Sofia Sakalis

Sofia Sakalis
Personal information
Full name Sofia Sakalis
Date of birth (2002-07-11) 11 July 2002
Place of birth East Melbourne, Australia
Position Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Melbourne Victory
Number 5
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2016 FV Academy 28 (5)
2017–2021 Melbourne City 5 (0)
2018–2021 South Melbourne 52 (20)
2021–2024 Perth Glory 49 (3)
2024– Melbourne Victory 14 (0)
International career‡
2016–2017 Australia U-17 8 (12)
2018–2022 Australia U-20 2 (0)
2025– Australia U-23 3 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 March 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 19 August 2025

Sofia Sakalis (Greek: Σοφία Σακαλής, pronounced [soˈfi.a sakaˈlis];[1] born 11 July 2002) is an Australian soccer player who plays for Melbourne Victory in the A-League Women. She has represented Australia in the Australia U-17 and Australia U-20. Sakalis plays the attacking midfielder position.

Early life

Sakalis, who is of Greek-Australian background, showed interest in soccer at the age of three and began playing two years later.[2][3] When she first started playing, coaches assigned her to teams with boys her age but advanced her to play with older boys.[2] At age 13, her performance at the National Championships earned her call-ups to three training camps with the Junior Matildas, Australia's under-17 national team.[2]

Club career

During 2015 and 2016, she played for Football Victoria Academy (FV Academy) in the National Premier Leagues Victoria Women (NPLV Women) for 28 games and provided 5 goals.[4]: 86 

Melbourne City, 2017–2021

After training with Melbourne City in 2015–16 W-League (later A-League Women), Sakalis signed with the team for the 2017–18 season at the age of 15.[5] She made her debut for the club during the team's 5–2 win over the Newcastle Jets on 12 November.[6][7] During the W-League off-seasons she played for South Melbourne FC from 2018–2021 appearing 52 times for 20 goals.[4]: 118–119 

Perth Glory, 2021–2024

Sofia signed a 2-year deal with Perth Glory ahead of the 2021–22 A-League Women season.[8] In August 2024, Sakalis announced that she had left the club.[9] During the A-League off-seasons for 2022 to 2024, she played 43 matches for Box Hill United (women) in the NPLV Women and kicked 16 goals.[4]: 43, 45 

Melbourne Victory, 2024–

In August 2024, Sakalis joined Melbourne Victory.[10] A year later she was re-signed to the team.[11]

National Premier League

Sakalis was awarded Football Victoria's Gold Medal Award for the best player of 2022.[4]: 133  From 2016 to 2024 she has played a total of 123 matches for NPLV Women clubs (FV Academy, South Melbourne, Box Hill United).[4]: 136 

International career

Sakalis competed with the Junior Matildas[12][13] at the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship qualification tournament in Vietnam where they finished first in their group with an undefeated record.[14] During the team's first group match against Palestine, Sakalis scored five goals,[15] and scored a total of 11 goals over 5 games.[16] She was the top scorer at the qualifying tournament, helping Australia secure a place at the 2017 AFC U-16 Women's Championship in Thailand.[14][17]

The midfielder joined the Australia U-23 squad for the 2025 ASEAN Women's Championship in Phú Thọ, Vietnam, in August 2025.[18] Appearing in three of five matches during the tournament, Sakalis helped them reach the final, which they won against two-time champions Myanmar.[18]

Honours

Sakalis was named 2016 Sport Stars of the Year with Olympic boxer Jason Whateley by the Whitehorse Leader.[19]

References

  1. ^ https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPsQ-PXCYRR/?igsh=b3Rpc2N5NXFxMDBo
  2. ^ a b c Komarkowski, Antonia (21 June 2017). "Sofia Sakalis 15-year-old Soccer star". Greek City Times. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  3. ^ "City sign trio for Westfield W-League season". W-League. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e Persoglia, Tony (28 March 2025). "2025 NPLW Official Season Guide V1 05" (PDF). Football Victoria. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 April 2025. Retrieved 17 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Complete preview for each W-League team for season 2017/18". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  6. ^ "S. Sakalis". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  7. ^ "A day to remember for Sakalis and Muldeary". Melbourne City FC. 17 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  8. ^ "Midfield duo board w-league 2021/22 campaign". Perth Glory. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  9. ^ Sakalis, Sofia (17 August 2024). "For 3 seasons Perth has been my home, a huge thank you to all my teammates, staff and supporters, that have made it so special. @perthgloryfc will always be a club and place I treasure" – via Instagram.
  10. ^ "Melbourne Victory signs Sofia Sakalis". Melbourne Victory. 29 August 2024.
  11. ^ kyogasingham (20 August 2025). "Melbourne Victory trio Jančevski, Furphy & Sakalis re-sign". Melbourne Victory. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  12. ^ Stogiannou, George (5 August 2016). "Sakalis selected for Junior Matildas in AFC qualifying tournament in Vietnam". Neos Kosmos. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  13. ^ "Juric names squad for AFC U-16 qualifiers". Westfield Matildas. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Junior Matildas complete qualifiers with perfect record". The Women's Game. 3 December 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  15. ^ "Junior Matildas' easy win in Vietnam". Westfield Matildas. 25 August 2016. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  16. ^ Turner, David (25 September 2016). "Vermont South's Sofia Sakalis is a rising soccer star with the world at her feet". Whitehorse Leader. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  17. ^ "World champions Korea DPR target Asian treble". FIFA. 8 September 2017. Archived from the original on 9 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  18. ^ a b Tan, Gabriel (20 August 2025). "How Australia U23 overcame slow start to be worthy ASEAN Women's Championship winners". ESPN. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
  19. ^ Naughtin, Paddy (22 November 2016). "Soccer star Sofia Sakalis and Olympic boxer Jason Whateley named 2016 Whitehorse Leader Sport Stars". Whitehorse Leader. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
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