| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mario Bilen | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-01-23) 23 January 1985 (age 39) | ||
| Place of birth | Vinkovci, Croatia | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender, Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Ngaruawahia | ||
| Number | 16 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Cibalia Vinkovci | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2007 | Cibalia | 39 | (0) |
| 2004 | → Dilj (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2007 | Hrvatski Dragovoljac | 0 | (0) |
| 2008 | Orašje | 10 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | Slaven Belupo | 23 | (1) |
| 2010 | Flamurtari | 7 | (0) |
| 2010 | Vukovar '91 | 2 | (0) |
| 2011 | Nehaj | 15 | (0) |
| 2012 | Zadar | 21 | (0) |
| 2013–2021 | Auckland City | 94 | (2) |
| 2022– | Ngaruawahia | 2 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2001 | Croatia U15 | 5 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | Croatia U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2003 | Croatia U18 | 5 | (0) |
| 2003–2004 | Croatia U19 | 13 | (1) |
| 2004 | Croatia U20 | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 09:20, 14 June 2021 (UTC) | |||
Mario Bilen (born 23 January 1985 in Vinkovci, Croatia) is a Croatian professional footballer who currently plays for NRFL Division 2 club Ngaruawahia United.
Club career
A stalwart in Croatia's top-flight, the 1.HNL. and youth national teams, where he befriended Luka Modric, Bilen immigrated to New Zealand in 2013 to sign for 9x OFC Oceania Champions League winners, Auckland City FC. After leading the defensive line for the club in over 100 top-flight matches in New Zealand, Bilen departed the club in December 2022, aged 36.
He is widely regarded as a club legend at City and played an instrumental role in the club's third-place finish at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2014 as the starting centre-back.
Following his departure from Auckland City, he joined Ngaruawahia United on the eve of their promotion playoff into NRFL Division 2 against Papakura City. He made his debut for Ngaruawahia in the first game of the NRFL Division 2 season in a 2–0 away win over West Auckland.
References
- ^ "FIFA Club World Cup Morocco 2013: List of Players" (PDF). FIFA. 11 December 2013. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 December 2013.
- "Ngaruawahia United sign Auckland City midfielder on eve of promotion play-off". 21 March 2022.
- "Mario BILEN".
- "Bilen bids farewell to Auckland City FC".
- "Northern Region Football".
External links
- Mario Bilen at Soccerway
- Mario Bilen at the Croatian Football Federation
- Mario Bilen at Auckland City FC at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 October 2013)
| Auckland City FC – current squad | |
|---|---|
  | This biographical article related to a football midfielder from Croatia is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
- 1985 births
- Living people
- Footballers from Vinkovci
- Men's association football midfielders
- Croatian men's footballers
- Croatia men's youth international footballers
- HNK Cibalia players
- NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac players
- HNK Orašje players
- NK Slaven Belupo players
- Flamurtari FC players
- HNK Vukovar '91 players
- NK Zadar players
- Auckland City FC players
- Croatian Football League players
- Premier League of Bosnia and Herzegovina players
- New Zealand Football Championship players
- Croatian expatriate men's footballers
- Expatriate men's footballers in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Expatriate men's footballers in Albania
- Croatian expatriate sportspeople in Albania
- Expatriate men's association footballers in New Zealand
- Croatian expatriate sportspeople in New Zealand
- Croatian football midfielder stubs