 Kennedy withAustralia in 2009 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joshua Blake Kennedy[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1982-08-20)20 August 1982 (age 43) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Wodonga, Victoria, Australia | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| Twin City Wanderers | |||||||||||||||||
| SS&A Boomers | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | AIS | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Carlton | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | VfL Wolfsburg | 8 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Stuttgarter Kickers | 23 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | 1. FC Köln | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Dynamo Dresden | 60 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | 1. FC Nürnberg | 12 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Karlsruher SC | 33 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2009–2014 | Nagoya Grampus | 133 | (64) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Melbourne City | 12 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 290 | (92) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999 | Australia U-17 | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Australia U-20 | 14 | (7) | ||||||||||||||
| 2006–2014 | Australia | 36 | (17) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Joshua Blake Kennedy (born 20 August 1982) is an Australian former professionalfootballer who played as astriker for theAustralia national soccer team. At club level, he played mostly for soccer clubs in Germany and Japan.
Kennedy is known by Australian fans as "Jesus" due to his apparent resemblance to traditional depictions ofJesus earlier in his playing career.[2][3]
Born inWodonga, Victoria, Kennedy began playing junior football in Albury/Wodonga, near his hometown of Yackandandah in Victoria, Australia. There, he played with the Twin City Wanderers and later SS&A Boomers. His talents won a scholarship place in the Australian Institute of Sport program, leading to a professional contract at new National Soccer League club Carlton in 1999, alongside fellow AIS graduatesVince Grella andMark Bresciano.
After a season, he made a move to Europe transferring toBundesliga clubVfL Wolfsburg. His debut as asubstitute coming on five minutes from time in the 4–4 draw against fellow Northern German sideHamburger SV on 13 September 2000, at age 17 made him the youngest player ever to appear for VfL.[4] It was his only appearance for the first team that year, and the following season brought little change for Kennedy as he managed just seven appearances for the Bundesliga side, starting only once. However, he scored two goals in the 2001–02 season, with his first ever Bundesliga goal coming on 8 September 2001 againstEnergie Cottbus.
At the start of the following season Kennedy was transferred toRegionalliga Süd sideStuttgarter Kickers, where he was a regular feature playing 23 games for theSwabian side. After just one season Kennedy left forCologne where he joined (at the time) Bundesliga club1. FC Köln. However, he mostly played for theirreserve team in theRegionalliga Nord, where he was the club's second-top scorer of the season with nine goals in twenty-three games.
Having just won promotion to2. Bundesliga,Dynamo Dresden were looking for a striker and found it in the then 22-year-oldVictorian. This transfer, his fourth in four years, proved to be a vital one in Kennedy's career. He immediately found a first-team spot with theSaxon side and played in all of the club's thirty-four league matches – again becoming the second-top scorer of his club with nine goals. The following season, he was again an integral part in the club's fight against relegation scoring seven goals and setting up four. This attracted the interest of Bundesliga club1. FC Nürnberg who signed Kennedy to a three-year contract, and of Australian national coachGuus Hiddink who called the previouslyuncapped Kennedy up to theAustralian Squad for the2006 FIFA World Cup.
In July 2006, during his first training session with Nürnberg, Kennedy ruptured his right Achilles tendon.
On 11 January 2008, fellow German Bundesliga clubKarlsruher SC announced the signing of Kennedy via an undisclosed transfer fee. He is contracted until June 2011.[5] His first goal for Karlsruhe came on his debut against his former club Nürnberg in what would turn out to be a cruel twist of fate for the latter – just weeks after leaving them. Kennedy went on to score four goals in his first five appearances and was widely praised for his performances. However, following this stunning start he did not manage to score in 21 consecutive Bundesliga matches and finally lost his starting position. After a further disappointing appearance in an important cup tie on 28 January 2009, Kennedy was replaced in the second half of the match and subsequently refused to shake hands with his coach. Due to this behaviour, he was thrown out of the squad. On 2 February 2009, Kennedy once again made negative headlines when he announced his intention to leave the club as soon as possible.[6] After five months without any Bundesliga appearances Kennedy was finally allowed to return to the squad even though he still refused to apologise.[7] On 18 April 2009, he was part of the starting line-up for the first time since his suspension. Altogether, Kennedy started 20 of his 23 appearances but – after 27 goalless games – was only able to score twice in the final match of the season which proved to be of no relevance because Karlsruhe nevertheless was relegated from the Bundesliga.
On 17 June 2009, he signed a contract withNagoya Grampus until 31 December 2011. Kennedy scored a goal on debut forNagoya Grampus in his side's 1–1 draw. In the 2010 season, Kennedy helped Nagoya win their first-ever league title, becoming a joint top scorer withRyoichi Maeda on 17 goals.[8] He was also named in the 2010J. League Best Eleven. On 23 September 2011, Kennedy scored off aKensuke Nagai cross to help his side to a 3–1 win overVissel Kobe. The result put Grampus one point behind leadersGamba Osaka and gave Kennedy his 15th goal of the2011 J. League season,[9] putting him one goal aboveVentforet Kofu's strikerMike Havenaar.[10] Kennedy finished the season with 19 goals and the J-league golden boot.
On 6 November 2014, it was announced that he had signed withMelbourne City as their Australian Marquee. He joined the team in January 2015. Kennedy debuted for City againstMelbourne Victory, being substituted on the field forSafuwan Baharudin in the 60th minute. He opened his scoring account for City with their second goal in the clinical 3-2 win overAdelaide United. He added a second goal to his record with a composed finished against theWellington Phoenix in their Finals eliminations clash.[11]
Kennedy announced his retirement from professional soccer on 26 June 2015 due to persistent injuries.[12] Kennedy finished his career with a J-League Championship, two J-League Golden Boots, a DFB Pokal Cup and 17 international goals for the Socceroos across three World Cup campaigns.
In 1999, Kennedy represented Australia at the U17 World cup and the Young Socceroos in 2001 at the U20 Youth World Cup in Argentina.
Kennedy received his first international cap in a pre-2006 World Cup friendly againstLiechtenstein and made his mark in this game with a headed goal. He came on as a substitute in Australia's first2006 World Cup game, in which Australia beatJapan 3–1 by scoring three goals in the last eight minutes. Kennedy was touted as Hiddink's secret weapon against the Japanese because he was taller than all of the Japanese defenders. He followed this up with a second appearance as a substitute in Australia's third Group Stage game againstCroatia.
Injury prevented Kennedy from participating in Australia's2007 AFC Asian Cup campaign. Kennedy was recalled to the Socceroos squad to faceArgentina in a friendly on 11 September. On 6 February 2008, he scored his second international goal againstQatar in aWorld Cup qualifier held inMelbourne, his third against South Africa, fourth against Holland and his fifth against Qatar again. On 1 April 2009, he scored his sixth goal for Australia, Kennedy came on as a substitute on the 60th minute forScott McDonald and scored a header againstUzbekistan giving Australia a 1–0 lead.
Under new Socceroos coach Holger Oseick, Kennedy has flourished scoring eight goals in just five matches. These goals included two against New Zealand in June, the equaliser against Thailand in September, a double against Saudi Arabia, another double against Malaysia and Australia's second goal in a 3–0 win against Oman.
His most important goal, however, came in Australia's lastWorld Cup qualification match on 18 June 2013. After not earning a game for over a year, he came on as a 77th-minute substitute forTim Cahill and scored Australia's only goal againstIraq with an 83rd-minute header to secure a win and a spot in the World Cup finals.[13]
Nicknamed "Jesus" due to his former long haired aesthetic which many thought resembled traditional artistic representations of theChristian religious figure, many sections of the Australian media praised Kennedy as a "saviour" in their commentary during the World Cup Qualifying game against Iraq. Some publications chose to play on the fact that the statue ofChrist The Redeemer statue is an iconic image ofRio and Kennedy's goal scoring celebrations were seen to mimic the pose of the statue.[3]
Headlines such as "Jesus Saves!" were amended as a result of complaints that largely focussed on religious insensitivity given that Iraq is a predominantlyMuslim nation.[14]
Kennedy was selected for the Brazil 2014 World Cup squad, after his goal qualified Australia for the tournament. On 4 June 2014, at the socceroos' training camp near Rio, Kennedy was cut from the team due to injury.[15]
Kennedy is married toAustralian Opals playerJacinta Hamilton.[16]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Carlton | 1999–00 | NSL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 4 | 0 | |||
| VfL Wolfsburg | 2000–01 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 9 | 4 | |||
| Total | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | ||
| Stuttgarter Kickers | 2002–03 | Regionalliga Süd | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 23 | 1 | |||
| 1. FC Köln | 2003–04 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| Dynamo Dresden | 2004–05 | 2. Bundesliga | 34 | 9 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 35 | 9 | |||
| 2005–06 | 26 | 7 | 1 | 0 | – | – | – | 27 | 7 | |||||
| Total | 60 | 16 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 16 | ||
| 1. FC Nürnberg | 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2007–08 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 18 | 2 | |||
| Total | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | ||
| Karlsruher SC | 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 10 | 4 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 10 | 4 | |||
| 2008–09 | 23 | 2 | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 26 | 2 | |||||
| Total | 33 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 6 | ||
| Nagoya Grampus | 2009 | J1 League | 15 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | – | 21 | 9 | |
| 2010 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 32 | 18 | ||||
| 2011 | 31 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 35 | 19 | |||
| 2012 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | – | 22 | 6 | |||
| 2013 | 27 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 12 | ||||
| 2014 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 11 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 133 | 64 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 151 | 69 | ||
| Melbourne City | 2014–15 | A-League | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 12 | 2 | |||
| Career total | 289 | 92 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 320 | 100 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 2006 | 3 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 7 | 8 | |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 36 | 17 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 June 2006 | Donaustadion,Ulm, Germany |  Liechtenstein | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 6 February 2008 | Telstra Dome,Melbourne, Australia |  Qatar | 1–0 | 3–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 3 | 19 August 2008 | Loftus Road, London, England |  South Africa | 2–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 4 | 6 September 2008 | Philips Stadion,Eindhoven, Netherlands |  Netherlands | 2–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 5 | 15 October 2008 | Suncorp Stadium,Brisbane, Australia | Qatar | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 6 | 1 April 2009 | Stadium Australia, Sydney, Australia |  Uzbekistan | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 7 | 1 June 2010 | Ruimsig Stadium,Johannesburg, South Africa |  Denmark | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 8 | 5 June 2011 | Adelaide Oval,Adelaide, Australia |  New Zealand | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
| 9 | 2–0 | |||||
| 10 | 2 September 2011 | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane, Australia |  Thailand | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 11 | 6 September 2011 | Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium,Dammam, Saudi Arabia |  Saudi Arabia | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 12 | 2–0 | |||||
| 13 | 7 October 2011 | Canberra Stadium,Canberra, Australia |  Malaysia | 2–0 | 5–0 | Friendly |
| 14 | 4–0 | |||||
| 15 | 11 October 2011 | ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia |  Oman | 2–0 | 3–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 16 | 18 June 2013 | ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia |  Iraq | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 17 | 16 October 2013 | Craven Cottage, London, England |  Canada | 1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly |
1. FC Nürnberg
Nagoya Grampus
Australia U-20
Australia squads | |||||||
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