Charlie Yankos
Australian soccer player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charlie Yankos OAM (born 29 May 1961) is an Australian former footballer who played for the Australian national team 49 times and scored 7 international goals. He captained the national team on 30 occasions between 1986 and 1989.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 29 May 1961 | ||
| Place of birth | Melbourne, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Sweeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1978–1979 | Heidelberg United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1979–1985 | Heidelberg United | 136 | (6) |
| 1986 | West Adelaide | ||
| 1987–1988 | APIA Leichhardt | 44 | (0) |
| 1988–1989 | PAOK | 7 | (0) |
| 1989–1990 | Blacktown City | ||
| 1990–1992 | Wollongong City | ||
| 1992 | Canterbury-Marrickville | 15 | (2) |
| 1992–1994 | Wollongong City | (7) | |
| International career‡ | |||
| 1983–1989 | Australia[1] | 49 | (7) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 12 February 2008 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 12 February 2008 | |||
Charlie Yankos started his local football career with former NSL club Heidelberg United in 1979 and became one of the greatest players to wear the gold and black colors. He was also an important part of APIA Leichhardt's 1987 NSL title victory.[2]
International career
Charlie Yankos represented the Australian national team on 49 times including 13 world cup qualifiers, captaining the side on 30 occasions and scoring 7 international goals. He participated in the 1985 and 1989 World Cup qualifying campaigns, and also played in the Seoul Olympics in 1988 where Australia made the quarterfinals.
Yankos scored a long range goal from over 30 yards in the 1988 Australian Bicentennial Gold Cup against then-World Champions Argentina.[3] In a 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification away match against Israel, he scored an equaliser for Australia, again with a long range free kick.[4]
After retirement
Following his retirement from football, Yankos moved into a successful career in business. He was inducted into the Football Australia Hall of Fame in 1999.
Charlie Yankos Street in the Sydney suburb of Glenwood is named for him.[5]
Career statistics
International
- Scores and results list Australia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Yankos goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 March 1988 | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Australia |  Israel |
1–0 | 2–0 | 1988 Summer Olympics qualification | [7] |
| 2 | 14 July 1988 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia |  Argentina |
2–1 | 4–1 | Friendly | [8] |
| 3 | 3–1 | ||||||
| 4 | 3 December 1988 | Macquarie Field, Lake Macquarie, Australia |  Fiji |
1–0 | 5–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification | [9] |
| 5 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 6 | 12 March 1989 | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney, Australia |  New Zealand |
4–1 | 4–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification | [10] |
| 7 | 19 March 1989 | Ramat Gan Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel | Israel |
1–1 | 1–1 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification | [11] |