Chris Ikonomidis

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Chris Ikonomidis
Personal information
Full name Christopher Ikonomidis
Date of birth (1995-05-05) 5 May 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Cronulla, Sydney, Australia
Height Script error: No such module "person height".
Position(s) Attacking midfielder / Winger[2]
Team information
Current team
 Salernitana (on loan from Lazio)
Youth career
2005–2009 Cronulla RSL
2009–2012 Sutherland Sharks
2012–2013 Atalanta
2013–2015 Lazio
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015– Lazio 0 (0)
2016– → Salernitana (loan) 12 (1)
International career‡
2013–2015 Australia U20 5 (4)
2014– Australia U23 6 (0)
2015– Australia 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 April 2016
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 28 May 2016

Christopher "Chris" Ikonomidis (Greek: Χριστόφορος Οικονομίδης, Italian: Chris Oikonomidis ) is an Australian international footballer of Greek descent who plays for Serie B side Salernitana on loan from Serie A side Lazio as an attacking midfielder or as a Winger. He is notable in being capped by his senior national team despite not yet having played a single senior game at club level at the time.[3]

Club career

Chris Ikonomidis, who came from a family who had always played football, started playing himself when he was four years old in Sydney at local team Cronulla RSL.[4] Aged 14, he went to London to trial at Arsenal, who continued to keep tabs on his development. He went on to play youth football for NPL NSW side Sutherland Sharks. In 2010, Ikonomidis' Sutherland Sharks U15's squad won the Oceania zone of the Manchester United Premier Cup, qualifying for the finals in England. His performance in England, including four goals in a 7–0 defeat of a Wigan Athletic youth side,[5] won the attention of Atalanta B.C..

After scoring several goals on trial with Atalanta, including one against Chelsea, Ikonomidis was offered a youth contract on his 16th birthday.[4] Chris was helped in his acclimatisation to life in Italy by fellow Australian James Troisi, who was a senior player at Atalanta at the time.

Lazio

In 2013, after 18 months at Atalanta, Ikonomidis was offered a three-year youth contract by S.S. Lazio.[6] Strong performances with Lazio's Primavera (U20's) squad led to attention from Serie B clubs for a loan deal, however Lazio were keen to develop his talents in-house,[7] and by 2015 his performances were rewarded with callups to the senior squad for games against Torino FC on 14 January in the Coppa Italia, and in the semi-final against Napoli on 4 March, and also against AC Cesena on 1 February in Serie A, and several more times during the close of the 2014-15 season and the opening of the 2015–16 season. Ikonomidis also signed a new contract on 5 June 2015.[8]

Ikonomidis made his senior debut for Lazio on 10 December 2015 starting in the final Group Stage match of the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League against AS Saint-Étienne.[9]

Salernitana

For the second half of the 2015–16 season, Lazio loaned Ikonomidis to Salernitana from the Serie B, in hopes of getting him regular football.[10] Chris Ikonomidis made his Serie B debut for Salernitana on 22 January 2016, playing the full match at home to Brescia, where his cross led to a Brescia own goal.

International career

Ikonomidis is of Greek heritage and is eligible for senior honours with both the Socceroos and Greece, although he has turned down Greece in favour of Australia, being quoted in 2013 saying "I was approached by the Greek federation 12 months ago, but I said no. I am 100 per cent playing for Australia if given the chance".[6]

In 2013 he was called up by Paul Okon to the Australian U20's for the COTIF Tournament in Valencia, and again in the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship, where he played one game against the UAE.[11] He was also called up to the Olyroos for the 2013 AFC U-22 Championship in Oman (which was actually held in 2014), where he played against Kuwait[12] and Japan.[13]

On 11 March 2015, Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou named Ikonomidis in the senior squad for friendlies against reigning World Champion Germany and the Macedonia to be held that month.[3] He was substituted on replacing Nathan Burns in the game against the Republic of Macedonia in Skopje on 30 March to earn his first senior Socceroos cap.[14] His competitive debut for the Socceroos came on 3 September 2015 during 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification, when he was substituted on in the 61st minute during Australia's 5-0 win over Bangladesh at Perth Oval.[15]

Ikonomidis was named in the Olyroos squad for the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship,[16] although he was recalled later from the camp by Lazio for his loan to Salernitana.

Honours

Club

Lazio

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Socceroos squad to face Germany FourFourTwo
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Interview: Chris Ikonomidis Talks to Young Roos Young Roos
  5. ↑ Sutherland Sharks ready for Manchester United Premier Cup in England Football NSW
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Unknown teenager Chris Ikonomidis on verge of breakthrough in Italy The Australian 03/08/2013
  7. ↑ Why Lazio Management Are Buzzing over Aussie Whizkid Chris Ikonomidis Tribal Football
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ #Starting11 Berisha; Basta, Mauricio, Hoedt, Konko; FAnderson, Cataldi, Parolo, Oikonomidis; Matri, Djordjevic. S.S. Lazio Official Twitter, 9 December 2015
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Australia v UAE AFC Match Report
  12. ↑ Australia v Kuwait AFC Match Report
  13. ↑ Australia v Japan AFC Match Report
  14. ↑ Socceroos Stalemate in Skopje The World Game, SBS, 31 March 2015
  15. ↑ Australia v Bangladesh AFC Match Report
  16. ↑ Olyroos squad: Aurelio Vidmar confirms squad for AFC Under 23s Championship Tom Smithies, Fox Sports, 23 December 2015

External links

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