Melissa Barbieri

Melissa Barbieri
Personal information
Full name Melissa Anne Barbieri[1]
Date of birth (1980-02-20) 20 February 1980
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia
Height 168 cm (5 ft 6 in)[1]
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current team
 Melbourne Victory
Number 20
Youth career
1996–2008 Victoria Vision
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
2008 Richmond SC
2008–2011 Melbourne Victory 28 (0)
2011–2012 Newcastle Jets 9 (0)
2012–2013 Box Hill United 10 (0)
2013–2015 Adelaide United 12 (0)
2015– Melbourne Victory 0 (0)
National team‡
2002–2015 Australia 86 (0)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 February 2014.
† Appearances (goals)

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 June 2015

Melissa Anne Barbieri (born 20 January 1980) is an Australian international football goalkeeper. She plays for Melbourne Victory's W-League team.

Biography

Before the 2007 World Cup Barbieri played 54 games for Australia.

At 1.68m tall, her height has been questioned by the media in her position at goalkeeper, although has aptly proven herself as a shot-stopper.

She played for Richmond SC, becoming the first female to play in the professional men's league. After gaining experience in the men's league, Barbieri made her debut in goals for the Matildas in September 2002 in a 1–0 win against Canada.

In 2008, she was approached by the US football team, the Boston Renegades.[2] However, the Boston management eventually pursued this no further for the remainder of the season, due to Barbieri's commitments to the Australian national team.[3]

She signed for Melbourne Victory for the inaugural season of the Westfield W-League. Barbieri won the Goalkeeper of the year award in that season.

She was a scholarship holder with the Victorian Institute of Sport.[4]

On 19 February 2010, Barbieri was named captain of the Matildas following the 2009 retirement of Cheryl Salisbury.[5]

In June 2011, Barbieri was on the cover of the Australian FourFourTwo Magazine along with fellow Matilda's Thea Slatyer, Sam Kerr, Kyah Simon and Sarah Walsh.

Barbieri had her first child, a girl, in 2013.

In May 2015 national coach Alen Stajcic surprisingly axed Brianna Davey from Australia's 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup squad, recalling resurgent veteran Barbieri for her fourth World Cup.[6]

Career highlights

Honours

Country

Australia

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 "List of Players - Australia" (PDF). FIFA. 6 July 2015. p. 1. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Ritson, John (1 April 2008). "Boston Mad For Barbs". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  3. ↑ Cheng, Peng (18 April 2008). "Interview With Melissa Barbieri". Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  4. ↑ "Barbieri set to break the code". AAP/Sydney Morning Herald. 3 March 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2008.
  5. ↑ "Westfield Matildas to face DPR Korea in Brisbane". Football Federation Australia. 20 February 2010.
  6. ↑ "Matildas omit top scorer Kate Gill from Women's World Cup squad". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
  7. ↑ "Bubs’ risk pays off and shuts up the haters". Football Federation Australia. 29 April 2014.

External links

Sporting positions
Preceded by
Cheryl Salisbury		 Australia captain
2009–2013 		Succeeded by
Clare Polkinghorne
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