Graham Arnold

NSL Career: Sydney Croatia, Northern Spirit 225 (72) / 1984 - 2000/01

Socceroos Career: 56 (19) A Internationals / 29 (15) B Internationals

For one of Australian football's most passionate ethnic clubs, "Arnie" became a legend and was one of the best centre-forwards in the NSL during the 1980s. Strong, hardworking and clinical in front of goal - Graham Arnold rarely missed a Socceroos game during the second half of the 1980s and experienced the responsibilities of coaching during his NSL playing career.

Hailing from the Sutherland Shire in Southern Sydney, Arnold began his junior career as a four year old at Gwawley Bay, where he spent his entire junior career. Arnold wasn't afforded much space to express his passion for the game as he went to the Rugby League-obsessed Sylvania High School, but his determination was kept alive by older brother Colin who played the game. After being rejected from Sutherland's third grade team as a 16 year old, Arnold gave football away to play first grade cricket for Sunderland before a representative from NSW Division One side Canterbury-Marrickville approached Arnold about joining the club. 

Arnold took the opportunity and quickly progressed to the first team where he was coached by former Socceroo and Sydney Croatia legend Ron Corry. Arnold made his first team debut at the age of 17 and won the Division One Golden Boot the following season. Arnold impressed Sydney Croatia after playing against them early in the 1982 season and the club signed him for $10,000 transfer fee.

Arnold was part of the Croatia side that won back-to-back championships in 1982 and 1983 and earned promotion to the NSL in 1984. Arnold became the club's top scorer in their debut NSL season before scoring a combined 28 goals with attacking midfielder Jimmy Patikas in the 1985 season as the dynamic duo helped the side reach the Northern Conference Preliminary Final.

The striker's impressive goalscoring form led to his full international debut during Australia's 1986 World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring on debut against Taiwan. Playing alongside Croatia's record signing Manis Lamond, Socceroos star Zarko Odzakov and Croatian import Zeljko Jurin in 1986, Arnold's career went to new heights as he won the NSL Golden Boot and was awarded the player-voted NSL Player of the Year award. 

Arnold had become an ever-present member of the Socceroos as Croatia reached consecutive Northern Conference Preliminary Finals in which Arnold scored in Croatia's four-three loss to Sydney Olympic. Croatia won the 1987 NSL Cup - with Arnold creating Robbie Slater's goal in the first leg and scoring in the second leg to claim Croatia's first (and only) title in the NSL. 

Croatia's triple-threat up front of Arnold, Slater and Lamond helped the club reach it's first grand final the following season, losing to Marconi in a penalty shoot-out (five-four) where Arnold converted the first penalty. Arnold spent two additional seasons at Croatia where he became caretaker coach during the 1989/90 season, replacing former Canterbury-Marrickville coach Ron Corry, before the club brought in experienced coach Tony Vrzina.

After losing his spot in the Socceroos A team in 1990, Arnold left for Europe to begin his overseas career. During a seven season stretch in the Netherlands and Belgium, the hardworking centre-forward was a regular scorer - finding the net 56 times in 124 Eredivisie appearances with Roda JC and NAC Breda, and 25 times in 74 Belgian First Division appearances for RFC Liège and Charleroi.

Following his time in Europe, Arnold joined Socceroos team mate Tony Popovic at Japanese club Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who were coached by former Socceroos coach Eddie Thomson - becoming the first Australians (along with Matt Bingley) to play in the Japanese top flight. 

Following his first season in Japan, Arnold ended his 13-year Socceroos career by playing in both legs of Australia's losing 1997 World Cup qualifying play-off to Iran, in his fourth World Cup qualifying campaign. Arnold spent another half-season at Sanfrecce before returning to Australia to join newly-formed NSL club Northern Spirit as player-coach.

Arnold led the side to the finals series in their inaugural season before spending less time on the pitch as the rigours of coaching coincided with changes in the club ownership. Arnold filled in as sweeper during his last season and a half at Spirit before hanging up his boots at the age of 37 and left the club midway through the 2000/01 season to become Socceroos coach Frank Farina's assistant on a full-time basis. Arnold was selected in Sydney United's 50th Anniversary All Stars Team as the club's all-time scorer.

The former Socceroos centre forward served under Farina, Ron Smith (interim) and Guus Hiddink as national team assistant, where he was part of Australia's 2006 World Cup staff, before becoming interim head coach and led the national team to the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup (Australia's first appearance).

Following the Asian Cup, Arnold remained in the national team set-up as Olyroos coach and led the side to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where they finished third in Group A. Following the Olympics, Arnold became assistant to Socceroos coach Pim Verbeek and was part of a Socceroos World Cup staff for the second time in 2010.

Arnold became head coach of A-League club Central Coast Mariners following the World Cup and led the club to it's most successful period: reaching two grand finals and a preliminary final in three seasons, winning the 2012/13 A-League Championship and was named 2011/12 A-League Coach of the Year.

During his tenure at Central Coast, Arnold was responsible for developing future stars and national team players Mat Ryan, Trent Sainsbury, Bernie Ibini and Mustafa Amini. Arnold left Central Coast early in the 2013/14 season to become the first Australian-born coach to manage a Japanese top flight club, joining Vegalta Sendai.

An unsuccessful stint at Vegalta saw Arnold return to Australia and replace Frank Farina at Sydney FC for the 2014/15 A-League season. Arnold led Sydney to the A-League Grand Final in his first season, losing three-nil to Melbourne Victory before failing to qualify for the finals series the following season. Over the next two seasons, Arnold's turned Sydney in to the most dominant side in the league and broke records in the process.

In Sydney's premiership-winning 2016/17 season - the club accumulated the most points in an A-League season, lost just one game (just the third team to do so in national league history) and conceded a national league record 12 goals. Sydney defeated Victory in a penalty shoot-out to win the grand final and narrowly missed out on achieving the first A-League Treble after losing the 2016 FFA Cup Final to Melbourne City.

Arnold was named A-League Coach of the Year for the second time before following up Sydney's success the following season, winning the 2017 FFA Cup and winning the 2017/18 A-League Premiership after the club scored a league record 64 goals during the regular season. Arnold was named A-League Coach of the Year for a then record third time and led Sydney to the semi-finals before replacing World Cup coach Bert van Marwijk as national team coach.

Splitting his time as Olyroos coach, Arnold led the U-23 side to their first Olympics appearance since 2008 where Arnold's side defeated Argentina in the group stages. Since taking over as Socceroos head coach, Arnold has reached the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup (2019) and qualified the team for the 2022 World Cup following a world record 11-game winning streak during the qualifying stages.