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Aziz BehichAustralian footballer
Date of Birth: 16.12.1990
Country:  Australia |
Content:
- Biography of Aziz Behich
- Move to Melbourne Victory
- Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart
- Melbourne Heart
- Bursaspor
- International Career
Biography of Aziz Behich
Early life and CareerAziz Behich is an Australian footballer born in Northern Cyprus. He is a defender for the club "Bursaspor" and the Australian national team. Behich played for the youth team "Green Gully". He participated in the North-West Melbourne Junior League. In 2007, he played for the club's reserve team. In February 2007, Behich returned to Australia after training at the David Beckham Academy. In 2008, Behich unexpectedly moved to the first team, despite the coach, Ian Dobson, preferring experienced players. Behich made his debut on February 22, 2008, when his team lost 2-0 to "Richmond". He came on the field in the 57th minute. In 2008, Behich scored 2 goals in 11 matches, playing for "Green Gully" in the Second Division of Australia.
Move to Melbourne Victory
Before the start of the 2008/09 National Youth League, Behich, along with six other players, was taken to Melbourne Victory. On January 3, 2009, Aziz scored in a match against "Brisbane Roar," and his team won 3-0. A week later, he scored again, bringing victory with a score of 2-0 over "Perth Glory" on January 10, 2009. The Melbourne team finished 6th out of 7. During the National Youth League offseason, Behich returned to "Green Gully" for the 2009 season. Aziz played 22 matches for "Green Gully," including the playoff final, and scored 2 goals. His second goal was scored in the playoff match against "Altona Magic." In that match, Behich came on the field in the 80th minute when "Green Gully" was losing 3-2. Aziz equalized in the 94th minute, taking the game into extra time. However, "Green Gully" eventually lost 4-3 on penalties.
Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart
In the following season, Behich became the only player to re-sign with the Melbourne Victory Youth team and was given the captain's armband. He made his debut for the Melbourne Victory first team on January 16, 2010, in the 2009/10 season. He came on the field in the 83rd minute, replacing Carlos Hernandez, and his team won 6-2 against "Perth Glory." His second match took place on January 23, 2010, where he came on the field in the 91st minute, again replacing Carlos Hernandez, and his team won 2-0 against "Adelaide United." In January 2010, it was announced that Behich was included in the club's squad for the AFC Champions League. Behich was substituted in the second half of the 2009/10 A-League final when "Victory" lost on penalties to "Sydney." Behich then signed a contract with "North Geelong Warriors" during the A-League offseason.
Melbourne Heart
By July 2010, he had a trial with the "Melbourne Heart" team, where he participated in club friendly matches, including a 2-0 loss to "Everton". Soon after, Behich signed a 7-week contract with the club until October 2010 as a replacement for the injured Kristian Sarkies. After Dean Heffernan received a red card, Behich entered the starting lineup to cover his position, thus securing his place in the team. On October 25, 2010, he signed a full contract with "Melbourne Heart." Behich became the first player to play for both leading Melbourne clubs, "Heart" and "Victory." He was the first player to be sent off in the Melbourne Derby, receiving a second yellow card in the first-ever meeting between the clubs, which "Heart" won 2-1. In January, Behich was awarded the A-League Young Player of the Month. On January 28, 2012, Dutch media reported that Behich attracted the attention of Eredivisie club "Excelsior" and two teams from the 2. Bundesliga: "Bochum" and "Eintracht." The coach of "Excelsior," John Lammers, spoke about his interest in the promising young player to Rotterdam newspapers "Algemeen Dagblad" and "NRC Handelsblad": "We are looking for an opportunity to invite Aziz to the club; he has exceptional talent."
Bursaspor
On January 29, 2013, Behich signed a contract with the Turkish Super Lig club, "Bursaspor." On March 11, 2013, Aziz Behich made his debut in the Turkish Super Lig in a match against "Fenerbahce," coming on the field in the 69th minute, replacing Tuncay Sanli. However, for the rest of the season, he returned to "Melbourne Heart" on loan. On March 4, 2016, Behich extended his contract with "Bursaspor" for three years, which was set to expire in May.
International Career
Behich was called up to the Australian national under-23 team by coach Aurelio Vidmar for a friendly match against Japan at the "Tohoku Denryoku Big Swan" stadium in Niigata on Wednesday, June 1, 2011. Behich was included in the squad for the game against Yemen in the Asia qualification tournament for the 2012 Summer Olympics. On June 14, 2011, as part of the preparation for the 2012 Olympics, Behich scored the final goal against Singapore in the 90th minute, and Australia won 6-0. On June 19, 2011, Behich played in the first match against Yemen in Australia, and his team won 3-0. Four days later, on June 23, he played in the return match, which resulted in a 4-0 victory for Australia.
Behich was first called up to the senior Australian national team by Holger Osieck for a friendly match against South Korea on November 14, 2012.
