Lleyton Brooks

Lleyton Brooks
Brooks in training with Melbourne Victory in November 2022
Personal information
Full name Lleyton Andrew Tanabe Brooks
Date of birth (2001-03-20) 20 March 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Benowa, Queensland, Australia[1]
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10+1⁄2 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
2013–2016 Brisbane Strikers
2016–2017 Brisbane Roar
2017 FFA Centre of Excellence
2018–2019 Brisbane Roar
2019 Melbourne Victory
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017 FFA Centre of Excellence 13 (5)
2018–2019 Brisbane Roar NPL 22 (1)
2020–2023 Melbourne Victory 31 (3)
2021–2022 Melbourne Victory NPL 9 (4)
2024 Cavalry FC 13 (0)
2025– Preston Lions 0 (0)
International career‡
2019 Australia U18 4 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Australia
AFF U-19 Youth Championship
First place 2019 Vietnam U-20 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 25 July 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 August 2020

Lleyton Andrew Tanabe Brooks (born 21 March 2001) is an Australian professional soccer player who currently played as a winger for National Premier Leagues Victoria club Preston Lions.[1]

Early life

Brooks played youth soccer with the Brisbane Strikers and Brisbane Roar.[2] In 2017, he joined the FFA Centre of Excellence, before later returning to the Brisbane Roar youth.[1] Brooks was part of the 2018–19 Y-League championship-winning Brisbane Roar Youth team.[3]

Club career

In 2017, Brooks played with the FFA Centre of Excellence in the NPL ACT.[4]

In 2018, he began playing with the Brisbane Roar NPL in the NPL Queensland, while also training with the first team.[5]

In October 2019, Brooks joined Melbourne Victory in the A-League.[6][7] On 8 August 2020, he made his debut, in a substitute appearance, against Perth Glory.[8] On 10 April 2021, he scored his first goal, scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 victory over the Newcastle Jets.[9][10] On 6 June 2021, he scored a last minute equaliser in injury time against league leaders Melbourne City.[11] In his debut season with the Victory, Brooks made 9 appearances and scored 2 goals; with his performances earning him Melbourne Victory's Young Player of the Season award for the 2020-21 season.[12] Following the season, he re-signed with the club on a new one-year scholarship contract.[13] In February 2022, he signed another extension, through the end of the 2022-23 season.[14] On May 7, 2022, while playing for the second team in the NPL Victoria 3, he scored a hat trick against Ballarat City FC.[15] Brooks scored his third goal for Victory in the 2022–23 A-League Men season on 23 April 2023, sealing the winner in a 2–1 home win over Macarthur FC and helping his side avoid the wooden spoon.[16][17] He was released at the end of the 2022-23 season.[18]

In December 2023, he joined Canadian Premier League club Cavalry FC on a two-year contract, beginning in the 2024 season.[19][20] He made his debut for Cavalry on February 27, in a CONCACAF Champions Cup match against Orlando City SC.[21] Brooks contract was terminated by mutual consent in July 2024.[22]

International career

Born in Australia, Brooks is also of Japanese descent.[1]

In July 2019, he was named to the Australia U20 squad for a camp.[23] He was then named to the squad for the Australia U18 team for the 2019 AFF U-18 Youth Championship.[24] On 7 August 2019, he scored two goals against Cambodia U18 in the tournament opener.[25]

Personal life

His father Craig worked as a camera operator for Network 10.[26]

Career statistics

As of July 13, 2024[27]
Club statistics
Club Season League Playoffs National Cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
FFA Centre of Excellence 2017[28] NPL ACT 13 5 — — — 13 5
Brisbane Roar NPL 2018[29] NPL Queensland 10 0 — — — 10 0
2019[30] 12 1 — — — 12 1
Total 22 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 22 1
Melbourne Victory NPL 2021[31] NPL Victoria 3 3 1 — — — 3 1
2022[32] 6 3 1 0 — — 7 3
Total 9 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 10 4
Melbourne Victory FC 2019–20 A-League Men 2 0 0 0 0 0 — 2 0
2020–21 9 2 — 0 0 — 9 2
2021–22 8 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 12 1
2022–23 12 1 — 1 0 — 13 1
Total 31 3 0 0 5 1 0 0 36 4
Cavalry FC 2024 Canadian Premier League 13 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 17 0
Career total 88 13 1 0 8 1 1 0 98 14

Honours

International

Australia U18

References

  1. ^ a b c Kovacs, Andrew (30 March 2023). "50 Melbourne Victory Fc Best Players of All Time". Metro League.
  2. ^ Melgar, Alejandro (26 December 2023). "Cavalry FC sign Australian forward Lleyton Brooks to 2-year contract". CityNews.
  3. ^ "Western Sydney Wanderers FC Youth vs Brisbane Roar FC Youth, Foxtel Y-League, Grand Final, 1st Feb 2019". Foxtel Y-League. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  4. ^ Tiernan, Eamonn (1 July 2017). "NPL Capital Football: FFA Centre of Excellence teenagers thrash Monaro Panthers". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  5. ^ "Young Roar thriving under NPL pressure". Brisbane Roar FC. 25 July 2018.
  6. ^ "Victory locks in full-time youth players". Melbourne Victory. 22 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Cavalry FC sign Australian youth international Lleyton Brooks". Canadian Premier League. 26 December 2023.
  8. ^ Kalinic, Dejan (8 August 2020). "Report: Glory 0-4 Victory". Melbourne Victory FC.
  9. ^ "A-League: Victory snap winless streak while Maclaren's scoring run rolls on". FotMob. 10 April 2021.
  10. ^ Warren, Adrian (10 April 2021). "Sub ends Victory's winless A-League run". The Canberra Times.
  11. ^ Lynch, Michael (6 June 2021). "Brooks' leveller may spare Victory spoon, Arnold seeks Socceroos goals". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  12. ^ "Recap: 2020/21 Victory Medal". Melbourne Victory FC. 5 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Brooks and Kirdar re-sign with Victory". Melbourne Victory FC. 18 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Melbourne Victory re-signs Lleyton Brooks and Jay Barnett". Melbourne Victory FC. 1 February 2022.
  15. ^ "NPL report: Victory 6-0 Ballarat". Melbourne Victory FC. 7 May 2022.
  16. ^ "Lleyton Brooks rescues point for Melbourne Victory in derby". ESPN. 17 May 2023.
  17. ^ "Men's Match Report: Brooks the hero as Victory snatch all three points". Melbourne Victory FC. 23 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Melbourne Victory Player Update". Melbourne Victory FC. 4 May 2023.
  19. ^ "Cavalry FC Signs Lleyton Brooks to 2024 Roster". Cavalry FC. 26 December 2023.
  20. ^ Jacques, John (26 December 2023). "Cavalry Inks Australian Forward Lleyton Brooks". Northern Tribune.
  21. ^ Tierney, Mitchell (27 February 2024). "Match Analysis: Cavalry FC go down swinging in Concacaf Champions Cup tie against Orlando City SC". Canadian Premier League.
  22. ^ Jacques, John (25 July 2024). "Cavalry Adds Wright, Releases Brooks". Northern Tribune.
  23. ^ "Gary van Egmond names maiden Young Socceroos squad". Socceroos. 17 July 2019.
  24. ^ "Young Socceroos squad finalised for 2019 AFF U-18 Championship". Socceroos. 18 August 2019.
  25. ^ Green, Samuel (18 August 2019). "Young Socceroos hit five in AFF U-18 Championship opener". Socceroos.
  26. ^ Pisani, Sasha (23 April 2023). "Victory's unlikely hero whose last-gasp winner was sensationally captured by his father... a cameraman!". A-League.
  27. ^ Lleyton Brooks at Soccerway
  28. ^ "Lleyton Brooks 2017 NPL Stats". MyGameDay.
  29. ^ "Lleyton Brooks 2018 NPL Stats". MyGameDay.
  30. ^ "Lleyton Brooks 2019 NPL Stats". MyGameDay.
  31. ^ "Lleyton Brooks 2021 NPL Stats". MyGameDay.
  32. ^ "Lleyton Brooks 2022 NPL Stats". MyGameDay.