Billy Celeski
Encyclopedia
Blagoja 'Billy' Celeski (born 14 July 1985), is an Australian football (soccer)
player. He currently plays for Melbourne Victory as a central midfielder. His cousin is Perth Glory player Naum Sekulovski
.
, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia, he early moved to Australia where he spent his entire career. Celeski signed for Perth Glory
for the 2005/2006 A-League
season from Bulleen playing 18 times and won the club's media award, but was released at the end of the season. Celeski graduated from the Victorian Institute of Sport
and Australian Institute of Sport
. In March 2007 Celeski was signed by Perth Glory
again. A notable performance, with Perth Glory, in the A-League
occurred on Saturday, December 15, 2007 - where Celeski scored a hat-trick in Perth Glory's 4-2 win over Sydney FC
at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Afterwards Celeski signed to Melbourne Victory
at the end of the 2007/08
season in a one year deal, post-mutual termination of his Perth Glory contract, primarily to bolster the squad for the Asian Champions League. Celeski scored his first goal for his new club in their 3-2 win over Adelaide United on the 31 October 2008. Celeski signed a new 2 year contract with Melbourne Victory on the 23 December 2008.
Celeski went on to play a role in the Melbourne team, performing an important role in their title-winning campaign, while also not missing a league match until late 2009. This was to be stopped on the September 3rd of that year however, when he suffered a season ending anterior cruciate ligament injury
, in the opening of a match against Newcastle Jets.
on 28 January 2009 in a AFC Asian Cup qualifying match versus Indonesia
, appearing as a substitute for Tom Pondeljak
. He was also a member of the unsuccessful Olyroos squad that took part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
: A-League Championship: 2008-2009
A-League Premiership: 2008-2009
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player. He currently plays for Melbourne Victory as a central midfielder. His cousin is Perth Glory player Naum Sekulovski
Naum Sekulovski
Naum Sekulovski is an Australian football player. He last played as a left winger for the A-League club Perth Glory.- A-League career statistics :...
.
Club career
Born in OhridOhrid
Ohrid is a city on the eastern shore of Lake Ohrid in the Republic of Macedonia. It has about 42,000 inhabitants, making it the seventh largest city in the country. The city is the seat of Ohrid Municipality. Ohrid is notable for having once had 365 churches, one for each day of the year and has...
, SR Macedonia, SFR Yugoslavia, he early moved to Australia where he spent his entire career. Celeski signed for Perth Glory
Perth Glory FC
Perth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
for the 2005/2006 A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
season from Bulleen playing 18 times and won the club's media award, but was released at the end of the season. Celeski graduated from the Victorian Institute of Sport
Victorian Institute of Sport
The Victorian Institute of Sport is the government-funded sporting institute of the Australian state of Victoria. It runs a number of programs for sports training. The headquarters are located in Melbourne. The inaugural executive director of the institute was Frank Pyke....
and Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
. In March 2007 Celeski was signed by Perth Glory
Perth Glory FC
Perth Glory Football Club is a professional football club in Perth, Western Australia, Australia, competing in Australia's top football competition the A-League. Perth Glory is one of only three clubs to survive from the now defunct National Soccer League...
again. A notable performance, with Perth Glory, in the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
occurred on Saturday, December 15, 2007 - where Celeski scored a hat-trick in Perth Glory's 4-2 win over Sydney FC
Sydney FC
Sydney FC is a professional football club based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and competes in the country's premier football competition, the A-League...
at the Sydney Football Stadium.
Afterwards Celeski signed to Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
at the end of the 2007/08
A-League 2007-08
The A-League 2007-08 season was the third season of the Australian A-League football competition, won by the Newcastle Jets. Football Federation Australia hoped to build on the success of the previous two seasons and on the interest generated by and playing in the 2007 AFC Champions League, and...
season in a one year deal, post-mutual termination of his Perth Glory contract, primarily to bolster the squad for the Asian Champions League. Celeski scored his first goal for his new club in their 3-2 win over Adelaide United on the 31 October 2008. Celeski signed a new 2 year contract with Melbourne Victory on the 23 December 2008.
Celeski went on to play a role in the Melbourne team, performing an important role in their title-winning campaign, while also not missing a league match until late 2009. This was to be stopped on the September 3rd of that year however, when he suffered a season ending anterior cruciate ligament injury
Anterior cruciate ligament injury
An injury to the anterior cruciate ligament can be a debilitating musculoskeletal injury to the knee, seen most often in athletes. Non-contact tears and ruptures are the most common causes of ACL injury....
, in the opening of a match against Newcastle Jets.
International career
Celeski made his first senior international debut for the SocceroosAustralia national football (soccer) team
The Australia national association football team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is the "Socceroos"...
on 28 January 2009 in a AFC Asian Cup qualifying match versus Indonesia
Indonesia national football team
The Indonesia national football team represents Indonesia in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Indonesia . Prior to independence in 1945, the team competed as the Dutch East Indies national football team. Under this name, Indonesia was the first Asian team to...
, appearing as a substitute for Tom Pondeljak
Tom Pondeljak
Tomislav Pondeljak is an Australian football player, who is currently playing for A-league club Melbourne Victory.-Club career:...
. He was also a member of the unsuccessful Olyroos squad that took part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Honours
With Melbourne VictoryMelbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
: A-League Championship: 2008-2009
A-League 2008-09
The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasian A-League association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion...
A-League Premiership: 2008-2009
A-League 2008-09
The 2008–09 A-League season was the fourth season of the Australasian A-League association football competition. Two new clubs, North Queensland Thunder and Gold Coast Galaxy had received tentative licences from the FFA but these were revoked for the 2008–09 season on 12 March 2008. Expansion...