Melbourne City have confirmed Young Matildas defender Alexia Apostolakis has joined the club from Western Sydney Wanderers on a two-year deal.
The 18-year-old centre-back has 42 Liberty A-League appearances to her name, accrued across three seasons with the Wanderers but has made the switch to City on a deal set to run until the end of the 2025-26 campaign.
Apostolakis represented Australia at both the 2022 Women’s Under-20 World Cup and 2024 Women’s U20 Asian Cup; the highly-rated defender is an important acquisition for City having lost Hannah Wilkinson, Emina Ekić, Bárbara, Naomi Chinnama, Julia Grosso and Daniela Galic after the club’s Premiership-winning season in 2023-24.
City will compete in the AFC Women’s Champions League next season and head coach Dario Vidosic believes Apostolakis’ arrival is a boost to the club’s hopes of competing on multiple fronts.
“We’re delighted to welcome Alexia to City,” Vidosic said.
“She’s an exciting young defender who suits the way we play and provides a huge boost to our squad ahead of the upcoming season as we look forward to not just the A-League Women’s season, but also our first AFC Champions League campaign.
“She’s a technical defender who can play both centrally and out wide, and a really promising Australian talent who’s already got so much experience in the league and at youth national team level.”
Apostolakis is City’s first new arrival of the off-season, with further announcements to follow. The teenage defender says the allure of City’s play style and the culture she’s perceived at the club from afar were key reasons for her move to the club from Western Sydney.
“I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity to join Melbourne City,” she said.
“In my eyes, it’s a club that is very dedicated to the culture and the players. It implements a style of football that is so unique and so dominant against its opponents, which I believe is the perfect environment for me to develop both as a footballer and as a person.
“I’m looking forward to embracing new learning experiences and challenges which I’m sure will come with the support of the coaches, staff and my new teammates. I can’t wait to get started.”
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