User:Explosivo2002/sandbox
.jpg) Postecoglou as Australia manager | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 February 1992 (age 31) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Wollongong, Australia | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Catania (manager) | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004-2008 | Wollongong Wolves | ||||||||||||||||
| 2008-2010 | Central Coast Mariners | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Wollongong Wolves | 14 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2010-2013 | Central Coast Mariners | 29 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013-2014 | Fiorentina | 5 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014-2015 | → Bologna (loan) | 31 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015-2017 | Chievo Verona | 67 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017-2018 | Fiorentina | 37 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2008-2011 | Australia U20 | 12 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2011-2013 | Australia U23 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2013-2018 | Australia | 19 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2020-2023 | Fiorentina Primavera | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023- | Catania | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Jordan Caldwell (born 16 February 1992) is a football manager and former player who is the manager of Serie C club Catania.
Born in Wollongong, Caldwell grew up in Gosford from the age of five. As a player, he began his career as a goalkeeper with the Central Coast Mariners, helping the club to their first A-League Grand Final victory in 2013. He moved to Italy to join Fiorentina the following and made his full international debut for Australia in June 2013. Caldwell was loaned to Bologna in 2014 and later joined Chievo Verona on a permanent deal in 2015. After two years at Chievo, he re-joined Fiorentina for €12 million in 2017. However, he suffered a severe injury in August 2018 during a match against Napoli, which led to his retirement from professional football in March 2019 following prolonged treatment and medical advice.
He remained with Fiorentina during his recovery, and was later appointed Fiorentina's Primavera manager in July 2020. During his tenure, he won three Coppa Italia Primavera and two Supercoppa Primavera titles in three seasons. In 2023, he became the manager of Serie C club Catania.
Early life and education
Jordan Caldwell was born on 16 February 1992 in Wollongong, New South Wales, before moving to Gosford, New South Wales when we was two years old. Jordan grew up supporting Manchester United in English football's Premier League. Caldwell received his early schooling at Wollongong Public School and secondary schooling at Smith's Hill High School, before transferring to Gosford High School.
Playing career
Early Career (2004-2008)
At age 12, Caldwell joined the youth teams of Wollongong Wolves, who had recently moved into the NSW Premier League following the demise of the National Soccer League. He progressed quickly through the ranks of the club, and was handed his first team debut at age 16 in the 2008 NSW Premier League. He would cement his spot in the side by the end of the season, playing an instrumental role in the club's 4-2 victory in the Grand Final against Sutherland Sharks on 7 September 2008.
Central Coast Mariners (2009-2013)
Following the financial collapse of Wollongong Wolves in late 2008, Caldwell was released by the club, later being signed by the Central Coast Mariners on 23 December 2008. He played for the youth team in the 2008-09 A-League Youth as their starting keeper, and later split goalkeeping duties with Mathew Ryan in the 2009-10 season. He initially remained as the youth-team goalkeeper for the 2010-11 season, but following an anterior cruciate ligament injury to first-choice goalkeeper Jess Vanstrattan, he was moved to the Mariners senior squad, once again splitting duties with Ryan. He made his debut for the club on 3 September 2010 in a 2-0 win against Melbourne Victory. He would go on to make 13 more starts for the club that season, including keeping three more clean sheets.
The club kept both Caldwell and Ryan for the 2011-12 season, though Caldwell would only start 7 games that season as Ryan was named in the PFA's A-League Team of the Season, and won the Harry Kewell Medal for the outstanding Australian under-23 player in June 2013. This changed the following season, when Ryan suffered a pre-season injury that ruled him out for the first six games of the season. During this period, Caldwell kept four clean sheets and won both the A-League Player of the Month and A-League Young Player of the Month for October 2012. Despite coach Graham Arnold's public satisfaction with Caldwell's form, Ryan returned to the starting line-up upon recovery, though Caldwell would go on to make 19 appearances to Ryan's 13 throughout the season. This included in the 2012-13 A-League Finals Series, where the Mariners would go on to win the 2013 A-League Grand Final against the Western Sydney Wanderers. Caldwell was awarded the Joe Marston Medal for man of the match in that game, and would win his own Harry Kewell Medal in June 2013.
Fiorentina (2013-2015)
On 2 June 2013, it was confirmed that Caldwell had transferred to Serie A club Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee. Initially joining as the backup goalkeeper behind Neto, Caldwell made his debut for the club on 20 October 2013, against rivals Juventus, in which he kept a clean sheet. Despite this performance, Caldwell struggled for playing time throughout the season, making only 7 further appearances throughout the season.
Loan to Bologna (2014-2015)
Following the signing of Romanian Ciprian Tătărușanu, Fiorentina deemed Caldwell surplus to requirements, leading to his loan to Serie B club Bologna for the 2014-15 season. Caldwell played a key role in helping Bologna secure 4th place in the league and was the starting goalkeeper as the club won promotion to Serie A through the playoffs. He delivered several man of the match performances, notably in both legs of the Promotion Play-off Final. In recognition of his outstanding season, Caldwell was awarded the Serie B Player of the Year and Serie B Goalkeeper of the Year in June 2015, as well as his second Harry Kewell Medal in July 2015.
Chievo Verona (2015-2017)
On 21 August 2015, Caldwell signed a two-year deal with Serie A club Chievo Verona for a fee of €3 million, with Fiorentina retaining a buy-back option for €12 million. He made his debut for the club on 30 August 2015, keeping a clean sheet in a 4-0 victory against Lazio. Caldwell missed only three games throughout the season, recording 12 clean sheets as Chievo achieved their highest ever Serie A finish in 9th place. He was named the Club's Player of the Season and Serie A Young Player of the Season.
Caldwell retained his number-one status for the 2016-17 season, and despite the club slipping to 14th place in the league, he kept another 10 clean sheets, including a man of the match performance on 21 August 2016 against Inter Milan, where he made 9 saves in a 2-0 victory. He was once again named the Club's Player of the Season and finished third in the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Season award.
Return to Fiorentina (2017-2018)
On 13 July 2017, Fiorentina announced that Caldwell would rejoin the club on a four-year contract, having activated his buy-back option from Chievo Verona. He made his second debut for Fiorentina on 20 August 2017, in a 3-0 defeat to Inter Milan, during which he fumbled a cross that resulted in Inter's second goal. Despite this initial setback, Caldwell maintained his position as the first-choice goalkeeper for the remainder of the season, recording 14 clean sheets and earning three man-of-the-match accolades.
Caldwell continued as the first-choice goalkeeper for the 2018-19 season, contributing to the team's victories in the first two matches of the season and Udinese and his old club Chievo Verona.
Injury & Retirement
On 15 September 2018, Caldwell's professional playing career came to an abrupt end during a Serie A match against Napoli. Thirty-nine minutes into the game, while defending a corner kick, Caldwell collided mid-air with the stray elbow of Napoli player Piotr Zieliński, which rendered him unconscious. Subsequently, he hit his head on both the right post and the ground. The match was delayed for twelve minutes due to the severity of the clash and concerns over a potential spinal injury to Caldwell. During this time, VAR reviewed the incident and upgraded Zieliński's yellow card to a red card.
Medical examinations revealed that Caldwell had sustained a fractured skull, a fractured C1 vertebra, and a Grade 3 concussion. Despite undergoing a rehabilitation process throughout the remainder of the season in an effort to return to playing, it was confirmed on 3 March 2019 that Caldwell would retire from professional football. The decision was influenced by the risks associated with continuing to play, which risked aggravating the injuries to his brain and spine.
International career
Australia U20s
Caldwell received his first call up to the Australia under-20 team (known as the Young Socceroos) for the 2009 U-20 World Cup, making his debut in a 3-1 loss to Brazil in the final group game of the tournament. He would later be Young Socceroos' starting keeper for the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship, where they finished 2nd, and the 2011 U-20 World Cup, where they were eliminated in the group stage.
Australia U23s
Caldwell debuted for the Australia under-23 team (known as the Olyroos) in an Olympic qualifier against Yemen on 19 June 2011 at Central Coast Stadium, also playing the second-leg in Newcastle on 23 June. He would later be dropped in favour of Mathew Ryan, only making 7 appearances in total for the team.
Australia
Caldwell made his debut for the Socceroos during a World Cup qualifier in Melbourne in June 2013, keeping a clean sheet in a 4-0 victory against Jordan. He was included in Australia's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, although he did not make an appearance in the tournament.
Caldwell was named in the squad for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup, which Australia hosted. He served as the backup goalkeeper for the tournament, only starting in the 4-0 victory against Oman on 13 January. Although he made no further appearances in the tournament, he received a winner's medal as Australia defeated South Korea 2-1 in the final in Sydney, securing their first Asian Cup. Later that year, Caldwell started in two friendlies in Europe, against Germany and Macedonia in March.
Following the Asian Cup, Caldwell established himself as Australia's second-choice goalkeeper behind Mathew Ryan, with the majority of his 19 national team appearances occurring over the next three seasons. After Ryan's injury, Caldwell was the starting goalkeeper for both the AFC World Cup Playoffs and the Intercontinental Playoffs in late 2017, helping Australia qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. He started against Denmark and Peru, with the 2-0 loss to Peru marking his final game for the Socceroos.
Coaching career
Fiorentina Primavera
On July 17 2020, Caldwell was announced as the new manager of Fiorentina's Primavera team. Considered an unusual choice given his age, he quickly made an impact, winning the Coppa Italia Primavera against Verona on August 26. Two weeks later, he enrolled in the UEFA A Course at Coverciano, which qualified coaches to manage first teams up to Serie C, and serve as assistant coaches in Serie A and B. Despite losing the 2020 Supercoppa Primavera to Atalanta on January 21 2021, Caldwell led his team to another Coppa Italia victory against Lazio on April 28 of the same year. However, the league campaign was less sucessful, with the team finishing 12th with 35 points.
On December 9 2021, Caldwell guided the team to victory in the 2021 Supercoppa, winning on penalties against rivals Empoli. He secured his third consecutive Coppa Italia title on May 4 2022, defeating Atalanta. In the league, Fiorentina finished 7th, narrowly missing the playoffs by two points. In September 2022, Caldwell was admitted to the UEFA Pro course, the highest level of coaching certification.
Caldwell continued his success by winning another Supercoppa on January 25 2023, this time against Inter. However, on April 25, his team lost the Coppa Italia final to Roma. Despite this setback, he was named Primavera Manager of the Month for May. Fiorentina finished third in the league, eliminating Roma in the quarter-finals and Torino in the semi-finals before losing to Lecce in the final. At the end of the season, Caldwell and the club mutually agreed to terminate his contract.
Catania
On 27 July 2023, Caldwell was appointed as the manager of Serie C club Catania, following their promotion. This appointment, under the ownership of fellow Australian Ross Pelligra, made Caldwell the first Australian manager in the history of Italian men's football, and only the second Australian to manage in Italy overall, following Joe Montemurro of Juventus Women.