 Djite withAustralia | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Bruce José Djité | ||
| Date of birth | (1987-03-25)25 March 1987 (age 38) | ||
| Place of birth | Arlington County, Virginia, United States | ||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)[1][2] | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2003–2004 | Northern Spirit | ||
| 2005 | NSWIS | ||
| 2006 | AIS | ||
| 2004–2006 | Marconi Stallions | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2006–2008 | Adelaide United | 20 | (6) |
| 2008–2010 | Gençlerbirliği | 33 | (6) |
| 2010 | →Diyarbakırspor (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | Gold Coast United | 23 | (10) |
| 2011–2016 | Adelaide United | 113 | (29) |
| 2011 | →Jiangsu Sainty (loan) | 13 | (4) |
| 2016–2017 | Suwon FC | 39 | (11) |
| 2018 | PSM Makassar | 9 | (0) |
| Total | 259 | (66) | |
| International career | |||
| 2006 | Australia U-20 | 13 | (5) |
| 2007–2008 | Australia U-23 | 13 | (2) |
| 2008–2015 | Australia | 9 | (0) |
Medal record | |||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bruce José Djité (French pronunciation:/ˈdʒɪˈteɪ/JI-tay; born 25 March 1987) is an Australian executive and formerassociation football (soccer) player. As of April 2024[update] he is South Australian executive director of theProperty Council of Australia.
Djite made a name for himself playing in theAFC Champions League, reaching the2008 AFC Champions League final, and was namedAustralia League Young Footballer of the Year for 2008. He was theGold Coast United all-timesecond highest goal scorer andAdelaide United all-timehighest goal-scorer. He played internationally for theAustralia national team, debuting in 2008 and earning nine international caps, and has also played for clubs in Turkey, China, Korea, and Indonesia. In 2019 he returned to Adelaide United to become director of football for two years, and since then has occupied other executive positions in the business world.
Bruce José Djité was born on 25 March 1987[3] inArlington County, Virginia, United States. He moved toSydney, Australia, with his parents when he was three years old, when his Ivorian-born father,[4] Paulin,[5] was appointed professor at theUniversity of Western Sydney.[6] His mother, Lyn, was born inTogo.[7] He has two brothers.[5][8][4]
Djite first played soccer during a four-month stay with his family in Ivory Coast[6] in 1993, and loved it, so registered with his local amateur club. He later said "By the time I was 8 I knew soccer was all I wanted to do".[4] He joined theMarconi Stallions in 2004 at the age of 16, after the demise ofNorthern Spirit FC, whom Djite signed for in 2002–03National Soccer League season. He continued to play with Marconi Stallions until the end of the 2005–06 season (August 2006). He trained at theNSW Institute of Sport in Sydney.[5]
Djite completed all of his schooling in Sydney, and then attendedMacquarie University for six months, before being offered anAustralian Institute of Sportfootball scholarship, which took him toCanberra for nine months.[4] There, in 2006, he attended theFFA Centre of Excellence on afootball scholarship withNikita Rukavytsya.[5]
He undertook a Bachelor of Business degree as an external student[9] throughOpen Universities Australia,[10] at theGriffith Business School atGriffith University[11] over eight years,[12] starting in 2011. He won Griffith Award for Academic Excellence, for maintaining aGPA of above 6.0.[13]
In November 2006 at age 19 years old, Djite unsuccessfully trialled for two weeks atSV Werder Bremen of theBundesliga in Germany. Upon his return to Australia, Djite signed forAdelaide United for the remainder of the2006–07 A-League season, scoring three goals with anassist in thirteen matches.[5]
Djite signed a three-yearcontract with Adelaide United in March 2007 and Djite scored his firstgoal forAdelaide United in a competitive fixture on 11 April 2007 inAFC Champions League against South KoreaK-League championsSeongnam Ilhwa, deftly controlling the ball in thepenalty box tovolley it into the back of thegoal net.[5]Djite scored his first goal in theA-League for Adelaide United againstBrisbane Roar in a 2–2 draw on 25 August 2007 atSuncorp Stadium in2007–2008 A-League followed by Adelaide United reaching2008 AFC Champions League final and Djite scoring an increased strike ratio of 10 goals in 22 matches.[5]
Djite was bought bybusiness magnate andGold Coast United ownerClive Palmer from TurkishSüper Lig clubGençlerbirliği to re-play in theA-League in2010–11 season, Djite had scored 10 goals and registered threeassists in 23 matches forClive Palmer'sGold Coast United.[14]
On 15 May 2008, it was reported that Djite had been released from hiscontract with Adelaide United to sign for an unnamed European club. On 21 May 2008, Djite agreed to a three-yearcontract withSüper Lig clubGençlerbirliği in Turkey for the2008–09 season.[15]
Djite made his debut in the Süper Lig on 24 August 2008 in a 1–1 draw withKocaelispor. Djite scored his first league goal forGençlerbirliği in the 45th minute againstDenizlispor on 25 October 2008. Fellow AustralianJames Troisi also got off the mark in a game which ended in a 2–2 draw. Djite consistently displayed his lethal acceleration,footspeed andstrength in thepenalty area and finished 2008–2009Süper Lig season with 6 goals and twoassists in twenty-eight matches played.[16][15]
In the 2009–10 Süper Ligoff-season, Djite revealed in an interview withFourFourTwo reporter Ben Somerford, the clubHajduk Split inCroatia were interested in his services but he rejected the move.[16] Djite appeared on nine occasions onloan to Turkish clubDiyarbakırspor and on five occasions forGençlerbirliği with anassist in2009–10 Süper Lig.[16]
On 28 August 2010, it was announced by billionaire tycoonClive Palmer that Djite would return home to Australia to play in the2010–2011 A-League withGold Coast United for 3 years, replacingNew Zealand strikerShane Smeltz who had joinedGençlerbirliği.[14]Djite was given thesquad number 11 and Djite would unanimously be key to the success ofGold Coast United's attack utilizing his lightningfootspeed,physical strength and aerial ability in the last third of thefootball pitch to score 10 goals and 3assists in 23 matches including a finehat-trick in the 37th, 80th and 87th minutes of Gold Coast's 5–1 win and 24th match of the2010–2011 season atSkilled Park Stadium inGold Coast againstNewcastle Jets on 22 January 2011.[17]
On 23 March 2011, it was announced that Djite had signed a two-yearcontract until April 2013 for twoseasons, the 2011–12 and the 2012–13 seasons with the club that gave him his firstA-League contract,Adelaide United.[18]
Djite was given thesquad number 11 and scored his first goal for Adelaide United in the2011–12 A-League on 19 November 2011 by showing his exceptionalfootspeed andphysical strength in thepenalty area before sharplyshooting past thegoalkeeperTony Warner and into the back of thegoal net in the 44th minute of the 1–1 match draw againstWellington Phoenix atWestpac Stadium in New Zealand.[19] Djite's five goals and twoassists in twenty-four matches helpedAdelaide United in qualifying for the2012 AFC Champions League with the fifth and finalgoal being on 12 February 2012 atSkilled Park Stadium in the 42nd minute of Adelaide United's 20th2011–12 season match and 2–1 win overGold Coast United.[20]
In March 2011, due to the long 2011–2012 A-League off season, Adelaide United agreed for Djite to beloaned toChinese Super League clubJiangsu Sainty.[21]
Djite was given squad number 19 and debuted for Jiangsu Sainty in the2011–2012 Chinese Super League season on 3 April 2011 in the match againstBeijing Guoan. Djite scored his first goal in the 18th minute of the match, an equaliser for Jiangsu Sainty in a 1–1 draw againstHenan Jianye on 30 April 2011,[22] followed by the winning goal in the 55th minute of the match in a 1–0 win againstChengdu Blades on 18 June 2011.[23] Djite scored 4 goals with anassist in 13 Chinese Super League matches, helping Jiangsu Sainty to 4th place in the league. He scored the fourth goal for Jiangsu Sainty in a 4–0 win againstDalian Shide on 2 July 2011,[24][25] and played his 14th and last Chinese Super League match in a 1–0 win againstShanghai Shenxin on 6 July 2011.[21][26]
Djite scored a header in the 90th minute and the 1–0 match winner in the2012 AFC Champions League for Adelaide United against South KoreaK-League clubPohang Steelers, heading the ball past goalkeeperShin Hwa-Yong,[27] The goal helped Adelaide United to top of2012 AFC Champions League Group E on 4 April 2012 and into the2012 AFC Champions League Round of 16, where Djite led the Adelaide United attack to defeatJ.League clubNagoya Grampus 1–0 on 29 May 2012,[28] and into2012 AFC Champions League Quarter-finals on 3 October 2012.[29]
On 1 December 2012, Djite scored for Adelaide United to lead 1–0 against reigning A-League championsCentral Coast Mariners in the 17th minute shot from 51.5 m (169 ft) past the goalkeeperJustin Pasfield and into the left-hand corner of the net atCentral Coast Stadium.[30]
On 3 February 2013, Djite once again scored for Adelaide United againstWestern Sydney Wanderers on 61 minutes bydribbling past three Wanderersdefenders and then taking a left-footed shot from 60.2 m (198 ft) past goalkeeperAnte Čović and into the right-hand corner of the net.[31]
He finished two years and twoseasons playing in Australia for Adelaide United in2012–13 season with two goals and twoassists in 172012–13 A-League appearances, and played 10 times, scoring once with two assists in the2012 AFC Champions League.[32]
On 26 July 2016, after showing good form in Adelaide United's championship-winning season, Djite signed with Korean clubSuwon FC, joining countrymanAdrian Leijer.[33]
In mid-2018, Djite moved to Indonesia, aged 31,[10] and played forPSM Makassar.[4]
Djite is anAmerican Australian and chose to play forAustralia, although he would also have been eligible for theIvory Coast national football team,United States national football team andTogo national football team.[5]
Djite was a star striker for theYoung Socceroos during their 2006 tournament in South America scoring fivegoals in thirteencaps and was also chosen in the Australia Under-20 squad to compete at the 2006AFC Youth Championships, in India.[34]
Djite was the key striker and a mainstay in theAustralia Olympic football team qualification matches for the 2008 Olympics and helped the Australia Olympic football team, theOlyroos squad, to qualify for theBeijing Olympics contributing thirteencaps and scoring twogoals.[35]
Three days before his 21st birthday, on 22 March 2008, Djite received his first internationalcap for theAustralia national team, the Socceroos, againstSingapore,[36] courtesy of national coachPim Verbeek, as the replacement for, andheir apparent toMark Viduka for theAustralia national football team.[35] Djite wassubstituted on at half-time and his best chance to score agoal for Australia came when he rounded the Singaporegoalkeeper but hisshot in thepenalty area was blocked byLionel Lewis, theball going out for acorner kick.[36]
Djite's firstcap for Australia in a competitive match was when he came on as a substitute forHarry Kewell in Australia's2010 World Cup Qualifier againstIraq on 1 June 2008.[37] Djite then again appeared in the Socceroos next match on 15 June 2008 againstQatar, coming on as aSuper-sub for the2010 World Cup Qualifier inDoha, Qatar.[38][39]
He earned nine international caps.[12]
"Bruce Djité is a finefootball player, powerful and quick, intimidating and sharp around thepenalty area. "Djité is a future Socceroo star, himself and many of his football colleagues are now multi-millionaires, playing in the most taxing of the world'sprofessional football leagues."
As a player, Djite was known for hisspeed,strength andgood height withball heading skills and played in Turkey for professionalfootball team,Gençlerbirliği S.K. of theSüper Lig.[21]
Djité was a quick bustlingleft forward orstriker with greatfootspeed and acceleration whokicks andshoots theball well with either foot.[41] He used his extreme physical strength and footspeed to out-run defenders in an A-League 2007–08 season, where he was crowned and awarded with the Rising Star Award, after scoring 10goals in his first fullseason and then followed by registering six goals and twoassists in his firstSüper Lig 2008–09 season in Turkey.[16] In 2011, Djité was among the top-goalscorers in the league, registering 10goals and three assists in twenty-three matches.[18]
Djite was a member of theProfessional Footballers Australia Board between 2012 (then aged just 25[12]) and 2016, and became involved in negotiating the whole-of-footballcollective bargaining agreement.[11] During this time he also created aninvestment portfolio for himself,[12] and worked as a commentator forFox Sports.[13][12]
In 2016, he worked part-time at PKF, an accounting firm in Adelaide, while playing for the Reds.[11]
Djite was an ambassador for All Together Now, Australia's only national charity with the sole focus of erasing racism,[42] for some time before 2019.[11] As of 2019[update] he was an ambassador for Little Heroes Foundation, a South Australian charity that supports seriously ill children and their families,[43] andRoger Rasheed's Sports Foundation.[11]
On 3 June 2019, Djite returned to his former club,A-League sideAdelaide United FC taking up the role of director of football.[44] In the first six months in this role, the club won theFFA Cup and began their A-League campaign well. Djite signed two young newcomers,Al Hassan Toure andLouis D'Arrigo.[12]
He left the role in July 2021 to become the CEO of theCommittee for Adelaide.[45]
On 30 November 2022, Djite was appointed as South Australian executive director of theProperty Council of Australia.[46] He remains in the role as of April 2024[update].[47][48]
Djite is amultilingual, speaking French,[49] English and Turkish.[50]
He married, and had two children under five as of 2019.[13]
| Club | Season | League[a] | Cup | Continental[b] | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Adelaide United | 2006–07 | A-League | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 15 | 1 |
| 2007–08 | A-League | 12 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 10 | |
| Total | 20 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 35 | 11 | ||
| Genclerbirligi | 2008–09 | Süper Lig | 28 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 6 |
| 2009–10 | Süper Lig | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 33 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 6 | ||
| Diyarbakırspor (loan) | 2009–10 | Süper Lig | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Gold Coast United | 2010–11 | A-League | 23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 10 |
| Jiangsu Sainty (loan) | 2011 | Chinese Super League | 13 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 4 |
| Adelaide United | 2011–12 | A-League | 24 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 5 |
| 2012–13 | A-League | 19 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 29 | 3 | |
| 2013–14 | A-League | 21 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 5 | |
| 2014–15 | A-League | 23 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 9 | |
| 2015–16 | A-League | 25 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 11 | |
| Total | 112 | 29 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 129 | 33 | ||
| Career total | 210 | 55 | 6 | 3 | 19 | 3 | 235 | 61 | ||
| Bruce Djite:Professional Career Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | Appearances | Goals | Goals per game |
| Clubs | 199 | 49 | 0.25 |
| Australia Olympic team | 13 | 2 | 0.15 |
| Australia National team | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 187 | 43 | 0.23 |
| Updated to games played and goals scored 8 July 2015 (UTC) | |||
 | This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Bruce Djite" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | A-League Young Player of the Year Award 2007/08 | Succeeded by |
