Adrian Segečić

Adrian Segečić
Personal information
Date of birth (2004-06-01) 1 June 2004
Place of birth Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
Height 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Portsmouth
Number 10
Youth career
Lidcombe Waratah Junior SC
2016 Parramatta FC
2017–2023 Sydney FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2023 Sydney FC NPL 30 (15)
2021–2025 Sydney FC 44 (14)
2023–2024 → Dordrecht (loan) 27 (5)
2025– Portsmouth 20 (5)
International career‡
2019 Australia U17 5 (1)
2022–2024 Australia U20 7 (4)
2024–2025 Australia U23 8 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Australia
WAFF U-23 Championship
Runner-up 2024 Saudi Arabia
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 01:39, 19 January 2026 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 September 2025

Adrian Segečić[1][2] (Croatian pronunciation: [ǎdrian sɛɡětʃitɕ] AH-dree-ahn SEH-geh-chich; born 1 June 2004) is a professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for EFL Championship club Portsmouth. Born in Australia, he has committed to play for the Croatia national team.

Early life

Born in Westmead and raised in Lidcombe, Adrian Segecic developed a passion for football from a young age, idolising Argentine footballer Lionel Messi who he bases his playing style from.[3] Segecic received his education at Trinity Catholic College, a prominent educational institution located in New South Wales (NSW). His father played a significant role when Adrian played football, watching every game he played and providing help and feedback after each game to aid his development.[3] Segecic is of Croatian descent, through his grandparents who originated from the country.[4]

He trialed for multiple clubs in Europe with the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds United, Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Ajax, Dinamo Zagreb and Rangers.[5] During his trial with Rangers, a leaked photo showed him walking onto the pitch at Ibrox Stadium while being announced on the big screen.[6] Many fans speculated that he was a new signing, even though the club did not make an official announcement.[7][8][9]

Club career

Sydney FC

After winning the MVP award at a football camp, Segecic made a strong impression on Sydney FC, who subsequently invited him to join the academy squad.[3] In October 2016, he accepted and was officially announced as part of the squad list on 29 January 2016.[10][11] In January 2020, He featured briefly for Sydney FC Youth in the final round of the A-League Youth against Canberra United.[12] He was called up again in August after turning 16 a month before, making his NPL NSW debut against North Shore Mariners.[11][13]

Segecic earned his first call-up to the A-League squad in the Finals series semi final against Adelaide United.[14][15] He was on the bench in the Grand Final against Melbourne City.[16] By the end of the 2020–21 campaign, Segecic won the club's Rising Star Award.[17] On 26 December 2021, Segecic made his professional league debut against Macarthur FC, coming off the bench in the 76th minute in a 3–0 away win.[18][19] He made his AFC Champions League debut in a play-off match against Kaya.[20][21] On 7 April 2022, Sydney FC announced Segecic among the ten youth players registered for the AFC Champions League ahead of the group stage.[22][23] After featuring in a number of games at the age of 17, on 9 May 2022, he was offered his first professional contract that was set to expire in 2025.[24]

Segecic made his first start for Sydney FC in a match against Central Coast Mariners in the Round of 32 of the Australia Cup.[25] In this match, he contributed an assist to Adam Le Fondre for the team's third goal, helping them secure a 3–3 draw and a win in the penalty shoot-out.[26] His performance from last match earnt him a starting place in the next round against Bentleigh Greens, scoring his first senior goal for the club in a 2–1 win by full time.[27][28] He would score again against Oakleigh Cannons, but only a consolation goal as his side lost in a 2–1 upset and getting knocked out of the competition.[29][30][31] Segecic made his Big Blue debut in the opening round of the 2022–23 A-League season playing in front of 21,840 fans as his side lost 3–2 at home.[32][33] On 29 October, Segecic scored his first league goal, being on the receiving end of a cross by Jaiden Kucharski to make it 3–1 against Macarthur.[34] The final score was 3–2 at Campbeltown.[35][36] After an impressive display against Newcastle Jets, Segecic assisted a goal to contribute a 2–0 victory and received Player of the match.[37][38]

Loan to Dordrecht

On 30 August 2023, Segecic joined Dutch club Dordrecht on loan with an option to buy.[39] He made 30 appearances for the Schapenkoppen, scoring five times as they reached the Eerste Divisie play-offs.

Return to Sydney FC

Segecic returned to Sydney FC for the 2024–25 season, where he scored thirteen times in 24 A-League appearances, sharing the Golden Boot with Adelaide United's Archie Goodwin. He was also named in the A-League's team of the season and was awarded Sydney's player of the season.[40] On 11 January 2025, he scored his first senior hat-trick after coming on as a 55th-minute substitute in a 4–1 win over Central Coast Mariners.[41] In the AFC Champions League Two, he scored five goals in eleven matches as Sydney reached the semi-finals, where they were defeated by Singaporean club Lion City Sailors.[42]

Segecic's form in 2024–25 saw him named in an ASEAN All-Stars team for an exhibition match against Manchester United in May 2025. He assisted the only goal of the match as the ASEAN All-Stars defeated the Premier League team 1–0 in Kuala Lumpur.[43]

Portsmouth

On 18 June 2025, Segecic joined EFL Championship club Portsmouth.[44] He made his official debut in the season opener against Oxford United, scoring the only goal of a 1–0 win.[45]

International career

Youth

In July 2019, Segecic received his first call-up to the Australia U15 for the 2019 AFF U-15 Championship hosted in Thailand.[46] He would feature in all group matches, scoring a goal in a 3–0 win against Laos.[47]

In September 2022, Segecic was called up to the Australia U20 for the U-20 Costa Cálida Supercup in Spain.[48] He would make his debut in a 3–0 loss against England.[49] Segecic would remain with Australia squad, alongside teammate Jake Girdwood-Reich, to play in the 2023 AFC U-20 Asian Cup in hopes of qualifying to the U-20 World Cup.[50][51] On 4 March 2023, he scored two goals, one being a free-kick, in a 3–2 victory against Iran in their second match of the tournament.[52] Australia progressed to the quarter-finals of the AFC Championship but were knocked out by Uzbekistan in a penalty shoot-out.[53] After the shoot-out led 5–4, Segecic missed the deciding penalty, leading to his team missing out on a place in the U-20 World Cup.[54]

Senior

On 13 March 2026, Segečić received approval from FIFA to switch his international allegiance to the Croatia national team.[55] His eligibility comes from his Croatian heritage through his grandparents, who immigrated to Australia.[56] The decision, which came as a surprise, was controversial in his home country of Australia, as the Socceroos would lose a player regarded as among their best talents. Many fans blamed his defection on a lack of selection by head coach Tony Popović (who also happens to be of Croatian descent), while others blamed Croatian nationalism.[57][58][59][60]

Career statistics

As of 17 January 2026[61]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sydney FC 2021–22[62] A-League 4 0 — — — — 4 0
2022–23[63] A-League Men 16 1 3 2 — 2[c] 0 2[d] 0 23 3
2023–24 A-League Men 0 0 1 0 — — — 1 0
2024–25 A-League Men 24 13 1 0 — 11[e] 5 — 36 18
Total 44 14 5 2 — 13 5 2 0 64 21
Dordrecht (loan) 2023–24 Eerste Divisie 27 5 2 0 — — 1[f] 0 30 5
Portsmouth 2025–26[64] Championship 20 5 1 0 1 0 — 0 0 22 5
Career total 91 24 8 2 1 0 13 5 3 0 116 31
  1. ^ Includes Australia Cup, KNVB Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in AFC Champions League
  4. ^ One appearance in A-League Men finals, one appearance in Sydney Super Cup
  5. ^ Appearances in AFC Champions League Two
  6. ^ Appearance in Eerste Divisie promotion play-offs

Honours

Australia U-23

Individual

References

  1. ^ "Segečić's Debut Delight". Portsmouth FC. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  2. ^ "Pompey Announce Adrian Segečić As First Summer Signing". Expressfm. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Frostick, Nancy (21 December 2022). "Adrian Segecic, My Football Journey: 'I love watching Messi ... a lot of people think I play like him'". The Athletic.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ^ Lulham, Amanda (9 December 2019). "Sydney FC young gun Adrian Segecic a world traveller as he hones his football skills". The Daily Telegraph.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ^ "Adrian Segecic is the silver lining on Sydney's dismal season". The Roar. 16 May 2022.
  6. ^ Radcliffe, Jon (17 September 2020). "Glasgow Rangers: Gers prepare to unveil Adrian Segecic". FootballFanCast.
  7. ^ Young, Graeme (16 September 2020). "Adrian Segecic 'announced' by Rangers as Australian star gets Ibrox big sell". Daily Record.
  8. ^ "Rangers signing leaked? Photos emerge on social media of Australian wonderkid at Ibrox". Glasgow Times. 17 September 2020.
  9. ^ "Photo: Rangers appear to have signed former Ajax trialist Adrian Segecic". HITC. 16 September 2020.
  10. ^ "U13". Sydney FC. KEEPUP. 29 January 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Our Academy Success Stories". Sydney FC. KEEPUP. 19 October 2020.
  12. ^ "Young Sky Blues Finish Season In Emphatic Style". Sydney FC. KEEPUP. 26 January 2020.
  13. ^ "Adrian Segecic - 2021 Player Statistics". GameDay.
  14. ^ "Ins & Outs: A-League Semi-Final". Sydney FC. KEEPUP. 18 June 2021.
  15. ^ Petrov, Petar (16 September 2021). "Who will be your club's breakout star of the 2021/22 A-League season?". The Inner Sanctum.
  16. ^ "Melbourne City FC vs Sydney FC | Melbourne City". Melbourne City FC. 27 June 2021.
  17. ^ "Players Of The Year 20-21 Awards Revealed". Sydney FC. KEEPUP. 12 August 2021.
  18. ^ "Macarthur FC vs Sydney FC. Round 6, 2021-22". Ultimate A-League. 26 December 2021.
  19. ^ "Segecic - We're Setting High Standards". Sydney FC. 21 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Sydney FC cruise into the AFC Champions League Group Stage". Sydney FC. 8 March 2022.
  21. ^ "Match report: Sydney FC vs Kaya FC–Iloilo - 09/03/22". Sydney FC Unofficial (SFCU). 8 March 2022.
  22. ^ "Sydney FC Include Ten Youth Players To ACL Squad". Sydney FC. 7 April 2022.
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  26. ^ Shilovsky, David (3 August 2022). "What is par for Sydney FC in 2022-23?". The Roar.
  27. ^ "Bentleigh Greens v Sydney FC". Australia Cup. 4 August 2022.
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  29. ^ "Oakleigh Cannons v Sydney FC". Australia Cup. 18 August 2022.
  30. ^ Lynch, Joey (31 August 2022). "Melbourne minnow Oakleigh Cannons stun Sydney FC in Australia Cup". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  31. ^ "History-making Oakleigh Cannons outgun Sydney FC on way to Australia Cup semi-finals". NEOS KOSMOS. 1 September 2022.
  32. ^ "Sydney vs Melbourne Victory". KEEPUP. 8 October 2022.
  33. ^ "Flicker of former glory as A-League Men's returns". Code Sports. 10 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  34. ^ "'A goal made in the Sydney academy': Why this picture should have Sky Blues fans excited". KEEPUP. 30 October 2022.
  35. ^ "Macarthur vs Sydney". KEEPUP. 29 October 2022.
  36. ^ Gibson, Timothy (30 October 2022). "Sydney serve Macarthur their first defeat of the season". The Football Sack.
  37. ^ "Sydney vs Newcastle Jets". KEEPUP. 29 April 2023.
  38. ^ "Segecic delighted after Player of the Match performance". KEEPUP. 29 April 2023.
  39. ^ "FC Dordrecht versterkt zich met Adrian Segecic" [FC Dordrecht strengthens itself with Adrian Segecic] (in Dutch). Dordrecht. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  40. ^ "Sydney FC star Adrian Segecic joins Portsmouth's A-Leagues revolution: Details". A-Leagues. 18 June 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  41. ^ "'I think I've been killing it!' Sydney FC gun hoping for Socceroos call after stunning display". A-Leagues. 11 January 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  42. ^ "Lion City Sailors create history". Asian Football Confederation. 16 April 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
  43. ^ "Segecic provides match winning assist against Manchester United". Sydney FC. 29 May 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
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  45. ^ "Oxford United 0-1 Portsmouth: Adrian Segecic seals opening-day Pompey win". Sky Sports. 9 August 2025.
  46. ^ "Sydney FC Dominate Another National Team Squad". Sydney FC. KEEPUP. 16 July 2019.
  47. ^ "Joeys make it two from two with 3–0 win over Laos | Socceroos". Socceroos. 30 July 2019.
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  54. ^ "Penalty drama spells heartbreak for Young Socceroos at U20 Asian Cup". KEEPUP. 11 March 2023.
  55. ^ "FIFA Change of Association Platform". FIFA. Retrieved 13 March 2026.
  56. ^ Quinlan, Nicholas (14 March 2026). "Socceroos dealt selection blow following rising star's defection". Sport Nation NZ.
  57. ^ Harrington, Anna (14 March 2026). "Emerging Australian star Adrian Segečić to defect to Croatia just months out from World Cup". Seven News.
  58. ^ "FA and Socceroos staff blindsided by Segečić's Croatia call as another tug-of-war emerges". Football360. 15 March 2026.
  59. ^ Garb, Daniel (14 March 2026). "The Adrian Segečić situation is an undoubted blow to the depth of the @Socceroos". Twitter.
  60. ^ Clarke, George; Harrington, Anna (14 March 2026). "How Socceroos learned of playmaker's Croatian defection". The Canberra Times.
  61. ^ Adrian Segečić at Soccerway
  62. ^ "Adrian Segecic (Midfielder, Sydney FC): 2021-22". Ultimate A-League.
  63. ^ "Adrian Segecic (Midfielder, Sydney FC): 2022-23". Ultimate A-League.
  64. ^ "Games played by Adrian Segečić in 2025/2026". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  65. ^ "Subway Olyroos' Head Coach, Tony Vidmar has named an extended 26-man squad for the fifth edition of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-23 Championship – Saudi Arabia 2024". Football Federation Australia. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2025.


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