Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Sydney: Brett Holman was named as the 2012 Footballer of the Year at the fourth edition of the annual Australian Football Awards held on Wednesday.
A key member of the Socceroos' squad that finished runners-up at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, Holman has built on his impressive displays in Doha by playing a pivotal role in Australia's qualification campaign for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Sydney born and bred, Holman grew up playing for the Enfield Rovers in the Canterbury Association and showed plenty of promise from a young age. He later played youth team football with Northern Spirit and later joined Parramatta Power in the NSL as a 17-year old professional in 2001. During that season he played 13 matches, scoring 5 goals and impressing some international scouts that signed him to Dutch powerhouse club Feyenoord in 2002.
Once in the Netherlands he actually never played a match with the club that signed him, but was immediately loaned out to Excelsior where he stayed for the next 4 years playing 134 matches and scoring 39 goals. In 2006, Holman moved to fellow Eredivisie club NEC Nijmegen and over two seasons played 59 matches and scored 13 goals.
In 2008 the legendary Dutch coach Louie Van Gaal signed him at AZ Alkmaar where he has been starring ever since and has played 74 matches and scored 11 goals.
In March this year, Holman agreed to a transfer from AZ Alkmaar to English Premier League club Aston Villa and on 1 July formally joined the club. Since moving to "The Villa" Holman has become a crowd favourite for his dynamic and in your face approach, so much so that he was named the Aston Villa's fans player of the month recently.
For Australia, Holman represented the Joeys at the 2001 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the Australian U-23 men's team at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. He debuted for the Socceroos against Bahrain in 2006. Since that day he has accrued 57 appearances scoring 8 goals including two very memorable strikes against Ghana and Serbia at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
The Australian Football Awards brings together all levels of the sport from the grass roots football community through to the ranks of the Socceroos and Matildas, providing a unique opportunity to recognise and reward outstanding achievements.