Archie Thompson

Football player infobox
playername = Archie Thompson
fullname = Archibald Gerald 'Kung Fu' Thompson


dateofbirth = birth date and age|df=yes|1978|10|23
cityofbirth = Otorohanga
countryofbirth = New Zealand
height = height|m=1.74
Nick Name = arch,nachoscurrentclub = Melbourne Victory
clubnumber = 10
position = Striker
youthyears =
youthclubs = Lithgow Rangers
Twin City Wanderers
NSWIS
years = 1995–1996
1996–1999
1999–2000
2001
2001–2005
2005–"present"
2006
clubs = Bathurst '75
Gippsland Falcons
Carlton SC
Marconi Stallions
Lierse
Melbourne Victory
→ PSV Eindhoven "(loan)"
caps(goals) =
45 (17)
53 (23)
13 0(6)
90 (27)
60 (33)
02 0(0)
nationalyears = 1998–2000 & 2008
2001–"present"
nationalteam = Australia U-23
Australia
nationalcaps(goals) = 11 0(1)
30 (21)
pcupdate = 20 December 2007
ntupdate = 11 April 2008

Archibald Gerald "Archie" Thompson (born 23 October 1978 in Otorohanga, New Zealand) is an Australian football (soccer) player, currently playing for the Melbourne Victory in the Australian A-League, where he holds the all time scoring record for the competition. Thompson also holds the joint record for most goals, 13, scored in one international match.

Club career

Archie Thompson began his career in Bathurst, playing there in the 1995-1996 season. He then moved to play for Gippsland Falcons between 1996 and 1999. After the collapse of Gippsland Falcons, he played a season for Carlton S.C. from 1999 to 2000. He spent 2001 with Marconi Stallions, before making a big break in 2001 in signing with Belgium's Lierse SK. He returned to his home country to play for ALeague MV in 2005 (the inaugural A-League season), scoring the team's first ever regular season goal.

With the A-League season finishing in March and a four month gap between then and Australia's first World Cup group match, Thompson was approached in late 2005 join Dutch team PSV Eindhoven on a temporary loan. PSV was then coached by Guus Hiddink, who was also the Australian national team's head coach, and playing for the team would provide Thompson with the match fitness and exposure to help his chances of being selected in the World Cup team. After negotiations between the Victory and PSV stalled over the financial terms of the deal, Thompson was officially placed on six-month loan to PSV Eindhoven on 13 January 2006. He played what was thought at the time to be his final ALeague MV game against ALeague QR, scoring the only goal as the team's acting captain. [Associated Press (2006) [http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Thompson-transfer-completed-Victory/2006/01/13/1137118951632.html Thompson transfer completed: Victory] .] This goal took his tally to 8 for the season, which made him Melbourne Victory's inaugural Golden Boot winner. He also tied for the A-League's top goal scorer (the Reebok Golden Boot award) with Alex Brosque, Bobby Despotovski and Stewart Petrie.Season 08/09During the Beijing Olympics, Thompson was injured and is expected to return on Melbourne's first home game at Telstra Dome on Friday the 29th of August against the Newcastle Jets.Thompson made just two appearances for PSV as a substitute. He was informed by the club that they would not be signing him to a further deal, and so he returned to ALeague MV for the A-League 2006-07 season.

Resuming with ALeague MV in domestic football, Thompson formed a deadly partnership in the second season of the A-League with strike partner Danny Allsopp, who both benefited from the attacking skills of Brazilian midfielder Fred. Their quality forward play lead Melbourne to become both premiers and champions of the A-League in 2006-07.

Thompson starred in the 2007 A-League Grand Final on 18 February 2007, scoring 5 goals and helping ALeague MV to a 6-0 thrashing of rivals ALeague AU. In becoming the first player to score more than 3 goals in an A-League match, Thompson exceeded his own expectations, predicting before the game that he would get a hat trick. For his efforts, Thompson was awarded the Joe Marston Medal as the Man of the Match.

International career

After superb performances with ALeague MV, he was the only A-League based player in the Australian national team's qualification matches against Uruguay for a berth in the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals.

Thompson was a member of Australia's squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but did not play in a match in the finals. In August 2006, he was appointed vice-captain for the Asian Cup qualifiers against Kuwait.

Thompson came off the bench in Australia's 2-0 friendly win against China (a warm up for the 2007 AFC Asian Cup).

Thompson featured in only one appearance during the Asian Cup, coming on as a substitute during Australia's defeat to eventual winners Iraq.

Archie Thompson was selected for the Olympic team of 2008.

Goal scoring world record

Thompson set the world record for most goals scored in an international match on 11 April 2001, when Australia played American Samoa in Coffs Harbour in a qualifier for the 2002 World Cup. Australia won 31-0 (the score was originally reported as 32-0 as the scorekeepers lost count). [ [http://www.soccernet.com/worldcup/news/2001/0411/20010411australiawr.html Australia smash two world records] ] Thompson, who was not Australia's first choice striker, scored 13 of the Australian goals.

Thompson's feat was helped by playing in a team of well-drilled professionals, even though they were not Australia's first choice team, and playing against one of the world's weakest national football teams.

The 13 goals broke the record of 10 shared by Denmark's Sophus "Krølben" Nielsen in a 17-1 win against France at the 1908 Olympics and Germany's Gottfried Fuchs in a 16-0 win against Russia in the 1912 Olympics. This equalled the record for the most goals scored in a recognised senior tournament, set in 1885 when John Petrie scored 13 goals in a Scottish Cup tie. It also broke the record for the most goals scored in a Football World Cup match, which was held by fellow Australian Gary Cole and Karim Bagheri from Iran whom both scored seven goals in 1981 and 1997 respectively. [ [http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Socceroo/reports/vAS2001f.html Australia 31 - American Samoa 0] ]

A-League career statistics

("Correct as of 6 October 2008")

Trivia

* His father is a Pakeha New Zealander and his mother is from Papua New Guinea.fact|date=April 2008
* Archie has two tattoos on his inner forearms (one on each forearm) of his children's names, Isabella and Axel.fact|date=April 2008
* He has a younger brother named Martinfact|date=April 2008
* Before every match, Archie listens to "Fix You" by Coldplay in remembrance of his newly born son.fact|date=April 2008
* Archie is the official ambassador for FIFA 08 in Australia and New Zealand. [http://au.gamespot.com/ps2/sports/fifasoccer08/news.html?sid=6176900&omUS95act=convert&omUS95clk=newsfeatures&tag=newsfeatures;title;3] ]

Honours

With Australia:
* OFC Nations Cup: 2004With Melbourne Victory:
* A-League Championship: 2006-2007
* A-League Premiership: 2006-2007Personal Honours:
* Joe Marston Medal: 2006-2007 with Melbourne Victory
* A-League Golden Boot: 2005-2006 with Melbourne Victory - 8 goals
* Melbourne Victory Victory Medal: 2007-2008

References

External links

* [http://www.melbournevictory.com.au/default.aspx?s=mvfc_playerprofile_item&pid=355 Melbourne Victory profile]
* [http://www.ozfootball.net/ark/Players/T/TE.html Oz Football profile]
* [http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/Socceroos/default.aspx?s=soc_player_profile&pid=355&tid=23 FFA - Socceroo profile]
* [http://au.sports.yahoo.com/football/socceroos/archie-thompson/ Yahoo World Cup profile]
* [http://www.worldfootballregister.com/hat-trick/male/domestic/australia/national/a-league/melbourne-victory/open/archie-thompson/148040605715144/ Hat Trick against Adelaide United] on World Football Register
* [http://www.theage.com.au/news/soccer/harry-kewell-kickstarted-my-career/2007/12/08/1196813085180.html Article written for The Age]