Dean Bouzanis
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| Dean Bouzanis | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Konstantinos Bouzanis | |
| Date of birth | October 2, 1990 | |
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia | |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | |
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |
| Youth clubs | ||
| Sydney Olympic FC NSW Institute of Sport |
||
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 2004–2006 2007–present 2007 |
St George Saints Liverpool Reserves → Sydney FC (loan) |
0 (0) 0 (0) |
| National team2 | ||
| 2005–2006 2008–present 2008–present |
Australia U17 Greece U19 Australia U23 |
8 (0) 3 (0) 1 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Dean Bouzanis (born October 2, 1990, in Sydney, Australia) is a Australian football goalkeeper with Greek heritage. He is currently signed to Liverpool.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Club career
Bouzanis was born and raised in Australia to Greek parents, and he attended De La Salle College in Cronulla[1] His talents were first seen at his local soccer club, Carss Park, whilst playing in the under 9s[2] alongside close friend Nikolas Tsattalios. Bouzanis then went on to play in the NSW State League for St George Saints at 14 before joining the NSW Institute of Sport.
Bouzanis spent three weeks with Liverpool F.C. first team squad in January 2007 and was offered a three year deal.[1] Liverpool's manager Rafael Benitez and goalkeeping coach have rated him as the best goalkeeper in the world of his age.[3][4][5]
He was loaned to A-League side Sydney FC as understudy to Clint Bolton and was included in the club's squad for their AFC Champions League 2007 campaign,[6] but did not appear at the tournament. The loan spell was expected to be extended until January 2008, but after Sydney delisted him from the club,[7] it was decided by the Reds’ goalkeeping staff to fast-track his program:
“They wanted to put me straight into action and fast track my process with the reserves side but more importantly, I’ll be starting pre-season with the senior squad”.[8] - Dean Bouzanis
He made his first appearance after arriving in the UK on a full-time basis for Liverpool's Academy (Under-18's) side on 8 September 2007, keeping a clean sheet as they beat Nottingham Forest F.C.'s academy side 3-0.[9] He had previously played in two under-18's matches for the club against Stoke and West Bromwich Albion while on trial with the club.[10] On 4 December 2007, Dean made his debut for Liverpool Reserves keeping a clean sheet in their 3-0 win over Everton.
[edit] International career
Bouzanis received his first call up to the Australian U17 side in 2005 at the age of 15.[1] He was also later included in the squad for Australia's unsuccessful 2006 AFC U17 Championships qualifying campaign.[11]
On February 2, 2008, Bouzanis officially received a call-up from the Greek FA youth manager Alexis Alexiou to represent the youth team against Slovakia on February 5, 2008. [12] Bouzanis visited Greece on February 3, 2008 for an interview with Greek radio station SportFM[13], and also to participate in the friendly against Slovakia. He played the full 90 minutes for Greece, keeping a clean sheet in the process.
Despite playing for the Greek team Bouzanis is still currently eligible to play for either the Greek or Australian full international sides[14][4][15] Bouzanis has given three reasons why he might choose Greece "First, due to my origin; second, because it's the European champion; and third, because the trips won't be too far." however he is also in contact with Australian football authorities.[4], the Australian press have stated that his departure would be a "disaster"[14] likening it to the loss of Joey Didulica to the Croatian national side.[16]
After keeping a clean sheet for the Greece under-19 team on the 11th March 2008 in a 1-0 win against Serbia, Dean made a statement to the Greek Football Association (the EPO):
''The team is very good, with good strength and technical qualities. The most important thing, however, is that we are bound together as a team and that we all want to be distinguished. The work being done with the National Team is very important, and I believe that in the qualifying stages for the Euro-19 Championship we will show our worth, and progress to the finals." [17] - Dean Bouzanis
It has been reported that Bouzanis would like to play for the Olyroos - the Australian Olympic team - in the 2008 Olympics. In April 2008 he was called up to the Australia Under 23 squad to compete in the Intercontinental Cup in Malaysia as part of their preparations for the Olympics. [18][19]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c How a Sydney kid made cut at one of the greatest clubs. The Sydney Morning Herald. (February 4, 2007).
- ^ Exclusive: Bouzanis Jets Off To Liverpool. Australian British Soccer Weekly (July 15, 2007).
- ^ Player Profile. www.sydneyfc.com (March 21, 2007).
- ^ a b c 'World's best' targets Liverpool place. Setanta Sports (February 12, 2008).
- ^ Teen ace Bouzanis snapped up by Reds. The Age (February 4, 2007).
- ^ Branko is Sydney's man. Fox Sports (February 13, 2007).
- ^ Necevski eyes Bolton's spot. FourFourTwo.com (June 26, 2007).
- ^ Exclusive: Bouzanis Jets Off To Liverpool. Australian British Soccer Weekly (July 15, 2007).
- ^ Pourie at the double for Under-18s. Liverpoolfc.tv (September 10, 2007).
- ^ Dean puts Mum in charge. The Catholic Weekly (March 11, 2007).
- ^ "Qantas Joeys Held To Draw By Hosts", Football Federation Australia, 2006-02-08. Retrieved on 2008-02-02.
- ^ Ισόπαλοι οι Νέοι (Greek) (2008-02-05).
- ^ "Μπουζάνης: «Ελλάδα λόγω καταγωγής»", SuperSport FM, 2008-02-04. Retrieved on 2008-02-07. (Greek)
- ^ a b Greeks woo our star keeper. The Daily Telegraph (Australia) (March 2, 2008).
- ^ Greece targets 'the next Bosnich'. Fox Sports (Australia) (February 9, 2008).
- ^ Time to stop the rot. The Daily Telegraph (Australia) (March 2, 2008).
- ^ Ελληνικη Ποδοσφαιρικη Ομοσπονδια
- ^ Bouzanis 'Upset' At Olyroo Snub - Australian FourFourTwo - The Ultimate football Website
- ^ Liverpool answers Olyroos keeper call
