With the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season fast approaching, aleagues.com.au caught up with one of the newest names to arrive Down Under; Sydney FC striker Victor Campuzano.
When it comes to players who have worn the number nine shirt at Sydney FC, the list makes for good reading if you’re a fan and ominous reading if you’re an opposition defender.
In the inaugural Isuzu UTE A-League season, it was Socceroo David Zdrilic who became the club’s first wearer of the shirt while the likes of New Zealand goal-machine Shane Smeltz then followed.
Fast forward a few seasons and Brazilian forward Bobo was plucked from relative obscurity but soon became one of the most devastating forwards to ever play in the competition, hitting a stunning 27 league goals during the 2017-18 campaign – a record that still stands to this day.
Later on it was English poacher Adam Le Fondre who fired himself into the hearts of Sydney FC fans to sit second on the club’s all-time goalscorer charts whilst the likes of Fabio Gomes and Patryk Klimala then found the back of the net with regularity before moving on.
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Now, the shirt has a new owner after the Sky Blues recruited former LaLiga forward Campuzano in a deadline-day move that caught plenty by surprise.
“Yes, I think the reality is it’s the number that takes more pressure than the others,” said Campuzano as he sat down to chat with aleagues.com.au at Sydney FC’s Sky Park training base.
“The number nine is like, goals! But I don’t identify as only a number nine.”
He added: “I can assist, I can do work, so I tell you the truth – I took it because it’s the last one – it’s free!
“I have the luck that I can play in in many positions. I can play as striker, as a winger, as a little bit before the striker. So I can adapt a lot of with the players that are in the pitch and teammates.
“I can score, I can assist, I can do hard work. In Europe it’s more (of a) tactical football style and that’s one of my my points, too.
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“So my objective right now is gel with the team and give all my points to the team tactically as well as give goals and assists.”
Joining Sydney FC on a two-year deal, Campuzano boasts an impressive CV which has seen him play more than 200 games across Spanish football’s top two divisions for the likes of Espanyol and Sporting Gijon whilst also playing in the UEFA Europa League.
However a frustrating spell with Gijon led to the forward exploring options both within Spain and abroad.
That’s when Sydney FC pounced.
“I feel that I needed a big change, a new big challenge,” said Campuzano.
“In my last period in Gijon it was difficult. I had a couple of years there that I had very good moments, but also very tough moments. So I needed a big change and this is the mentality I’ve had during these last weeks and months.
“I don’t feel pressure. I’ve (been) training with my people there (Gijon), I had the lucky thing that I can train with my hometown team. So I’m very relaxed and I’m waiting for a big chance and this is why I’m hear in Australia.”
For a player who’s never played outside of Spain, a move to the other side of the world is certainly what you would call a big step. In fact, Campuzano had plenty of offers from clubs to remain in Europe but believed the opportunity to experience a new footballing culture was something he was ready to tackle.
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“First of all it’s difficult, because you have to take the decision to abandon your family or your country.
“I never left Spain. I always played in Spain and in three cities that has very good level of life; Barcelona, Madrid and Gijon. They are top.
“So the big problem was to take the decision to abandon family and go so far away. The past three months, after my last official game, I feel that I need and I’m prepared to go far away to accept this challenge and this offer to Sydney was the best of all, so I took it.”
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One of the more intriguing aspects of Campuzano’s move to Australia though is the fact he’s only 28 and arguably in his ‘prime’ as a footballer.
“The reality right now in football is that the people, the players, are taking care of (themselves) a lot, much more than years ago,” said Campuzano, who has barely left the club’s training ground since arriving in Australia.
“Right now you can play until 37, 38 and those players, they are beasts. You can see Ronaldo, Mata, all of these players are older than other people, and they’re still at a top level.”
Whilst he’s certainly no veteran, at 28 Campuzano will slot straight into the more experienced category of players at Sydney FC this season as whilst he may not be the loudest voice in the changing room, the Catalan forward knows a thing or two about leaders.
In 2016, Campuzano swapped Espanyol for the bright lights of Real Madrid as the Spanish giants lured the young talent to the nation’s capital with the offer of join the club, initially starting in their reserve side, Real Madrid Castilla.
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Far from just playing reserve-team football though, Campuzano was soon thrust into the life of a Real Madrid player with first-team training sessions a regular occurrence at the club’s Valdebebas training ground.
Key figures in those training sessions were two players now considered Real Madrid royalty in Cristiano Ronaldo and Sergio Ramos – both of whom Campuzano highlights when pinpointing players who are examples to follow when it comes to both leadership qualities and longevity.
“You always appreciate the advice of your older players or veterans,” said Campuzano when detailing his experiences at Real Madrid as young player.
“So I feel I don’t have too much age right now, but when you are young you live this experience, and you are so grateful when people like, in my case, Cristiano and Sergio Ramos give you advice in training that you can use in your career.
“Ramos was a very good leader, and that’s what you need (as a young player) if you are a good leader, you need to give an example for the young players to push up. When you are doing this, working hard, the young people see and they know that they push hard too.
“Because if the best ones are doing this, other people do this, in the good moments and the bad, you need to push up and help the other people.
“This is what these types of leaders, these good leaders do like Ramos and Cristiano. So as I say, when you are young and these people can give you advice like this you are so grateful.”
“So if I can help any young player I do, because it’s my style and it’s an opportunity for young people to learn.
He continued: “Because Europe, as you say, is a very different style and if you can give to a team different styles, it’s much better to perform with that.”
