Michael Zullo (born 11 September 1988) is an Australian professional footballer who last played as a left-back for Sydney FC of the A-League.[1]
 Zullo playing for Brisbane Roar in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Michael Anthony Zullo | ||
| Date of birth | 11 September 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Brisbane, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Brisbane City | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2007 | Brisbane Strikers | ||
| 2007–2010 | Brisbane Roar | 53 | (2) |
| 2010–2015 | Utrecht | 34 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | → Adelaide United (loan) | 24 | (0) |
| 2015–2016 | Melbourne City | 15 | (0) |
| 2016–2022 | Sydney FC | 85 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2008 | Australia U23 | 6 | (1) |
| 2009–2013 | Australia | 10 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17 May 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 16 November 2011 | |||
Club career edit
After being signed by the former Brisbane Roar coach Frank Farina on a two-year contract, Zullo played five of the six opening games of the season, coming on as a substitute. On his first eleven debut against Wellington Phoenix, his sixth appearance for Queensland, he scored in the opening minutes of the game and set up a first half added-time goal for fellow youngster and close friend Robbie Kruse.[2]He previously played in the Brisbane Premier League for the Brisbane StrikersDuring a match against Sydney FC, Zullo limped off the field with a torn thigh muscle which ruled him out for 6 weeks.[3]
At the end of the 2008–09 season, Zullo received offers from Dutch Eredivisie clubs FC Groningen and NEC Nijmegen but declined both offers and cited his preference to stay in the A-League for another season.[4]
On 2 April 2010, along with fellow Roar players, Thomas Oar and Adam Sarota, Zullo joined Dutch side Utrecht on a three-year deal, in a collective transfer deal rumoured to be worth in excess of A$1.8 million.[5][6] He made his debut for Utrecht in a 1–1 draw with NEC Nijmegen on 28 February 2011, coming off the bench on the 81st minute.
On 29 August 2013, he signed a one-year loan deal with Australian A-League club Adelaide United.[7]
On 14 July 2015, Zullo signed a one-year deal with Melbourne City.[8]
On 11 May 2016, Zullo signed a two-year deal with Sydney FC.[9] In his first season at the Sky Blues, he played an influential role as an attacking fullback, assisting three goals and forming a good partnership with left winger Miloš Ninković.
Zullo scored his first goal for Sydney FC in a 3–2 win over Wellington Phoenix.
In January 2018, Zullo committed his future to Sydney FC for a further two seasons.
On 16 May 2022, Zullo departed Sydney FC after six seasons with the club.[10]
International career edit
Due to outstanding form since making his debut for Brisbane Roar, Zullo was called up for the first time for the Australia national under-23 football team before their qualifier against Iraq, in which they won 2–0.
He was also a train-on player with the national U-17 squad, the Joeys, at 2005 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru.
On 28 January 2009, Zullo made his full international debut, coming on as a substitute in a 0–0 draw with Indonesia in the group stage of qualifying for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.[11]
Personal life edit
Zullo attended Villanova College in the Brisbane suburb of Coorparoo, playing for the schools first XI.Zullo and his wife Georgia have two children who are twins.[12]
Career statistics edit
Statistics accurate as of 17 May 2022.
| Club | Season | Division | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Brisbane Roar | 2007–08 | A-League | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | |
| 2008–09 | 23 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 25 | 2 | |||
| 2009–10 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Total | 53 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 3 | ||
| FC Utrecht | 2010–11 | Eredivisie | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |||
| 2012–13 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Total | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| Adelaide United | 2013–14 | A-League | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 24 | 0 | |
| Melbourne City | 2015–16 | A-League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 15 | 0 | |
| Sydney FC | 2016–17 | A-League | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 31 | 0 | |
| 2017–18 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 29 | 1 | ||
| 2018–19 | 25 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 34 | 1 | ||
| 2019–20 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 85 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 109 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 211 | 4 | 21 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 240 | 5 | ||
Honours edit
Club edit
- Brisbane Premier League Premiership: 2006
- Brisbane Premier League Championship: 2006
- A-League Premiership: 2016–17, 2017–18, 2019–20
- A-League Championship: 2016-17, 2018–19, 2019–20
- FFA Cup: 2017
Individual edit
External links edit
References edit
- ^ "Brisbane trio sign for FC Utrecht". 2 April 2010. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
- ^ Zullo roars into Suncorp" Australian FourFourTwo
- ^ Further month off for injured Zullo Fox Sports
- ^ Zullo Declines To Go Dutch
- ^ (in Dutch) Australisch trio tekent contract
- ^ Roar cop triple blow Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Reds secure Socceroo Zullo on loan - Adelaide United FC 2014". www.footballaustralia.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014.
- ^ "Michael Zullo signs one-year deal with A-League's Melbourne City". ABC News. abc.net.au. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "Transfer news: Sydney FC sign Socceroos defender". A-League. 12 May 2016.
- ^ "News - Championship Winner Michael Zullo To Leave Club". Sydney FC. 16 May 2022. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Socceroos settle for draw in Asian Cup qualifier against Indonesia". AAP. AAP. 29 January 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- ^ Rugari, Vince (8 November 2020). "'Something I wasn't willing to risk': Sydney FC star to skip ACL to be with pregnant wife". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 22 December 2020.