Hispanopedia Wiki
Mario Bilen (born 23 January 1985 in Vinkovci, Croatia) is a Croatian professional footballer who currently plays for NRFL Division 2 club Ngaruawahia United.[2]
Club career
A stalwart in Croatia's top-flight, the 1.HNL. and youth national teams, where he befriended Luka Modric, Bilen immigrated to New Zealand in 2013 to sign for 9x OFC Oceania Champions League winners, Auckland City FC.[3] After leading the defensive line for the club in over 100 top-flight matches in New Zealand, Bilen departed the club in December 2022, aged 36.
He is widely regarded as a club legend at City and played an instrumental role in the club's third-place finish at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2014 as the starting centre-back.[4]
Following his departure from Auckland City, he joined Ngaruawahia United on the eve of their promotion playoff into NRFL Division 2 against Papakura City. He made his debut for Ngaruawahia in the first game of the NRFL Division 2 season in a 2–0 away win over West Auckland.[5]
References
- ^ a b c "FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 December 2013. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013.
- ^ "Ngaruawahia United sign Auckland City midfielder on eve of promotion play-off". 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Mario BILEN".
- ^ "Bilen bids farewell to Auckland City FC".
- ^ "Northern Region Football".
External links
- Mario Bilen at Soccerway
- Mario Bilen at the Croatian Football Federation
- Mario Bilen at FootballDatabase.eu
- Mario Bilen at Auckland City FC at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 October 2013)