 Simon withCentral Coast Mariners in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Blake Simon | ||
| Date of birth | (1986-01-22)22 January 1986 (age 39) | ||
| Place of birth | Sydney, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[1] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Wyoming | |||
| East Gosford | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2005–2006 | Central Coast Lightning | 35 | (8) |
| 2006–2012 | Central Coast Mariners | 114 | (36) |
| 2012–2013 | Jeonnam Dragons | 6 | (0) |
| 2013–2015 | Central Coast Mariners | 33 | (5) |
| 2015–2018 | Sydney FC | 67 | (5) |
| 2018–2022 | Central Coast Mariners | 70 | (20) |
| Total | 325 | (74) | |
| International career | |||
| 2008 | Australia U-23 | 10 | (5) |
| 2009 | Australia | 2 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Matthew Blake Simon (born 22 January 1986) is a retired Australian internationalfootball (soccer) player who played as astriker. Simon attendedSt Edward's College, East Gosford, where he was influenced to play soccer.
Simon started his senior career withCentral Coast Lightning before joiningCentral Coast Mariners in 2006. In 2012, Simon signed withK-League clubChunnam Dragons, however, his opportunities at the club were limited by persistent injuries. In 2013, Simon rejoined the Mariners. He moved toSydney FC after being released by the Mariners in 2015, before again returning to the Mariners in 2018. Simon remains the Mariners' all-time leading goal scorer, as well as a 7-time Mariners’ Golden Boot winner, record holder for the most substitute appearances in Australian league history, and scorer of the latest goal recorded in an A-League regular season match.
Simon has made two appearances for theAustralia national team. He also appeared forAustralia U23 at the2008 Summer Olympics.
He was added to the Mariners' squad in the week leading up to their 2006 Pre-Season Cup play-off againstNewcastle Jets. Simon was then brought back to the squad afterNik Mrdja suffered a heel injury before the round 19 clash against Newcastle. He starred for theCentral Coast Lightning during their 2006NSW Winter Super League campaign. Simon had a solid 07–08 season with the Mariners despite not scoring any goals. In the first league game for the 08–09 season Simon immediately broke his duck and scored off a header that would prove to be the start of his wonderful season.
After a successful 08–09 season, in January 2009, he was offered a 2-year contract byMajor League Soccer clubColorado Rapids but turned it down citing his preference to remain in Australia with the possibility of playing in Europe in the future. Later in the year, he extended his contract withCentral Coast Mariners, staying with the club until 2012.[2]
On 30 December 2011 it was announced that he had signed a three-year contract worth $400,000 per year to play forK-League sideJeonnam Dragons.[3] It was later announced thatJeonnam Dragons paid a transfer fee of $170,000 to acquire the player.[4]
On 16 May 2013 it was announced that he had re-signed with the Mariners.[5]
On 3 August 2015 it was announced that Matt Simon had signed with Sydney FC, reuniting with his former coach Graham Arnold after he penned a one-year deal with the club.[6] Arnold said the capture of Simon would add a new dimension to his squad.[7] In Round 4 of the2015–16 A-League, Simon scored twice as they beat his old club 3–1, after coming on as a substitute.
On 20 July 2016, Simon signed a one-year extension to his contract.[8]
Despite coming off the bench for all of his 25 league games of the 2016–2017 season, Simon signed a one-year contract extension with the Sky Blue until the end of the 2017–2018 season. Simon was part of the title winning squad, winning the double in 2016–17.[9]
On 24 March 2018, Simon came off the bench for Sydney FC in a match against his former club, and scored the winning goal in 90+3, which ultimately would set Sydney FC up to winning the A-League Premiership for the 2017–2018 season.[10]
On 10 May 2018, Simon leftSydney FC and signed once again with theCentral Coast Mariners, on a two-year contract.[11] On 26 October 2018, he was announced as the Mariners new club captain.[12]
On 3 October 2022, Simon announced his retirement from football, following a neck injury sustained in the2021 FFA Cup, which had ruled him out of the entire2021–22 A-League Men season.[13]
Simon played frequently forAustralia under-23 (the Olyroos) in 2008. In May of that year he scored a hat-trick for the side in a 3–1 win overRepublic of Ireland in Malaysia.[14] Simon was originally named as an alternate player for the Olyroos at the2008 Olympic Games in China. However, whenArchie Thompson was injured mid-tournament, Simon was added to the playing squad. He played as a second-half substitute in the team's final match, a loss toIvory Coast.[15]
In May 2008, following strong form for the Olyroos, Simon was called up byPim Verbeek to theAustralian senior side for the first time for a2010 World Cup qualifier againstIraq.[16] He eventually made his Socceroos debut in January 2009 in a2011 Asian Cup qualifier againstIndonesia inJakarta, in an Australian team of primarilyA-League players. The game finished as a scoreless draw, although Simon did have a goal ruled out for offside.[17] He made a second appearance for Australia in the same competition five weeks later againstKuwait. In what was Simon's first and only start for the side, the Socceroos lost 1–0 inCanberra.[18]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Central Coast Mariners | ||||||||||
| 2006–07 | A-League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2007–08 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | ||
| 2008–09 | 21 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 25 | 13 | ||
| 2009–10 | 25 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 7 | ||
| 2010–11 | 31 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 11 | ||
| 2011–12 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | ||
| Total | 114 | 36 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 120 | 39 | ||
| Jeonnam Dragons | 2012 | K-League | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| Central Coast Mariners | 2013–14 | A-League | 26 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 2 |
| 2014–15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 4 | ||
| Total | 37 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 42 | 6 | ||
| Sydney FC | 2015–16 | A-League | 20 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 3 |
| 2016–17 | 25 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 5 | ||
| Total | 67 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 87 | 10 | ||
| Central Coast Mariners | 2018–19 | A-League | 22 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 7 | |
| 2019–20 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 25 | 4 | |||
| 2020–21 | 27 | 10 | — | — | 27 | 10 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 70 | 20 | 6 | 1 | — | 76 | 21 | |||
| Career total | 294 | 66 | 21 | 7 | 17 | 3 | 331 | 76 | ||
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