Paul Okon

Paul Okon as coach of the Australian U -20 ( 2013)

Paul Okon ( born April 5, 1972 in Sydney ) is an Australian former football player.

Career

Club career

Okon began his career in his native Australia at the Marconi Stallions. As a nineteen- year-old he was discovered and committed in 1991 by FC Bruges. There he quickly established himself as a regular player and was able in 1992 to celebrate his first title victory as Belgian champion. In 1995, he became the first non-European Footballer of the Year Belgium. After his second league title in 1996, which was accompanied by winning the Belgian Cup, he left Belgium and went to Lazio in the Serie A. In the same year he was named Oceania's Footballer of the Year.

Because of knee problems but Okon came in Lazio hardly to train and arrived in three seasons only 19 missions. Therefore, its participation in the Cup victory and the subsequent success in the historically recent European Cup Winners' Cup was only slight. In 1999, he joined Fiorentina, before he moved to Middlesbrough FC after just one year to England, where he was but retired in the mid 2001/02 season under Steve McClaren and on loan at Watford FC. In 2003, he joined Leeds United, before he returned to Italy and hired at Vicenza Calcio.

2004 moved to Belgium Okon for KV Oostende, where he was a regular player. After one season, he moved to APOEL Nicosia. With the club he failed in the first round of the UEFA Cup at Hertha BSC.

2006 Okon returned to Australia, where he played for Newcastle United Jets. In 2007, he ended his career due to injury.

International career

In 1991, Okon part with the Australian U20 selection at the Junior World Championship. A year later he was one of the team that participated in the 1992 Olympic Games.

In 1993 he made ​​his debut in the senior national team of Australia. Until 2003, he played 29 times for his country, partly as team captain.

Achievements

  • European Cup Winners' Cup: 1999
  • Belgian champion: 1992, 1996
  • Belgian Cup winners: 1995, 1996
  • Italian Cup Winners' Cup: 1998
  • Oceania Footballer of the Year: 1996
  • Belgium's Footballer of the Year: 1995
S.S. Lazio Middlesbrough F.C. Watford F.C. Gold Coast United FC Belgian Golden Shoe Christian Karembeu
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