Alvin Ceccoli

Alvin Warren Ceccoli (/ˈælvɪn ˈtʃɛkoʊli/; born 5 August 1974 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian footballer who played for three A-League clubs (Sydney FC, Central Coast Mariners and Adelaide United) and was capped internationally for Australia.

Club career

Alvin Ceccoli is of Sammarinese heritage. Alvin started his National Soccer League (NSL) career at Wollongong Wolves in 1995 as a 21-year-old. He played 156 matches in the National Soccer League, punctuated by a short stint in Greece with AEK Athens FC. He won successive NSL Championships with Wollongong in 1998/99 and 1999/2000 before joining Parramatta Power, becoming part of the losing grand final side in 2003/04.

He was one of seven players signed by Sydney FC from the defunct NSL. Ceccoli's first season at the glamour club was a rebirth for his career. Alvin not only became one of the strongest defenders in the league, but also earned his second national team cap against Bahrain in a qualifying match for the Asian Cup in 2007, as a reward for an excellent season with Sydney FC. During the second season with Sydney however, he had some disagreements with new coach Terry Butcher which soured his relationship with the club, and he sought a move elsewhere.