Sofia Sakalis
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sofia Sakalis | ||
| Date of birth | 11 July 2002 | ||
| Place of birth | East Melbourne, Australia | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Melbourne Victory | ||
| Number | 5 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2016 | FV Academy | 28 | (5) |
| 2017–2021 | Melbourne City | 5 | (0) |
| 2018–2021 | South Melbourne | 52 | (20) |
| 2021–2024 | Perth Glory | 49 | (3) |
| 2024– | Melbourne Victory | 14 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2016–2017 | Australia U-17 | 8 | (12) |
| 2018–2022 | Australia U-20 | 2 | (0) |
| 2025– | Australia U-23 | 3 | (0) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 March 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 August 2025 | |||
Sofia Sakalis (Greek: Σοφία Σακαλής, pronounced [soˈfi.a sakaˈlis];[1] born 11 July 2002) is an Australian soccer player who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League Women. She has represented Australia in the Australia U-17 and Australia U-20. Sakalis plays the attacking midfielder position.
Sakalis, who is of Greek-Australian background, showed interest in soccer at the age of three and began playing two years later.[2][3] When she first started playing, coaches assigned her to teams with boys her age but advanced her to play with older boys.[2] At age 13, her performance at the National Championships earned her call-ups to three training camps with the Junior Matildas, Australia's under-17 national team.[2]
Club career
During 2015 and 2016, she played for Football Victoria Academy (FV Academy) in the National Premier Leagues Victoria Women (NPLV Women) for 28 games and provided 5 goals.[4]: 86
Melbourne City, 2017–2021
After training with Melbourne City in 2015–16 W-League (later A-League Women), Sakalis signed with the team for the 2017–18 season at the age of 15.[5] She made her debut for the club during the team's 5–2 win over the Newcastle Jets on 12 November.[6][7] During the W-League off-seasons she played for South Melbourne FC from 2018–2021 appearing 52 times for 20 goals.[4]: 118–119
Perth Glory, 2021–2024
Sofia signed a 2-year deal with Perth Glory ahead of the 2021–22 A-League Women season.[8] In August 2024, Sakalis announced that she had left the club.[9] During the A-League off-seasons for 2022 to 2024, she played 43 matches for Box Hill United (women) in the NPLV Women and kicked 16 goals.[4]: 43, 45
Melbourne Victory, 2024–
In August 2024, Sakalis joined Melbourne Victory.[10] A year later she was re-signed to the team.[11]
National Premier League
Sakalis was awarded Football Victoria's Gold Medal Award for the best player of 2022.[4]: 133 From 2016 to 2024 she has played a total of 123 matches for NPLV Women clubs (FV Academy, South Melbourne, Box Hill United).[4]: 136
International career
Sakalis competed with the Junior Matildas[12][13] at the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification tournament in Vietnam where they finished first in their group with an undefeated record.[14] During the team's first group match against Palestine, Sakalis scored five goals,[15] and scored a total of 11 goals over 5 games.[16] She was the top scorer at the qualifying tournament, helping Australia secure a place at the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship in Thailand.[14][17]
The midfielder joined the Australia U-23 squad for the 2025 ASEAN Women's Championship in Phú Thọ, Vietnam, in August 2025.[18] Appearing in three of five matches during the tournament, Sakalis helped them reach the final, which they won against two-time champions Myanmar.[18]
