Graham Arnold

Graham Arnold

Footballer

AI

Graham Arnold is a prominent Australian football player and coach, known for his significant contributions to the sport.

He was the league's top goal scorer and player of the year in 1986 while playing for Sydney Croatia.

Arnold made his international debut in a World Cup Qualifier against Taiwan, scoring in a 7-0 victory for Australia.

Biography

Early Life

Graham James Arnold was born in Sydney, New South Wales, where he began his journey in football at a young age. His early career kicked off in 1969 at Gwawley Bay, and he played for various local teams, showcasing his talent as a forward. By 1979, he had moved to Canterbury-Marrickville in the New South Wales Premier League, marking the beginning of his ascent in the sport.

Playing Career

Arnold's professional playing career took off when he joined Sydney United FC, where he became the league's top goal scorer and player of the year in 1986. His success led him overseas, where he played in the Netherlands for Roda JC Kerkrade and NAC Breda, as well as in Belgium for R.F.C. de Liège and Royal Charleroi S.C. He later spent time in Japan with Sanfrecce Hiroshima before returning to Australia to play for Northern Spirit FC from 1999 to 2001. Throughout his international career, Arnold represented the Australia men's national soccer team 56 times, scoring 19 goals, and made his debut in a World Cup Qualifier against Taiwan in 1985.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Arnold transitioned into coaching, starting as player/manager for Northern Spirit FC in 1998. He later served as an assistant coach for the Australian national team and took on the role of interim head coach in 2006. Under his guidance, Australia competed in the 2007 Asian Cup and qualified for the 2008 Olympics with the U-23 team. Arnold's coaching journey continued with various clubs, and he is currently the head coach of the Iraq national team, demonstrating his enduring influence in the world of football.

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Career & Clubs

Club career

Arnold was a striker who started his career at Gwawley Bay in 1969. He played for them and Sutherland representative teams concurrently until 1979 when he moved to Canterbury-Marrickville in the New South Wales Premier League. He then moved to Sydney Croatia in Australia's now defunct National Soccer League, where he was both the league's top goal scorer and player of the year in 1986. This was followed by a move overseas, where he made a name for himself in the Netherlands, playing for Roda JC Kerkrade and NAC Breda. He also spent time in Belgium with R.F.C. de Liège and R. Charleroi S.C. He went on to play for Sanfrecce Hiroshima in Japan towards the end of his career, before finally returning home to play for the Northern Spirit FC.

International career

Graham Arnold has represented Australia's senior national team 56 times in 'A' international matches, scoring 19 goals (85 caps, 33 goals including unofficial matches and 'B' internationals). He was given his full debut by Frank Arok in a World Cup Qualifier against Taiwan at Adelaide's Hindmarsh Stadium on 23 October 1985. He scored on his debut as the "Socceroos" went on to record a 7–0 victory. His international playing career came to a sad end on 29 November 1997 in a World Cup Qualifier against Iran at the MCG when the score ended 2–2 and Australia was eliminated on the away goals rule after leading 2–0.

Managerial career

Arnold had a cameo role as a coach very early on in his career. He was coach for two games while he was a player at Sydney Croatia during the 1989/90 season. However, his proper coaching career started in 1998, when he was appointed player/manager of the Northern Spirit FC. He was the coach for two seasons, making the playoffs in their debut season.

Australia

He was then appointed to the position of Australian assistant coach in 2000, becoming interim coach in July 2006. On 6 September 2006 Australia was defeated 2–0 in an Asian Cup qualifying game against Kuwait. The FFA confirmed Arnold would remain head coach through to the end of 2007 Asian Cup campaign. Australia started their Asian Cup campaign drawing with Oman in its opening group stage game in Bangkok. On 13 July 2007 Australia were beaten 3–1 by the eventual winners Iraq in the 2007 Asian Cup. Australia lost to Japan in penalty shootout in the Quarter Finals and Arnold then continued in the role as manager of the Australian U-23 side, qualifying through to the 2008 Olympics. He was also linked with the manager's position at Bolton Wanderers and Norwich City in England but lost out to Gary Megson and Glenn Roeder respectively. With the appointment of Dutchman Pim Verbeek as the Australian manager, Arnold along with Henk Duut served as his assistant to the national side during the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Central Coast Mariners

On 9 February 2010, it was announced that Arnold will…

Club
Northern Spirit FC (1999–2001)
Club
Sydney United FC (1982–1990)
Club
R.F.C. de Liège (1992–1994)
Club
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (1997–1998)
Club
Royal Charleroi S.C. (1994–1995)
Club
NAC Breda (1995–1997)
Club
Bankstown Berries FC (1980–1981)
Club
Roda JC Kerkrade (1990–1992)
Club
Australia men's national soccer team (1985–1997)
Club
Australia national under-23 soccer team
National team
Australia

Personal

Early life and education life

Graham James Arnold was born in Sydney, New South Wales.

Clubs

Played together with

Archive

Passport
Identifiers & aliases
Description

Australian association football player and coach

Position

forward

Extract from Wikipedia

Graham James Arnold is an Australian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of the Iraq national team.

▸ Source: Wikipedia
All links
Official Website

Discussion

Opinions of fans — not verified facts.