Gianni Stensness

Gianni Stensness (born 7 February 1999) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for A-League club Central Coast Mariners.[1] Born and raised in Australia, but with a New Zealand father,[2] Stensness has been called up for both Australian and New Zealand representative teams in his youth.

Gianni Stensness
Personal information
Full name Gianni Stensness
Date of birth (1999-02-07) 7 February 1999
Place of birth Australia
Position(s) Defensive midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Central Coast Mariners
Number 6
Youth career
2016–2017 North Shore Mariners
2017 Central Coast Mariners
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 CCM Academy 26 (2)
2018 Manly United 7 (0)
2018–2019 Wellington Phoenix Reserves 12 (1)
2019 Wellington Phoenix 4 (0)
2019– Central Coast Mariners 29 (1)
National team‡
2019– New Zealand U-20 4 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 29 January 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 2 March 2020

Club career

Wellington Phoenix

On 9 March 2019, Stensness played his first professional game for Wellington Phoenix. He came on as a substitute for Mandi in an 8–2 win over his former side, Central Coast Mariners.[3] In June 2019, he left Wellington Phoenix to explore opportunities in Europe.[4]

Central Coast Mariners

Stensness returned from Europe and checked with Wellington Phoenix if they were willing to offer him another contract. However, Wellington Phoenix had moved on with their recruitment, so he signed a one-year contract with Central Coast Mariners in August 2019. [5] After a strong start to the 2019/2020 season, Stensness signed a two-year extension on his contract, through to 2022. His performances in the 2019/2020 season earned him the CCM Goal of the Year and Newcomer of the Year awards.

International career

Eligible for both Australia and New Zealand, 17-year old Stensness was named by Ufuk Talay in an Australian under-20 national team training camp on 31 January 2017.[6]

On 11 February 2019, Stensness was invited by New Zealand under-20 national team coach Des Buckingham to a talent identification camp in Auckland.[7] On 23 March 2019 he declared his desire to represent New Zealand.[2]

On 28 May 2019, Stensness scored his first goal for New Zealand at the U-20 World Cup against Norway, helping his team advance to the round of 16.[8]

References
  1. Rollo, Phillip (5 March 2019). "Wellington Phoenix promote Australian-raised Kiwi youngster Gianni Stensness". Stuff.co.nz.
  2. Rollo, Phillip (23 March 2019). "Wellington Phoenix rookie switches allegiance to New Zealand". Stuff. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  3. Rollo, Phillip (10 March 2019). "Humiliating defeat against 'ruthless' Wellington Phoenix costs Mariners coach Mike Mulvey his job". Stuff.co.nz.
  4. Rollo, Phillip (21 June 2019). "Wellington Phoenix lock in hometown product Ben Waine on two-year deal". Stuff.co.nz. Meanwhile, Gianni Stensness has rejected an upgraded contract and will be moving on from the club after one season to explore opportunities in Europe.
  5. "Central Coast Mariners offer lifeline to under-20 midfielder Gianni Stensness". Stuff.co.nz. 28 August 2019.
  6. "Stensness named in Young Socceroos". Central Coast Mariners. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  7. "U-20s ID camp to be held in Auckland". NZ Football. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  8. Voerman, Andrew (28 May 2019). "Gianni Stensness screamer helps New Zealand win at Fifa Under-20 World Cup". Stuff.co.nz.

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