Aurelio Vidmar is a prominent figure in Australian football, known for his dual role as a player and manager.
Vidmar was the top scorer in the Belgian league during the 1994-95 season, showcasing his exceptional talent.
He played for the Australia national team for 12 years, participating in three FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns.
Biography
Early Life
Aurelio Vidmar is an Australian association football player and manager, known for his significant contributions to the sport both on and off the field. He began his football journey in Adelaide, where he played for the local club, Adelaide City Football Club, from 1985 to 1991. His early career laid the foundation for a successful transition to European football, where he would make a name for himself.
Career
Vidmar's professional career took off when he moved to Belgium, where he played for K.V. Kortrijk and later K.S.V. Waregem, becoming the league's top scorer in the 1994-95 season. His journey continued through various clubs across Europe, including Feyenoord Rotterdam, Standard Liège, and C.D. Tenerife, before he ventured to Japan to play for Sanfrecce Hiroshima. After returning to Australia in 1999, he rejoined Adelaide City and later captained Adelaide United Football Club, where he played until his retirement in 2005. Over his 20-year playing career, Vidmar accumulated 517 appearances and scored 127 goals.
In addition to his club success, Vidmar was a key player for the Australia national team from 1991 to 2001, earning 44 caps and scoring 17 goals. He participated in three FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns and was part of the Australian Olympic soccer team at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Managerial Career
After retiring, Vidmar transitioned into coaching, initially serving as an assistant coach before becoming the head coach of Adelaide United in 2007. Under his leadership, the team reached the 2008 AFC Champions League Final, marking a historic achievement for Australian football. Despite facing challenges, including calls for his resignation, Vidmar's ability to strengthen the team and secure key player acquisitions helped him regain support from fans. He was inducted into the Football Federation Australia Football Hall of Fame in 2008, solidifying his legacy in Australian football.
Personal Life
Aurelio Vidmar is also known for his family ties in football, being the brother of Tony Vidmar, who is also a former professional footballer. His contributions to the sport have left a lasting impact, both as a player and a coach, inspiring future generations of footballers in Australia.
Collected from open sources (3) · facts link to sources · AI-processed
Career & Clubs
Vidmar started his professional career with local Adelaide team Adelaide City before moving to Europe in the mid-1990s to Belgium, where he was the league's top scorer in the 1994–95 season. He also played in Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and in Japan before returning to Australia in 1999 to rejoin City. Vidmar signed with Adelaide United when they took Adelaide City's spot in the National Soccer League and was awarded the captaincy by then coach John Kosmina. Despite plans to play in the inaugural A-League season he retired in 2005 bringing an end to a 20-year playing career in which time he played 517 games scoring 127 goals.
Vidmar was a member of the Australia national team for 12 years and was a member of three unsuccessful FIFA World Cup qualification campaigns. He played and scored against Diego Maradona's Argentina in Australia's final qualifying ties in 1993, he played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against Iran in 1997 when a 2–0 lead slipped from Australia's grasp. He also played in the match between Australia and American Samoa in 2001 and scored twice. Vidmar sometimes captained the Socceroos between 1995 and 2001 when he retired for international competition accumulating 44 caps and scoring 17 goals. He was also selected as overage player on the Australia Olympic soccer team at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
After his retirement in 2005 he took up a role of assistant coach working under Kosmina, he was appointed as head coach on 2 May 2007. The 2007–08 A-League season was not very successful for Aurelio Vidmar, his side finishing 6th out of 8 teams on the ladder the first time Adelaide failed to make the finals. Calls for his resignation were being made and his unsuccessful Asian Champions League campaign, albeit against talented opposition, only fuelled these accusations, coming 3rd in his group with only the winner progressing to the quarter-finals. Vidmar began to regain the support of the United supporters by securing valuable acquisitions such as Cristiano and Sasa Ognenovski and built up Adelaide's defence and improved their attacking options. He created history by leading Adelaide to the 2008 AFC Champions League Final, becoming the first Australian team to achieve such a feat. This led Adelaide United CEO Sam Ciccarello to re-sign Vidmar and his assistant Phil Stubbins for another three years in November 2008. Vidmar was inducted into the Football Federation Australia Football Hall of Fame in the same month. He is also in the Football Federation of South Australia Hall of Champions. He made a controversial diatribe after the semi-final against Melbourne Victory, in which Adelaide lost 4–0, and 6–0 on aggregate. Post-match, he claimed that Adelaide was a "piss-ant town", and that politics within the club was to blame for the loss. He later apologised for his…
- National team
- Australia
- Club
- Standard Liège (1994–1995)
- Club
- C.D. Tenerife (1997–1998)
- Club
- Adelaide City Football Club (1985–1991)
- Club
- K.V. Kortrijk (1991–1992)
- Club
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima (1998–1999)
- Club
- K.S.V. Waregem (1992–1994)
- Club
- Adelaide United Football Club (2003–2004)
- Club
- FC Sion (1996–1996)
- Club
- Feyenoord Rotterdam (1995–1996)
- Club
- Croydon Kings (2001–2001)
- Club
- Adelaide City Football Club (1999–2003)
- Club
- Australia national under-23 soccer team (1996–1996)
- Club
- Australia men's national soccer team (1991–2001)
- Club
- S.V. Zulte Waregem (1992–1994)
- Club
- Feyenoord Rotterdam (1995–1995)
Personal
Vidmar is the brother of Tony Vidmar, who is also a former footballer.
Clubs
- Adelaide City Football Club1985–1991
- Australia men's national soccer team1991–2001
- K.V. Kortrijk1991–1992
- K.S.V. Waregem1992–1994
- S.V. Zulte Waregem1992–1994
- Standard Liège1994–1995
- Feyenoord Rotterdam1995–1996
- Feyenoord Rotterdam1995–1995
- Australia national under-23 soccer team1996–1996
- FC Sion1996–1996
- C.D. Tenerife1997–1998
- Sanfrecce Hiroshima1998–1999
- Adelaide City Football Club1999–2003
- Croydon Kings2001–2001
- Adelaide United Football Club2003–2004
Played together with
Aarón ÑíguezC.D. Tenerife · 2016
Abdelmoumene DjabouFC Sion · 2008–2008
Abdou DialloS.V. Zulte Waregem · 2015–2016
Abdoul TapsobaStandard Liège · 2020- Abiodun BaruwaFC Sion · 1997–1998
Aboubakar KamaraK.V. Kortrijk · 2015–2016
Adam MarušićK.V. Kortrijk · 2014
Adel ChedliFC Sion · 2006–2007
Adlène GuediouraK.V. Kortrijk · 2008–2009
Adri van MaleFeyenoord Rotterdam · 1930–1940
Adrian CristeaStandard Liège · 2013–2013
Aggelos CharisteasFeyenoord Rotterdam · 2006–2007
Archive
Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Aurelio Vidmar is an Australian association football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of A-League Men club Melbourne City.
Opinions of fans — not verified facts.
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