Haris Stamboulidis

[Murfy1]

STAMBOULIDIS DREAMS OF PLAYING FOR AUSTRALIA... AGAIN

 

By Philip Micallef

 

4 JUN 2015

 

 

Melbourne City's rising star Haris Stamboulidis revealed his dream of playing for his country Australia, despite serious overtures from Greece.

 

Midfielder/defender Stamboulidis is a bright prospect and his precocious talent has been noticed beyond these shores.

 

The Hellenic Football Federation has started a worldwide campaign to lure players of Greek heritage to the national colours and 18 year-old Stamboulidis has not escaped the 'net'. He has already played two matches for Greece's U-19s against Ukraine this year.

 

Stamboulidis is on the short-list for a spot in the Greek team to take part in the European Under-19 Championship in Greece in July.

 

While he feels proud to have been selected to play for Greece, Stamboulidis admitted that his heart lies with the green and gold.

 

"I was born and raised in Australia, so of course my ambition is to play for Australia, which is my country," he said.

 

"I also have lived and played in Uruguay but Australia was and will always be my first preference.

 

"That's basically the idea even though I have been fortunate enough to be given an opportunity by Greece, where I had the chance to train at AEK Athens under Greek legend Stelios Manolas.

 

"Playing for their under-19s is an honour but of course playing for Australia would be the ultimate honour."

 

Stamboulidis has dual citizenship and since he is under the age of 21, he would be still be eligible to play for Australia if selected and should he play in the U-19 Euros for Greece.

 

Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou is believed to be keeping an eye on the progress of Stamboulidis, who played for Australia at schoolboy level this year.

 

So is this another classic tug-of-war in the offing?

 

"It is hard for me to answer that question. I have been given an opportunity by Greece which I'm very thankful for," Stamboulidis said.

 

"Hopefully one day Australia comes knocking but these things are out of my control.

 

"Then perhaps we could call it a tug-of-war.

 

"There's no point worrying about things that are beyond your control and in football you never really know what's round the corner."

 

Stamboulidis said he wanted to make it very clear that his approach towards international football was by no means a 'come and get me or you'll lose me' message to Australian selectors.

 

"I understand that for whatever reason I have not been looked at," he said, after so far being overlooked by for Joeys and Young Socceroos selection.

 

"So I'm just working harder with my club Melbourne City to stay fit and be mentally strong.

 

"It's all I can do, I'm not asking for anything."

 

Juggling his education and football commitments will be a stiff challenge for Stamboulidis but he is able to look at it rationally.

 

"The life of a professional footballer is something I've always aspired to and worked towards," he said.

 

"But having said that I have to keep my options open because anything can happen and you can get seriously injured.

 

"Studying and playing require a similar discipline as it is only you who can achieve high standards in both."

 

Stamboulidis, who is studying commerce at Melbourne University, is likely to accept an offer from Columbia University to further his studies in New York City if a scholarship is extended to him.

 

In a twist of fate, Melbourne City is aligned with parent club Manchester City that also owns New York City FC, which made its debut in Major League Soccer this year.

 

"It is quite fitting that being in the City Football Group I might have a chance to go to Columbia and be involved in the New York City club," he said.

 

"A few weeks ago I visited the New York City club and I was showed around by (former Manchester City and United States star) Claudio Reyna.

 

"News reports suggest that the football club will most likely build a 30,000-capacity stadium on the old university field so I think the stars might be aligning for me."

 

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/article/2015/06/04/stamboulidis-dreams-playing-australia-again

[Murfy1]

Haris Stamboulidis, the boy with the world at his feet

 

By Alen Delic (@AlenDelic)

 

14 June 2015

 

 

An U19 cap, an NYL championship, and a scholarship looming, but it almost never was.

 

Haris Stamboulidis has had an incredible 12 months.

 

The hardworking, industrious, Gerrard-cross-Alonso-type midfielder has won a National Youth League title with Melbourne City, toured the UK with the U19 Australian School Boys,  been capped for the Greece U19 national team, and may yet be offered an academic scholarship at Columbia University in New York City.

 

But had it not been for his drive and maturity, it may never have been.

 

As a teenager, Stamboulidis was influenced to turn down an offer to join Victoria's National Training Center [NTC] in favour of staying at a private academy team. That decision meant it took a lot of perseverance and luck for Stamboulidis to get to the position he is in today.

 

"I just wanted to play football," Stamboulidis said.

 

"I can't change that [turning down NTC] now, but I'd encourage any player to take the opportunity because the ground support through the NTC is a great pathway."

 

After turning down the NTC, Stamboulidis saw out the season with the private academy team, before eventually joining Heidelberg United for 2013 after leading the team as captain in the U17 Puskas Cup in Hungary where Panathinaikos, and Real Madrid also competed.

 

With the then 16-year-old Stamboulidis in the first team and under the guidance of former Socceroo goalkeeper Jeff Olver and current Heidelberg coach George Katsakis, the club won promotion from State 1.

 

After a season in the NPL with Heidelberg in 2014, the former Heidelberg and Essendon Royals junior was identified by Joe Palatsides and signed to the Melbourne City National Youth League side for its last campaign.

 

Soon after, he was selected to be a part of the U19 Victorian Schoolboys state team to take part in the national tournament, and potentially earn selection in the Australian U19 Schoolboys side.

 

And impress he did, earning his spot in the national side that was due to go away in January, with his coach Dean Stafrace labelled Stamboulidis as the Steven Gerrard of his side.

 

But not only was the youngster helping his side get promoted, impress national coaches and earn NYL contracts, he was also working towards his VCE.

 

"Some of the boys were joking about what I'm going to get; having a laugh about missing training to write an essay," Stamboulidis said.

 

"But all the coaches and boys were very supportive.

 

"I recall John Didulica's speech at our induction repeating that education was very important to the City Group's philosophy and that they would support all of us; my dad was very impressed by that.

 

"There was a group of us that were coming in and out of training for a short period of time because we had to study; we had to make up for that time lost with extra work."

 

The VCE came and went, and Stamboulidis finished with a 97.45 ATAR putting him in the top 2.5 per cent of all Australian students.

 

After the VCE came his tour with the schoolboys' side to the United Kingdom in January, where they played 10 games over three weeks.

 

The achievements kept rolling on for Stamboulidis. It wasn't long before Greece came calling.

 

"It was at maybe 10.30pm at night when my mobile rang," Stamboulidis said.

 

"It was a +30 number. I answered it, and the voice on the other end was speaking Greek.

 

"It happened to be one of the legends of the game in Giannis Goumas. He played 45 times for Greece, was a part of the 2004 Euro winning side, and played 280 games in the Greek Super League."

 

Goumas offered Stamboulidis a spot in Greece's U19 squad ahead of two friendlies against Ukraine in March.

 

He accepted, and soon enough he was making his debut off the bench alongside players who were plying their trade at some of the biggest clubs in Europe.

 

"It's weird because I was an Australian playing for Greece, but the boys were still supportive," Stamboulidis said.

 

"They didn't exclude me from anything and they helped me out.

 

"But at the end of the day it doesn't matter where you play, what boots you wear, what haircut you have; it matters whether you have the will to execute the outcome you want."

 

Execute that outcome Stamboulidis did.

 

After coming off the bench in his debut, he impressed Goumas enough to earn a spot in the starting eleven in the next game.

 

Stamboulidis came back to Australia with his confidence sky high, but with one ambition: to play for the Socceroos.

 

"I was born, raised in Australia as an Australian kid; I'll always be Australian," he said.

 

"One day, I want to play for Australia."

 

Despite having a junior cap for Greece, as Stamboulidis received his dual citizenship before the age of 21, he would still be eligible to play for Australia if he is selected.

 

"I want to thank my dad for having the foresight to get me my Greek citizenship," he said.

 

"He saw what happened with Adama Traore and how his dreams of playing for Australia were dashed; he didn't want me to miss out and I have to thank him for that."

 

Having whetted his appetite at international football, Stamboulidis has now settled back in to life at Melbourne City, playing in the PlayStation 4 NPL Victoria and studying economics at Melbourne University.

 

He's still in Goumas' sights and could earn a spot in Greece's UEFA U19 Championship squad in July which will be named later this month.

 

But he's also in the rare position of potentially receiving an academic scholarship to Columbia University, and with Melbourne City's ties to American club New York City FC through parent club Manchester City, potentially in the future a spot with the MLS side.

 

Stamboulidis said he has Melbourne City to thank for helping him reach this point in his career.

 

"The professionalism at Melbourne City is second to none," Stambouidis said.

 

"City has provided an environment where players can thrive and develop and become better players, and better people, and I thank Joe Palatsides for that."

 

Regardless of whether Stamboulidis receives to call to join Greece's U19 UEFA Championship squad, or a call from Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, or even an academic scholarship to Columbia University, the boy who cut his teeth in Melbourne's northern suburbs has the world at his feet.

 

http://www.footballfedvic.com.au/haris-stamboulidis-the-boy-with-the-world-at-his-feet/

[Deviant]

 

While he feels proud to have been selected to play for Greece, Stamboulidis admitted that his heart lies with the green and gold.

-----------------------------------

"I was born, raised in Australia as an Australian kid; I'll always be Australian," he said.

 

Need more of this.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Deviant