UTC)

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 Sunshine North with a more multicultural student body and close friends inspired him to take up football and he "never looked back".[6]

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.[7]

Adelaide United
Leckie with Adelaide United in 2010

He made his A-League debut on 18 September for Adelaide United coming on as a substitute in the 75th minute against Melbourne Victory.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10] Leckie is considered to be one of Australia's best young players.[11] 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 would run until 2016. Leckie 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.[12]

FC Ingolstadt 04

On 7 May 2014, he signed a three-year contract with FC Ingolstadt 04.[13] While playing for Ingolstadt, the club was promoted to the Bundesliga at the end of the 2014–15 season.[14] 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 season's 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.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] 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."[16]

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.[18]

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."[19] 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."[20]

Melbourne City FC
Leckie with Melbourne City in 2022

On 5 June 2021, it was announced that Leckie had signed a three year deal to join Melbourne City FC.[21]

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.[22] 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.[23] Leckie didn't make an appearance in the game which Australia won 1–0 to book their place in the Asian Cup.[24]

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."[25]

2015 Asian Cup

Leckie was named as part of Australia's 2015 AFC Asian Cup squad.[26][27] 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.[28]

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.[29][30] 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.[31] 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.[32]

Captaincy

In May 2021, he was named the new captain of the Socceroos, replacing the retired Mark Milligan. Later in 2021 Leckie withdrew indefinitely from the national team, due to hotel quarantine requirements imposed on overseas travelers due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][33]

2022 World Cup

In November 2022, Leckie was included in the squad for the 2022 World Cup.[34] In the third and final crucial group game against Denmark, he scored the winner in a 1–0 victory that ensured qualification to the round of 16.[35]

Career statistics

Club
As of 1 December 2022[36]
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Bulleen Royals 2008[37] Victorian State League Division 1 111——111
Bulleen Lions 2009[38] 1614——1614
Total 2715——2715
Adelaide United 2009–10 A-League 203——203
2010–11 155—6[lower-alpha 2]2217
Total 358—624110
Borussia Mönchengladbach 2011–12 Bundesliga 9020—110
Borussia Mönchengladbach II 2011–12 Regionalliga West 103——103
FSV Frankfurt 2012–13 2. Bundesliga 28421—305
2013–14 311022—3312
Total 591443—6317
FSV Frankfurt II 2012–13 Regionalliga Südwest 54——54
FC Ingolstadt 2014–15 2. Bundesliga 32700—327
2015–16 Bundesliga 32300—323
2016–17 30020—320
Total 941020—9610
Hertha BSC 2017–18 Bundesliga 265102[lower-alpha 3]1296
2018–19 18210—192
2019–20 7020—90
2020–21 17010—180
Total 6875021758
Hertha BSC II 2019–20 Regionalliga Nordost 10——10
Melbourne City 2021–22 A-League Men 23921102610
2022–23 61210082
Total 291042103412
Career total 337711759336379
  1. Includes DFB-Pokal, FFA Cup
  2. Appearances in AFC Champions League
  3. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International
Statistics accurate as of match played 30 November 2022.[39]
Australia
YearAppsGoals
201210
201341
2014110
2015121
201691
2017123
2018103
201942
202142
202291
Total7614
As of match played 30 November 2022. Australia score listed first, score column indicates score after each Leckie goal.[40]
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 Iraq1–01–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 28 March 2017Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia39 United Arab Emirates2–02–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
6 5 September 2017Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia46 Thailand2–12–12018 FIFA World Cup qualification
7 1 June 2018NV Arena, Sankt Pölten, Austria52 Czech Republic1–04–0Friendly
8 3–0
9 20 November 2018Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia59 Lebanon3–03–0Friendly
10 10 September 2019Al Kuwait Sports Club Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait62 Kuwait1–03–02022 FIFA World Cup qualification
11 2–0
12 3 June 2021Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait64 Kuwait1–03–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
13 11 June 2021Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, Kuwait City, Kuwait65   Nepal1–03–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
14 30 November 2022Al Janoub Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar76 Denmark1–01–0 2022 FIFA World Cup

Honours

Ingolstadt 04

Melbourne City

Australia U20

Australia

Individual

References
  1. "FIFA World Cup Russia 2018: List of Players: Australia" (PDF). FIFA. 15 July 2018. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2019.
  2. "Mathew Leckie". socceroos.com.au. Football Federation Australia. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  3. "Socceroos captaincy: Mathew Leckie rises above to snare prized leadership role". 15 August 2021.
  4. 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.
  5. "Leckie eyes new Socceroos role after big Ange 'change'". The Morning Bulletin. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  6. Leckie proves AFL's loss is the Socceroos' gain Goal.com
  7. "Reds make final signing". Adelaide United FC. A-League. 2 September 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2009.
  8. "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.
  9. "Reds upset Asian champions in ACL". Adelaide United FC. A-League. 24 February 2010. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  10. "Adelaide United dismantle Shandong in China". Adelaide United FC. A-League. 10 March 2010. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  11. "Bright Future For Adelaide United Starlet Matthew Leckie – Aurelio Vidmar". goal.com. 30 September 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  12. "Leckie makes permanent FSV Frankfurt move". Bundesliga.com. 3 June 2013. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  13. "Leckie wechselt zum FCI – Trio verlängert". kicker.de (in German). Retrieved 9 May 2014.
  14. "Mathew Leckie Ingolstadt: Socceroo scores as club seals promotion to Bundesliga". Fox Sports Australia. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  15. "Hertha BSC verpflichtet Mathew Leckie" [Hetha BSC signs Mathew Leckie]. Hertha BSC. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  16. "Hertha Berlin's Mathew Leckie can't stop scoring". Bundesliga. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  17. "Hertha BSC – Stuttgart". Bundesliga. 19 August 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  18. "Hertha Berlin suffer costly Europa League defeat to Bilbao". Bundesliga. 23 November 2017.
  19. 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.
  20. Jackson, Ed (19 May 2020). "Frustrated Leckie Eager For Berlin Exit". FTBL. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
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  28. "Socceroos' Asian Cup opener sold out!". socceroos.com.au. Archived from the original on 6 October 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  29. "Aussies name squad for June". fifa.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
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  31. "2018 World Cup qualification Australia vs. Bangladesh". the-afc.com. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  32. "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad - Final 23-man lists | Goal.com".
  33. "'I was devastated': Socceroos captain withdraws from team indefinitely". 27 August 2021.
  34. "Socceroos squad announced: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". Football Australia. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  35. "Mat Leckie strike stuns Denmark and sends Australia into World Cup last 16". the Guardian. 30 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
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  37. Punshon, John. "2008 Victorian State League Division 1 Results". Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  38. Punshon, John. "2009 Victorian State League Division 1 Results". OzFootball.net. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
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  40. Mathew Leckie at Soccerway
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