Mario Bilen (born 23 January 1985 in Vinkovci, Croatia) is a Croatian professional footballer who currently plays for NRFL Division 2 club Ngaruawahia United.[2]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mario Bilen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 23 January 1985[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Vinkovci, Croatia | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender, Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Ngaruawahia | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cibalia Vinkovci | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2007 | Cibalia | 39 | (0) |
| 2004 | → Dilj (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2007 | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | 0 | (0) |
| 2008 | Orašje | 10 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Slaven Belupo | 23 | (1) |
| 2010 | Flamurtari | 7 | (0) |
| 2010 | Vukovar '91 | 2 | (0) |
| 2011 | Nehaj | 15 | (0) |
| 2012 | Zadar | 21 | (0) |
| 2013–2021 | Auckland City | 94 | (2) |
| 2022– | Ngaruawahia | 2 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2001 | Croatia U15 | 5 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Croatia U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2003 | Croatia U18 | 5 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Croatia U19 | 13 | (1) |
| 2004 | Croatia U20 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:20, 14 June 2021 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editA stalwart in Croatia's top-flight, the 1.HNL. and youth national teams, where he befriended Luka Modric, Bilen immigrated to New Zealand in 2013 to sign for 9x OFC Oceania Champions League winners, Auckland City FC.[3] After leading the defensive line for the club in over 100 top-flight matches in New Zealand, Bilen departed the club in December 2022, aged 36.
He is widely regarded as a club legend at City and played an instrumental role in the club's third-place finish at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2014 as the starting centre-back.[4]
Following his departure from Auckland City, he joined Ngaruawahia United on the eve of their promotion playoff into NRFL Division 2 against Papakura City. He made his debut for Ngaruawahia in the first game of the NRFL Division 2 season in a 2–0 away win over West Auckland.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c "FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 December 2013. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013.
- ^ "Ngaruawahia United sign Auckland City midfielder on eve of promotion play-off". 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Mario BILEN".
- ^ "Bilen bids farewell to Auckland City FC".
- ^ "Northern Region Football".
External links
edit- Mario Bilen at Soccerway
- Mario Bilen at the Croatian Football Federation
- Mario Bilen at Auckland City FC at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 October 2013)
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