Liam Graham (footballer)

Liam Matthew Graham (born 14 August 1992) is a New Zealand professional footballer who plays for Auckland City and the New Zealand national team.

Liam Graham
Personal information
Full name Liam Matthew Graham[1]
Date of birth (1992-08-14) 14 August 1992 (age 32)[1]
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Right back
Youth career
2010–2012 Vicenza
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Ascoli 1 (0)
2014–2015 Monza 0 (0)
2014–2015Pro Patria (loan) 5 (0)
2015–2017 Chesterfield 4 (0)
2016Whitehawk (loan) 15 (0)
2017 Auckland City 4 (0)
International career
2011 New Zealand U20 1 (0)
2016– New Zealand 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:36, 9 April 2018 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 8 October 2016

Graham was born in Melbourne, Australia. He played youth football with Vicenza before making his professional debut with Ascoli in 2013. In 2014, Graham signed with Monza and subsequently played for Pro Patria on loan.

Early life

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Graham was born in Melbourne, Australia, but spent his youth moving throughout Australia, Singapore, New Zealand and Japan.[2] He started playing football aged five.[3]

Club career

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Vicenza

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Graham signed for Serie B club Vicenza in 2010 after an eight-day trial with the side.[4] He played two seasons for the side's youth team in the Campionato Nazionale Primavera.[2]

Ascoli

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On 10 August 2012, Graham signed a senior contract with Ascoli.[5] He made his competitive debut for the side in a loss to Hellas Verona in the 2012–13 Serie B, coming on for Róbert Feczesin after 77 minutes.[6]

Graham missed the 2013–14 season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament at the beginning of the season and was left without a contract. After his recovery, he spent the final months of the season training with Savona.

Monza

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In 2014, Graham signed with Monza before being loaned out to Pro Patria in the Lega Pro.[3] Graham's debut came in September 2014, starting in a 2–0 loss to Südtirol.[7]

Chesterfield

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In October 2015, Graham joined Football League One club Chesterfield.[8] He joined National League South Whitehawk on loan in March 2016.[9] Graham suffered another anterior cruciate ligament knee injury in November 2016, which kept him out for the remainder of the season.

Auckland City

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Graham returned to New Zealand in September 2017, signing with Auckland City.[10]

International career

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In April 2011, Graham was called up to the New Zealand U-20 squad for the 2011 OFC U-20 Championship.[4] He made his debut off the bench in a group stage win over Solomon Islands, coming on for Marco Rojas after 79 minutes.[11] New Zealand won the tournament, beating Solomon Islands in the final and qualifying for the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup.[12]

In September 2016, Graham received his first call-up to the New Zealand national team for a tour of North America.[13] He made his debut in a 2–1 friendly loss to Mexico.[14]

Career statistics

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As of match played 27 September 2016[15]
Club Season Division League FA Cup League Cup Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ascoli 2012–13 Serie B 1 0 - - - - 0 0 1 0
Monza 2014–15 Lega Pro 0 0 - - - - 0 0 0 0
Pro Patria (loan) 2014–15 Lega Pro 5 0 - - - - 0 0 5 0
Chesterfield 2015–16 League One 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2016–17 League One 5 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 7 0
Whitehawk (loan) 2015–16 National League South 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 0
Career total 26 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 28 0

Honours

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International

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New Zealand national football team

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2017: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 29 November 2017. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b Adam Howard (1 August 2013). "Liam's Italian Job". RobbieStriker.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Liam Graham "My injury made me stronger and better"". Genova International Soccer School. 11 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b Michael Brown (17 April 2011). "Soccer: A professional approach". The New Zealand Herald.
  5. ^ "August signings: Liam Graham at Ascoli Calcio". Genova International Soccer School. 11 August 2012. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015.
  6. ^ "Ascoli Picchio vs. Hellas Verona 0 – 5". Soccerway. 14 March 2014.
  7. ^ "Südtirol vs. Pro Patria 2 – 0". Soccerway. 27 September 2014.
  8. ^ "Spireites: Kiwi defender signs after trial". Derbyshire Times. 26 October 2015. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  9. ^ "Graham Heads to Whitehawk". Chesterfield FC Official website. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  10. ^ "Auckland City sign All Whites defender Liam Graham". Stuff.co.nz. 22 September 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Solomon Islands – New Zealand 0:3" (PDF). Oceania Football Confederation. 23 April 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2011.
  12. ^ "Soccer: Junior All Whites reach World Cup". The New Zealand Herald. 29 April 2011.
  13. ^ "Football: Winston Reid returns for All Whites". The New Zealand Herald. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2016.
  14. ^ "All Whites foot it with Mexicans | New Zealand Football". Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2016.
  15. ^ "L. Graham". Soccerway. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  16. ^ "Solomon Islands – New Zealand 1:3" (PDF). Oceania Football Confederation. 29 April 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 August 2011.