Charlie Yankos

Charlie Yankos OAM (born 29 May 1961) is an Australian former footballer player who played for the Australian national team 49 times and scored 7 full international goals. He captained the national team on 30 occasions between 1986 and 1989.

Charlie Yankos
Personal information
Date of birth (1961-05-29) 29 May 1961
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position(s) 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 Salonika 7 (0)
1989–1990 Blacktown City
1990–1992 Wollongong City
1992 Canterbury-Marrickville 15 (2)
1992–1994 Wollongong City (7)
National team‡
1983–1989 Australia[1] 49 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 February 2008
‡ National team caps and goals correct 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.

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.

He is probably most famous for a remarkable long range goal from over 30 yards, that he scored in the 1988 Australian Bicentennial Gold Cup against then World Champions Argentina. In Israel, he is widely remembered for scoring an equaliser for Australia in an 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification away match against Israel, again with a long range free kick. An Israeli television commentator criticized the Israeli defensive wall saying "that's not the way to set a wall", which became a Hebrew idiom for "that's not the way to do it right".

After retirement

Following his retirement from football, Charlie Yankos moved into a successful career in business.

Charlie Yankos Street in the Sydney suburb of Glenwood is named for him.[2]

References
  1. Australia - Record International Players
  2. O'Maley, Christine (20 January 2010). "Park is a goner". Blacktown Advocate. Cumberland Newspapers. p. 14. ...streets are named after well known football identities...
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