 Langerak for Borussia Dortmund in 2013 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mitchell James Langerak | ||
| Date of birth | 22 August 1988 | ||
| Place of birth | Emerald, Queensland, Australia | ||
| Height | 1.92 m (6 ft 3 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Borussia Dortmund | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–2002 | Tieri Tigers | ||
| 2003–2005 | Bundaberg Waves | ||
| 2006–2007 | AIS | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2007–2010 | Melbourne Victory | 21 | (0) |
| 2007 | → South Melbourne (loan) | 14 | (0) |
| 2010– | Borussia Dortmund II | 10 | (0) |
| 2010– | Borussia Dortmund | 7 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2006 | Australia U-20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2013– | Australia | 2 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12 October 2013.
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 08:30, 19 October 2013 (UTC) | |||
Mitchell James Langerak (General Australian pronunciation: /ˈmɪtʃˈɔːl ˈlænɡɑr.ˈæk/, [ˈmɪtʃˈɔːl ˈlænɡɑːr.ˈæk] (
); born 22 August 1988) is an Australian goalkeeper who plays for the GermanBundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.
); born 22 August 1988) is an Australian goalkeeper who plays for the GermanBundesliga club Borussia Dortmund.Club career
Melbourne Victory
Langerak signed his first professional contract in February 2007, with A-League club Melbourne Victory.[1] Soon after he was sent on loan to South Melbourne for the remainder of the 2007 Victorian Premier League season, to get some game time and experience.[2]
Once the loan finished, Langerak continued his duties as the Victory's third choice goalkeeper beforeEugene Galekovic moved to Adelaide United. He made his debut for Melbourne in the Round 21 clash of the 2007–08 season against rivals Sydney FC and despite letting in two goals, his performance in the 2–2 draw was a confident debut.[3]
With Galekovic making a move to Adelaide United, Langerak became the second choice keeper. With first choice Michael Theoklitos making his move overseas, Victory signed New Zealand international Glen Moss from Wellington Phoenix. Moss started the 2009–10 as Melbourne's first choice keeper before Langerak grasped his opportunity in the first team to become the side's first choice keeper for the remainder of the season.
On 13 April 2010, Melbourne officially announced that they had rejected a bid for Langerak from German giants, Borussia Dortmund, however talks continued.[4] On 4 May 2010, Langerak revealed to FourFourTwo Magazine, that Borussia Dortmund had made a second, substantially increased, bid for his services on the same day as the interview, but was again rejected by Melbourne Victory.
Borussia Dortmund
On 12 May 2010, Melbourne Victory accepted a third offer for Langerak from Borussia Dortmund sealing a four-year-deal with BVB.[5] After joining Dortmund, Langerak became the club's second choice goalkeeper during the 2010–11 Bundesliga season and was a regular in matchday squads. Langerak said his goal for the season was to learn as much as possible.
With Roman Weidenfeller injured, Langerak started his first game for Dortmund in their 3–1 win against reigning German champions Bayern Munich, where he showed a solid performance. Langerak made a return to the first team squad for the first time picked before an available Weidenfeller in Dortmunds second round German DFB Cup game with Dynamo Dresden. During the game many flares were lit in Signal Iduna Park bringing some concern; no action was taken and Mitch showed signs of jubilation with manager Jürgen Klopp after the game as he recorded his firstclean sheet in front of over 80,000 in attendance.
On 12 May 2012, two years to the day after sealing his move to Borussia Dortmund, Langerak came on as a 32nd minute substitute in the DFB-Pokal final against Bayern Munich. He came on for the injured Roman Weidenfeller who had suspected rib damage after a challenge with Mario Gómez earlier in the game. Dortmund went on to win the game 5–2 to claim the cup and Langerak's third title in two seasons at the club.
On 27 July 2013, Langerak won the 2013 DFL-Supercup with Dortmund 4-2 against rivals Bayern Munich.[6]
Langerak played the BVB opener of the 2013–2014 Bundesliga against FC Augsburg where he kept a clean sheet in a 4–0 win.[7] This means that in the 7 league and Bundesliga games in which Langerak has played, Borussia Dortmundhave won.
On 18 September 2013, Langerak made an unexpected Champions League debut against Napoli. But it was a painful debut as he smacked his face in the post when failing to stop a goal from Lorenzo Insigne, leaving Langerak with two chipped front teeth.[8]
International career
Langerak was selected in the Young Socceroos squad to play in the AFC Youth Championship 2006. Langerak received his first senior national team call-up in March 2011, named by coach Holger Osieck as a member of the 17-man squad to play Germany in a friendly match.[9]
Honours
- Melbourne Victory
- A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup: 2008
- A-League Championship: 2008–09
- A-League Premiership: 2008–09
- Borussia Dortmund
Individual
- PFA Harry Kewell Medal: 2009–10
