Hajduk Split
Josip Skoko played for which team in Apr 1996?
Josip Skoko Josip Skoko ( born 10 December 1975 ) is an Australian former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder for North Geelong Warriors , Hajduk Split , Genk , Gençlerbirliği , Wigan Athletic , Stoke City and Melbourne Heart . Skoko has been described as a central midfielder with superb on-ball ability , inch perfect passing , and his ability to turn defence to attack in an instant . Skoko is currently the Director of Football at North Geelong Warriors FC . Club career . Early career . Skoko was born in Mount Gambier , he played for Mt Gambier Croatia until he was 9 years old when he and his family moved to Geelong . Skoko played for North Geelong Warriors before moving to Croatian side Hajduk Split in 1995 . After four years at Stadion Poljud he signed for Belgium club Genk . At Genk he was made captain and helped the team win the title in 2001–02 . He joined Turkish club Gençlerbirliği in 2003 where he spent two years before moving to English football . Wigan Athletic . Skoko joined Premier League club Wigan Athletic for €1 million at the beginning of the 2005–06 season , although he initially failed to maintain a regular place in the first team . On 7 January 2006 Skoko signed for Football League Championship side Stoke City on loan until the end of the 2005–06 season . He played nine times for Stoke and scored twice against Sheffield United and Crystal Palace . In the 2006–07 season , Paul Jewell showed renewed faith in Skoko giving him an extended run in the side . The transfers of Jimmy Bullard and Graham Kavanagh to Fulham and Sunderland , respectively , in the summer of 2006 left a gap in Wigans midfield and this led to him becoming a mainstay in the Wigan Athletic midfield , partnering Paul Scharner and Denny Landzaat . He signed a new contract deal keeping him at Wigan until 2008 . However , at the end of the season it became clear that Skoko had played his last game for the club . The two main reasons were because he did not play enough games for Wigan to trigger a clause in his contract and also the impossibility of receiving a visa for his stay in England due to his international retirement with Australia . It was decided in May 2008 that Skokos contract would not be renewed and he was subsequently released by Wigan . Hajduk Split . Due to various work permit issues when playing in Europe , it took a longer than expected time for Skoko to put pen to paper with a club of his choice . However , on 21 July , and after several weeks of speculation , Skoko had finally signed a two-year deal with former club Hajduk . The decision , he said , took only minutes for the club and himself to agree terms . Skoko is relishing the chance to return to the side he made more than 100 appearances for between 1995 and 1999 , with a club he describes as a second home . Melbourne Heart . Skokos return home to Australia to play for A-League newcomers Melbourne Heart was confirmed by the club on 19 May 2010 . The club signed the former Socceroo for one season as their inaugural Australian marquee player . He was also named as one of the initial members of the leadership group . In his second game for Melbourne Heart , he suffered a hamstring injury , which forced him out of the side for at least one month . In February 2012 , Skoko came out of retirement to take part in the 2012 Hawaiian Island Invitational before retiring for good . International career . Skoko was a member of the Australian National football team for ten years , from 1997 to 2007 . He made his debut for Australia against Macedonia in 1997 and was a mainstay of the Socceroos side from then on , participating in two World Cup qualifying campaigns . He also represented his country at the Olympics in 2000 . In November 2005 , Skoko came on as a substitute in Australias playoff victory over Uruguay to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup . He also captained a weakened Australian side against Bahrain in an Asian Cup qualifier in 2006 . On 25 May 2006 , Skoko scored a cracking volley from 25m for Australia in a 1-0 friendly victory over Greece in front of 95,103 spectators at the Melbourne Cricket Ground , which he regards as the most legendary moment of all time . He was selected in the squad for the 2006 World Cup in Germany but did not play in any of Australias four games . After being named in the Australian side for a friendly match against Argentina on 11 September 2007 , Skoko stated that the game would be his home farewell from international football . Skoko ended his international career 51 minutes into the match in Melbourne when he was replaced by midfielder Carl Valeri . External links . - Melbourne Heart profile - OzFootball profile