Full name Charlie Yankos 1979–1985 Heidelberg United Years Team Height 1.86 m | 1978–1979 Heidelberg United Role Football player Name Charlie Yankos | |
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Date of birth (1961-05-29) 29 May 1961 (age 54) | ||
Place of birth Melbourne, Australia | ||
Charlie Yankos The World Game on SBS
Charles "Charlie" Yankos (Greek: Τσάρλι Γιάνκος, born 29 May 1961) is an Australian former football (soccer) player of Greek descent who played for the Australian football team (Socceroos) 49 times and scored 7 full international goals. He was also the captain of the Australian football team on 30 occasions between 1986 and 1989.
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Charlie Yankos started his local football career with former National League club Heidelberg United in 1979 and became one of the greatest players to wear the gold and black colors. He played an important part in APIA Leichhardt winning the 1987 NSL title.
International career
Charlie Yankos represented the Australian football team on 49 occasions and scored 7 full international goals. Of these, 13 were World Cup qualifying matches. He participated in the 1985 and 1989 World Cup qualifying campaigns, and also played in the Seoul Olympics in 1988 where Australia made the quarterfinals.He was Australian football team Captain and Vice-Captain
He is probably most famous for a remarkable long range goal from over 30 yards, that he scored in the 1988 Australian Bicentennial Gold Cup against then World Champions Argentina. In Israel he is widely remembered as the scorer of the goal for Australia in an away 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Israel, again in a long range free kick, which set the score to 1-1. an Israeli television commentator criticized the Israeli defensive wall saying "that's not the way to set a wall", which became a Hebrew idiom for "that's not the way to do it right".
After retirement
Following his retirement from football, Charlie Yankos moved into a successful career in business.
Charlie Yankos Street in the Sydney suburb of Glenwood is named for him.