Oscar Crino

NSL Career: South Melbourne, Footscray, Preston 160 (25) / 1983 - 1990/91

Socceroos Career: 39 (6) A Internationals / 31 (6) B Internationals

When we think of Australian football, rarely do the words "finesse" and "magic" come to mind. Oscar Crino was one of the most inventive players to grace the NSL - whether it be a sublime piece of skill to dazzle opponents, scoring an important goal or using his vision and incredible passing range to find a team mate with relative ease.

Born in Argentina where he started his junior career at San Lorenzo (one of Argentina's "big five" clubs), Crino immigrated to Australia as a 10 year old and played junior football for Victorian clubs Footscray and Brunswick Juventus. Crino started playing senior football for Brunswick as a 16 year old in the Victorian State League before being part of the first intake of players to the AIS Soccer Program in 1981 and debuted for the Socceroos in the same year as a 19 year old.

Crino signed for Tung Sing in the Hong Kong First Division in 1982, as one of only a handful of Australians playing abroad at the time, before returning to Australia and making his NSL debut in 1983 with South Melbourne. In his first season, Crino claimed the NSL's U21 Player of the Year award and starred for South the following season, where he scored in the second leg of South's grand final victory over Sydney Olympic.

Crino continued his scintillating form during the 1985 season where South reached the semi-finals of the Southern Conference before moving to Anorthosis Famagusta in the Cypriot First Division in order to reach the next level. Crino's time in Cyprus was cut short by osteitis pubis and the Socceroos midfielder returned to the NSL to play for Footscray following surgery. Crino served Footscray with distinction, turning games in the middle of the park with his skill and vision, but was unable to save the club from relegation in the 1989 season. 

After making his last appearance for the national team in 1989, and Footscray dropping out of the NSL, Crino failed to recapture the form that made him a star as he joined Preston where he only managed to play two half-seasons before finally succumbing to a career ending knee injury at just 28 years of age. 

As one of the hard luck stories of Australian football, one has to wonder how far Crino's talent could have taken him had he avoided serious injuries. In only three seasons with South, he was selected in their Team of the Century and was selected at central midfield in FFA's Socceroos Team of the 1980s.