Tomislav Mrčela (Croatian pronunciation: [tǒmislaʋ mř̩tʃela];[1] born 1 October 1990) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defender for Rudeš.[2]
 Mrčela with Western Sydney Wanderers in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tomislav Mrčela | ||
| Date of birth | 1 October 1990 | ||
| Place of birth | Perth, Western Australia | ||
| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Centre-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Rudeš | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2009 | RNK Split | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2009 | Jadran Kaštel Sućurac | ||
| 2010–2011 | Primorac 1929 | 32 | (0) |
| 2011 | Imotski | 13 | (3) |
| 2012 | RNK Split | 0 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Imotski (loan) | 28 | (0) |
| 2013 | Mosor | 12 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | 27 | (2) |
| 2014–2016 | Lokomotiva | 50 | (2) |
| 2016–2018 | Jeonnam Dragons | 51 | (3) |
| 2018–2020 | Perth Glory | 30 | (2) |
| 2021–2022 | East Bengal | 9 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | Western Sydney Wanderers | 38 | (1) |
| 2023–2014 | Neftchi Fergana | 8 | (0) |
| 2024– | Rudeš | 7 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 March 2023 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 13 June 2015 | |||
Club career edit
Mrcela left Australia at a young age and joined the youth academy of Dalmatian side RNK Split.[citation needed] He left Split in 2009 to join Jadran Kaštel, a third division side at the time, and later signed for NK Primorac 1929 in 2010.[citation needed]
In mid 2011, Tomislav joined NK Imotski.[citation needed] Despite being just 20 years of age, Mrcela was immediately a starter. Missing just one game all season, Mrcela made 29 appearances and scored a further three goals. Mrcela continued his good form into the next season and missed just one further game by January 2013.[citation needed] His good form led to a move to fellow second division side NK Mosor where he played out the remainder of the 2012–13 season.[citation needed]
After good performances at Mosor, he moved to top division side NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac.[citation needed] Initially Mrcela struggled, making just four appearances in the first twelve rounds but then became a mainstay in the starting XI.[citation needed] Unfortunately his side were relegated by the end of the season but Mrcela did enough to convince ambitious Zagreb side NK Lokomotiva to keep him in the first division by signing him on a four-year deal[3]
Mrcela scored his first goal for Lokomotiva on debut in a 5–2 loss against HNK Hajduk Split.[citation needed]
On 28 June 2016, Mrcela transferred to South Korean club Jeonnam Dragons.[citation needed]
On 14 June 2018, Mrcela left Jeonnam Dragons to join Australian A-League club Perth Glory on a two-year deal.[4] During his stay at the club, he won the A-League and contributed massively to the team's success.[5]
On 14 September 2021, Mrcela joined Indian Super League club SC East Bengal[6] on a one-year deal. He scored his first goal for the club on 12 December in a 1–1 draw against Kerala Blasters.[7] He was later replaced by Nepali defender Ananta Tamang as their sole AFC Quota.[8]
On 17 February 2022, he moved back to Australia signing with Western Sydney Wanderers until the end of the 2021–22 A-League Men season as an injury replacement player for captain Rhys Williams.[9] After making 12 appearances, Mrcela signed a two-year contract extension with the club.[10]
Mrcela scored his first goal for the Wanderers on 15 October 2022 in a 1-0 win against Melbourne Victory.[11] After helping the club to their first finals appearance in 6 years, Mrcela left the club to join Uzbek side Neftchi Fergana.[12]
International career edit
Holding dual citizenship, Mrcela is eligible to play for either Croatia or Australia. On 10 June 2015, he was named in a 23-man squad for Australia before two 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Kyrgyzstan.[13]
Career statistics edit
Club edit
- As of 5 May 2022[14]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Imotski | 2011–12 | Druga HNL | 27 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 27 | 3 | |
| 2012–13 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | |||
| Total | 41 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 3 | ||
| Mosor | 2012–13 | Druga HNL | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |
| Total | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | ||
| Hrvatski Dragovoljac | 2013–14 | Prva HNL | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 27 | 2 | |
| Total | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 | ||
| Lokomotiva Zagreb | 2014–15 | Prva HNL | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 33 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | 20 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| Total | 50 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 59 | 2 | ||
| Jeonnam Dragons | 2016 | K League 1 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 28 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | 30 | 3 | |||
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| Total | 51 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 3 | ||
| Perth Glory | 2018–19 | A-League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| 2019–20 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1[b] | 0 | 20 | 3 | ||
| Total | 30 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 3 | ||
| East Bengal | 2021–22 | Indian Super League | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 9 | 1 | |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 2021–22 | A-League | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 12 | 0 | |
| Career total | 232 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 245 | 15 | ||
- ^ Appearance(s) in Europa League
- ^ Appearance(s) in the AFC Champions League
Honours edit
Perth Glory
References edit
- ^ "Tòmislav". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 20 March 2018.
Tòmislav
- "mȋrta". Hrvatski jezični portal (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 20 March 2018.Mr̀čela
- ^ Desk, India com Sports (14 September 2021). "ISL 2021-22: SC East Bengal Signs Tomislav Mrcela: All You Need to Know". India News, Breaking News | India.com. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
- ^ Soccerway profile
- NK Lokomotiva: Tomislav Mrcela novi je igrač Lokomotive! - ^ Taylor, Nick (14 June 2018). "Perth Glory sign former Socceroos defender Tomislav Mrcela". The West Australian.
- ^ "ISL: SC East Bengal sign Australian defender Tomislav Mrcela". The Bridge. 14 September 2021.
- ^ "SC EAST BENGAL ANNOUNCED THIRTY THREE MEMBER SQUAD FOR ISL". kolkatafootball.com. Archived from the original on 3 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
- ^ ISL 2021-22: Mrcela, Vazquez goals leads to 1-1 draw between SC East Bengal and Kerala Blasters. sportstar.thehindu.com. 12 December 2021. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Atrayo (11 February 2022). "ISL Season 8: SC East Bengal bolster their backline by signing Nepal international Ananta Tamang". insidesport.in. InsidePost. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ Clarke, George (17 February 2022). "New signing for A-League's Wanderers". FTBL.
- ^ "Mrcela re-signs with the Red & Black". Western Sydney Wanderers. 27 June 2022.
- ^ Lynch, Joey (16 October 2022). "Western Sydney Wanderers end Melbourne Victory's unbeaten A-League Men run thanks to Mrcela magic". ESPN Australia.
- ^ D'Urbano, Nick (25 July 2023). "Star defender departs Wanderers to pursue overseas opportunities". KEEPUP.
- ^ "Mrcela ready to show Socceroos his quality". Socceroos. 10 June 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Tomislav Mrčela at Soccerway
- ^ Perth Glory claim their first Hyundai A-League Premiership A-League official. Retrieved 10 September 2021
External links edit
- Tomislav Mrčela – K League stats at kleague.com (in Korean)
- Tomislav Mrčela at Soccerway
- Tomislav Mrčela at the official Croatian Football Federation Semafor site
