Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ajak Chol Riak | ||
Date of birth | 12 December 2000 | ||
Place of birth | Nairobi, Kenya [1] | ||
Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | PSS Sleman | ||
Number | 10 | ||
Youth career | |||
-2019 | Bayswater City | ||
2019-2020 | Stirling Lions | ||
2021 | Olympic Kingsway | ||
2021-2023 | Inglewood United | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2022 | Bentleigh Greens | 20 | (7) |
2023 | South Melbourne | 23 | (10) |
2023– | PSS Sleman | 13 | (4) |
International career‡ | |||
2023– | South Sudan | 8 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 April 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21 November 2023 |
Ajak Chol Riak (born 12 December 2000) is a South Sudanese professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga 1 club PSS Sleman and the South Sudan national team.
Riak was born in Nairobi, Kenya before his family immigrated to Australia when he was just a child. [2] Playing for several clubs in the National Premier Leagues Western Australia youth divisions, Riak moved to Melbourne and signed with Bentleigh Greens, where he assisted the club to a Round of 16 spot in the 2022 Australia Cup, where despite Riak scoring a 86th minute consolation goal, [3] they were knocked out 2-1 by A-League Men heavyweights Sydney FC. [4]
Riak's strong performances for Bentleigh in both the Australia Cup, and the NPL Victoria saw former National Soccer League champions South Melbourne FC secure his signing for the 2023 season. [5] After further strong performances for South Melbourne throughout the 2023 NPL season, Riak secured his first move overseas, and ultimately professional contract when he signed for PSS Sleman in 2023–24 Liga 1. [6]
PSS Sleman announced Riak's signing in late November 2023, as a replacement for Ukrainian striker Yevhen Bokhashvili who had departed to sign for Sriwijaya FC. [7] His signing came alongside fellow African Australian Elvis Kamsoba who had recently been released from Iranian club Sepahan S.C.. [8] Riak's debut came in a 2–1 victory against PS Barito Putera, where Riak was praised highly for his performance. [9]
Despite also being eligible for Kenya and Australia, Riak accepted a call up from the South Sudan under Italian manager Stefano Cusin, making his full international debut against Congo in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification. [2]
Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Bentleigh Greens | 2022 | NPL Victoria | 20 | 7 | 2 [lower-alpha 1] | 1 | – | 0 | 0 | 22 | 8 | |
South Melbourne | 2023 | 23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | – | 0 | 0 | 23 | 10 | ||
PSS Sleman | 2023–24 | Liga 1 | 13 | 4 | – | – | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 | ||
Career total | 56 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 22 |
South Sudan | ||
---|---|---|
Year | Apps | Goals |
2023 | 8 | 0 |
2024 | 0 | 0 |
Total | 8 | 0 |
Riak has been described as quick and strong player, especially during aerial duels courtesy of his height. In addition, he does possess a powerful finish. [2]
Heidelberg United Alexander Football Club established in 1958 is a football (soccer) club based in the northern Melbourne suburb of Heidelberg West, Victoria, Australia. The team currently competes in the National Premier League Victoria.
Green Gully Soccer Club is an Australian association football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. Green Gully is one of the largest clubs in Melbourne, having participated in the now defunct National Soccer League between 1984–1986. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, with matches played at Green Gully Reserve in Kealba. Green Gully have won the Victorian state league title nine times, second only to South Melbourne FC with ten. It is one of seven state league teams to eliminate an A-League team in the FFA Cup, alongside Blacktown City FC, Heidelberg United FC, Redlands United FC, Adelaide City FC, Bentleigh Greens SC and APIA Leichhardt FC.
Rodrigo Alejandro "Roddy" Vargas is an Australian soccer player who plays as a central defender for the Victorian State League Division 1 club Nunawading City FC, but is mostly known for his time at Melbourne Victory FC, Green Gully Cavaliers and at Melbourne Knights FC, where he was club captain.
Giannis "Johnny" Anastasiadis is a former Australian soccer player who spent the majority of his career playing for Greek club PAOK FC. He is currently the senior coach at NPL Victoria side Heidelberg United.
Bentleigh Greens Soccer Club is an Australian semi professional soccer club based in Cheltenham, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The club was formed in 1986, by the Greek Cypriot community and currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria. Bentleigh made nationwide headlines when it became the first club below the A-League to make the semi-final of the FFA Cup in 2014. The Greens hit another milestone a year later when they claimed their first major trophy, the NPL Victoria title. In 2016, Bentleigh Greens became Victorian top-flight league premiers for the first time.
Northcote City Football Club (Iraklis) is a soccer club based on the border of Thornbury and Northcote, Victoria (Australia). Formed in 1960 by local Greek Australians, the club currently competes in the Victoria Premier League 1.
Broadmeadow Magic Football Club is a soccer club based in Broadmeadow a suburb of Newcastle, Australia. The club currently competes in the National Premier Leagues Northern NSW.
Hume City Football Club is a semi-professional Australian football club based in Broadmeadows, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. Established by the local Turkish Australian community, the club competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.
Golgol Mebrahtu is a professional football player who plays as a forward for NPL Victoria club Bentleigh Greens. Born an Eritrean refugee in Sudan, he represented Australia at youth level before switching to represent Eritrea at senior level.
Kamal Said Ibrahim is a professional footballer who plays for Melbourne Knights FC in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.
Avondale FC is an Australian semi-professional association football club, with the men's and women's teams based in Parkville and the junior sides based in Avondale Heights, suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria. The club competes in the National Premier Leagues Victoria, having reached the top tier of Victorian football in 2015.
Jonatan Miguel Germano is an Argentine-Australian footballer who currently plays for National Premier Leagues Victoria 3 club Preston Lions FC.
Yevhen Oleksandrovych Bokhashvili is a Ukrainian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga 2 club Sriwijaya.
Melbourne Victory Football Club Youth is the youth system of Melbourne Victory based in Melbourne, Victoria. The team plays in the National Premier Leagues, the second level of Australia's soccer pyramid in Australia. The club also competes in the under-23s Y-League competition.
Alastair Bray is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for South Melbourne FC in the National Premier Leagues Victoria.
Pacifique Niyongabire is a Burundian professional footballer who plays as a winger for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL Championship and the Burundi national football team.
The 2018 FFA Cup was the fifth season of the FFA Cup, the main national soccer knockout cup competition in Australia. 32 teams contested the competition proper, including the 10 A-League teams and 21 Football Federation Australia (FFA) member federation teams determined through individual state qualifying rounds, as well as the reigning National Premier Leagues Champion.
Jesse Daley is an Australian professional soccer player plays as a central midfielder for Cavalry FC in the Canadian Premier League.
Elvis Kamsoba is a Burundian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Liga 1 club PSS Sleman and the Burundi national team.
The 2022–23 season was the 18th in the history of Sydney Football Club. In addition to the domestic league, Sydney FC competed in the Australia Cup for the eighth time.