Zenon Caravella

Zenon Caravella (born 17 March 1983 in Cairns, Australia) is an Australian football (soccer) player who last played for Newcastle Jets in the A-League.

Zenon Caravella
Caravella playing for Gold Coast United in 2010
Personal information
Full name Zenon Mauro Caravella
Date of birth (1983-05-17) 17 May 1983
Place of birth Cairns, Australia
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Central Midfielder
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001 St. George
2001–2005 Sydney Olympic 50 (7)
2005–2006 New Zealand Knights 21 (0)
2006–2008 FC Omniworld 52 (6)
2009–2011 Gold Coast United 52 (1)
2011–2013 Adelaide United 29 (1)
2013–2014 Newcastle Jets 25 (0)
2014 FNQ FC Heat 6 (0)
2014–2015 Newcastle Jets 20 (0)
2020–2021 Leichhardt FC 8 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 November 2021

Club career

After the demise of the A League in Caravella played for Sydney Olympic in the NSW Premier League becoming one of their best players.[1] He was scouted by other clubs during the 2004–2005 season including Malaysian club, Johor FC,[2] before eventually being signed by John Adshead, the head coach of New Zealand Knights inaugural A-League campaign.[3]

He was scouted by a Dutch agent and on 1 January 2006 moved to the Netherlands to play for Eerste Divisie team FC Omniworld.[4] After a year at FC Omniworld his contract was extended for another year. He was purportedly chased by top Eerste Divisie club, FC Den Bosch, but he ultimately ended up re-signing with FC Omniworld. His contract ultimately ran its course with both parties parting mutually.[5]

Following Caravella's stint at Omniworld, various media outlets reported him to being chased by various Serie B clubs in Italy, namely Bari and Piacenza.[6][7][8]

On 3 December 2008 he was signed by Gold Coast United after knocking back offers from Serie B clubs.[9][10][11] He scored his first goal for the club on 29 January in a 1–0 win against Melbourne Victory. After his debut season at Gold Coast United, he won then Coach Miron Bleiberg's Player of the Year, and Goal of the Year.

In July 2010, it was reported and confirmed that an official offer for transfer came from Turkish Super Lig side Konyaspor, estimated to be around A$300,000. Gold Coast United manager Miron Bleiberg confirmed this offer in which he advised that after much deliberation the club were happy to agree to terms however the decision lay with Caravella as he had to take into consideration his growing online boutique wine business, Red White and Bubbles.[12] Caravella ultimately declined the offer, believed to be worth A$450,000 a season for 3 years.

On 13 January 2011 he signed a 2-year deal to play with Adelaide United in the A-League.[13]

In October 2011, Zenon Caravella was one of 20 Australian players hand picked by National Team Coach Holger Osieck to attend an Australian National Football Team Camp[14]

After Caravella's debut season with Adelaide United, he won the prestigious Club Champion award, the highest accolade a player can be given at the club[15]'

On 23 January 2013, A-League club Newcastle Jets announced the signing of Caravella for the remainder of the 2012/2013 season and the 2013/2014 season.[16]

In October 2013, Caravella agreed to another extension with the Jets, securing a future with the club until the completion of the 2014/15 season.

In June 2014, it was unexpectedly announced that Zenon Caravella had requested a release from the remaining year of his Jets contract, citing business opportunities as the reason for his exit. The club has confirmed it would prefer Caravella fulfil his contractual obligations as a key player for the Jets, but agreed to terminate as he would relocate to his hometown of Cairns to run his family business. Caravella has since stated he would like to stay involved in football in Far North Queensland.

In July 2014, Caravella announced the launch of Caravella Coaching, a private football coaching school based in Cairns, aimed at training kids aged between 6–16 in both private and group settings. Furthermore, Caravella signed with local side FNQ FC Heat.[17]

In October 2014, after playing 6 matches for FNQ Heat and helping them reach second place, Caravella was called out of retirement to return to the Newcastle Jets to help improve their midfield depth and was a starter for most of the season.[18]

After a tumultuous season with Newcastle Jets under Nathan Tinkler – which saw 5 players sensationally sacked mid-season – Caravella was offered the captain's armband and refused on principle and loyalty to his exiled teammates.[19] It is believed this led to the non-renewal of his contract as he was arguably the Newcastle Jets most influential player at the time.

In July 2015, after a 15-year career at the highest level, Caravella returned to Cairns and announced his retirement.[20] to start FNQ's first fully integrated football academy called Caravella Football Academy.[21]

Zenon Caravella with Ange Postecoglou

In May, 2016, Zenon Caravella was honoured by the FFA at the A-League Grand Final in front of 50,000 fans for his "Outstanding Contribution to the A-League", an accolade only a handful of players are presented with each year.

Personal life

Zenon is of Italian descent and is the nephew of Frank Farina.[22]

Honours

Personal honours:

References
  1. Soccer NSW imposes riot act as fans turn on United
  2. Coach in trouble for ‘tapping’ player
  3. "Soccer: Knights' signing a cut above". New Zealand Herald. 5 May 2005. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  4. Omniworld signs Caravella from New Zealand Knights
  5. (in Dutch) FC Omniworld
  6. (in Italian) Frosinone, sfida a Foggia e Paganese per Caravella
  7. (in Italian) Caravella, su di lui quattro squadre di B
  8. (in Italian) Pisa, Caravella non interessa
  9. Six more names confirmed for United Archived 2 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  10. United rivalry a family affair
  11. Gold Coast bolster A-League roster Archived 18 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. Adelaide poach Caravella
  14. "Four Reds selected for national camp - Adelaide United FC 2013". Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  15. "Caravella crowned Reds' Club Champion - Adelaide United FC 2013". www.footballaustralia.com.au. Archived from the original on 14 January 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  16. "Jets secure Zenon Caravella - Newcastle Jets FC 2013". Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  17. "Caravella signature a huge coup for FNQ Heat". Football Federation Australia. 26 July 2014.
  18. "Caravella returns to Newcastle". Football Federation Australia. 3 October 2014.
  19. "Football news, features and statistics | FourFourTwo". 4 June 2023.
  20. "Caravella retires to focus on next generation". 24 July 2015.
  21. "Caravella retires to focus on next generation". 24 July 2015.
  22. Gold Coast midfielder Zenon Caravella ready to tackle uncle and rival Frank Farina
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