Steven Luštica

Lustica in the jersey of Gold Coast United ( 2010)

Steven Peter Lustica (* April 12, 1991 in Canberra ) is an Australian football player.

Career

Lustica was born in 1991 in the Australian capital Canberra, the son of Croatian parents. He learned his football education from the age of six in Canberra Deakin and later at the ACT Academy of Sport, before he was in the 2008 /09 season in the newly formed A-League National Youth League to the junior team of Sydney FC. In Sydney, he did not come out when winning the league title on the role as a reserve player, the final victory, he did not play. After he noticed Paul Okon, assistant coach of Gold Coast United, during the Australian Youth Olympic Festival 2009, he was brought to the 2009/10 season in the youth team.

At Gold Coast to Lustica quickly became a leading player and led the youth team in 2010 and 2011 to win the title in the National Youth League, he came in the next two seasons sporadically for the first team in the A- League action. Although Lustica 2011 captain of the youth team was chosen by the players of the NYL best player of the season and he was an integral part of the Australian U-20 national team, the midfielder head coach Miron Bleiberg received at the end of the season not constitute an offer for the professional team, because after whose opinion the 172 cm Lustica not possess the required physique for the A -League.

Instead, Lustica, like his compatriot Ljubo Milicevic, introduced in June 2011 as a new signing at the top Croatian club HNK Hajduk Split. A short time later he canceled his participation in the U-20 World Cup in Colombia, in order not to miss the pre-season at Hajduk. The Technical Director of the Australian Football Association FFA, Han Berger, then graduated consequences for Lusticas further career in the Australian national team is not enough. Lustica himself admitted in an interview in October 2011, for the record, to have had no contact with the Australian Association employees more since its cancellation decision.

For a stir in Australia Lustica made ​​again a short time after his move to Hajduk, as he asked in an interview with an Australian football magazine to make a comparison between his present coach Krassimir Balakov and Miron Bleiberg, with " Bleiberg Who?" Replied his former coach in consequence not a word mentioned more. In Split, Lustica established shortly after his arrival in professional team, played in the hundred year celebrations of the club 's friendly against FC Barcelona and achieved in November 2011 against the NK Varaždin his first competitive goal.

In early 2012 he was awarded as one of several Hajduk players as part of a cooperation for half a year in the second HNL to NK Dugopolje. After Lustica had come in the first round of the 2012/13 season at Hajduk only sporadically used, he returned for the second half on loan to Brisbane Roar back to Australia. Under the local coach Mike Mulvey Lustica has already played for the youth team of Gold Coast United. Lustica came to end of the season to twelve missions, scoring two goals. In the championship finals he reached the semi-final with Brisbane. Middle of the year he returned with expiry of the loan to Hajduk Split.

After he had come at the beginning of the 2013/14 season only a short-term use for Hajduk, Lustica sparked in mid-September on his contract and signed with A- League club Adelaide United a one-year contract.

Achievements

• Master of the National Youth League: 2008/ 09, 2009/10, 2010/11
• Most Valuable Player of the National Youth League: 2010/11
• U-19 vice - champions of Asia: 2010 (2 inserts)