Kosta Barbarouses is showing no signs of slowing down with Wellington Phoenix. aleagues.com.au looks at the numbers behind the evergreen striker as he closes in on a century of goals.
They often say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Kosta Barbarouses is debunking that myth.
He may be approaching his 35th birthday, but the evergreen Wellington Phoenix star is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, he is only getting better as he leads the way in a new position.
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Predominately a winger or wide forward throughout his illustrious career, Barbarouses has been deployed as a striker since Giancarlo ‘Chiefy’ Italiano replaced Ufuk Talay ahead of the 2023-24 campaign, and he has not looked out of place.
“Kosta really suits the way we play. We build towards him,” Italiano said after Barbarouses’ renewal at the end of last season. “You saw this season when he became the central nine, we had a really different dynamic and were really exciting to watch.”
Shouldering the attacking load, Barbarouses tops the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League’s Golden Boot standings with six goals so far from an expected goals (xG) of 3.81 and he is just one goal away from becoming just the fourth player – and first New Zealander – to score 100 goals in the competition.
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“I’m always trying to better myself and even improve at the age I’m at now and I always think you can always get better,” he said before the start of the season.
Barbarouses is one of the most decorated players in the Isuzu UTE A-League with four Championships – two with Melbourne Victory and one apiece with Sydney FC and Brisbane Roar, to go with three Premierships across all three teams.
But the 34-year-old has enjoyed a revival in Wellington, particularly under Italiano.
Barbarouses returned to the Phoenix in 2022-23 and went 17 games without a goal before ending his drought in December last year. He finished Wellington’s history-making campaign with 13 goals – his best return since scoring 15 league goals for Victory in 2018-19. It was his second-best A-Leagues tally.
To put it further into context, Barbarouses scored 12 league goals combined across the 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
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Since Italiano’s appointment, only Western United’s Hiroshi Ibusuki (20) and reigning Golden Boot winner and Socceroo Adam Taggart (22) have scored more A-Leagues goals than the former Panathinaikos forward.
“I feel like he’s almost one of the most underrated players in A-League history,” Paramount+ reporter Daniel Garb said during November’s Unite Round.
“When you look at his goal record, what he has done at big clubs who have all had success. He is a key player every single time a team works its way near the top of the table.
“Maybe we don’t speak about him the same way as others.”
While there have been some teething issues for Italiano’s new-look Phoenix after an off-season that saw key players Alex Paulsen (Bournemouth – on loan at Auckland FC), Ben Old (Saint-Etienne) and Finn Surman (Portland Timbers) signed by overseas clubs, Barbarouses has continued where he left off in 2024-25.
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This season, he is scoring a goal every 131.2 minutes – better than Sydney FC’s Joe Lolley (133.8), former Celtic striker Patryk Klimala (151) Western Sydney Wanderers duo Nicolas Milanovic (143.4) and captain Brandon Borrello (154.4), Western’s Ibusuki (174.4) and Brisbane Roar sensation Thomas Waddingham (190.5).
His shot conversion rate (28.6%) is ahead of ahead of Adelaide United’s Archie Goodwin (27.8%), Waddingham (23.5%), Macarthur Bulls captain Valere Germain (19.1%), Western forward Noah Botic (18.8%), Klimala (18.2%), Ibusuki (16.7%), Borrello and Milanovic (both 16.1).
Barbarouses started his professional career with Wellington before Ange Postecoglou and Brisbane Roar came calling in 2010.
He still credits Postecoglou for the career he has enjoyed thus far.
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“I think he saw something in me that he could improve on and get the best out of me and once I got that opportunity, I worked very hard and that sort of set up the career I’ve had,” Barbarouses told ‘Pitch Side with Stav’ previously.
Barbarouses has gone on to enjoy an incredible career and the proof of his impact is in the numbers.
Since entering the competition in 2007, Barbarouses has scored a goal every 260.7 minutes.
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Among forwards, he is third for goals and assists (144) – behind only legendary strikers Jamie Maclaren and Besart Berisha.
With the fourth-most goals – third excluding penalties (94), he has converted 46 Big Chances, which is sixth all-time behind Maclaren (123), Berisha (97), Bruno Fornaroli (62), Taggart (47) and Bobo (47).
He is also one assist shy of the all-time Isuzu UTE A-League record – currently tied with Adelaide United legend Craig Goodwin. He is also third among forwards when it comes to chances created (354).
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Barbarouses also stands along in a number of other categories among forwards in the history of the league: most dribbles completed (351), most touches in the opposition box (1,509), most carries (2,753), carry directness (1075.2) and most opposition box take-ons (143).
“He’s almost been born again… one of the most underappreciated players in A-Leagues history,” retired Socceroo and former A-Leagues attacker Tommy Oar said via Total A-Leagues earlier this season.
Based on his current form and longevity, you wouldn’t put it past the 64-time New Zealand international to be involved at the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
