Off the back of an incredible run of form, Noah Botic is making his mark in the Isuzu UTE A-League. But just who is he and where did the hype start? Nick D’Urbano explores.
Western United’s Noah Botic has all the hallmarks to be a top-quality striker.
He’s six-foot tall, with enormous technical ability, a tremendous football IQ, an eye for goal and scintillating speed.
Botic isn’t a target-man, nor is he an off the shoulder player; he’s an all-round striker that can hurt defenders in more ways than one. And it’s been showcased in each of his four goals for Western United, with two coming from his head, one being a lovely half-volley and the other a tap-in.
READ: Aloisi calls for Botic patience as young gun strikes again in win over Perth
It’s hard not to get swept up in the hype. Australian football fans have long been waiting for the next number nine to lead the Socceroos attack for years to come and Botic ticks all the boxes of the idealistic striker.
It’s for reasons like this that have seen him saddled by some as the heir apparent to arguably Australia’s greatest ever player, Mark Viduka.
Botic’s incredible run of form was discussed in length on this week’s edition of the Isuzu UTE A-League podcast. Listen below, or via Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you consume your podcasts.
However, Botic is ready to forge his own legacy and step out of Viduka’s shadow, something his coach and fellow Australian football legend John Aloisi wants to help him create.
“We can’t say that Noah’s going to be our next No.9 for Australia, he has to work towards that,” Aloisi said after their 2-1 win over Perth Glory last week.
I don’t want any comparisons that he’s the next this player or that player: he’s Noah Botic.
READ: Why Aloisi is confident hype won’t affect young gun – ‘He’s not the type to get carried away’
Botic’s form has been so impressive over the last few weeks that it has seen him rewarded with a call-up to the Olyroos squad for an upcoming camp in Italy later this month and pen a two-year extension at Western.
But where did his journey start and why should Australian football fans get excited about his potential?
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A star is born
Two-time Socceroo Paul Reid recognised Botic’s raw talent straight away.
“I haven’t seen a player like him in a long time. I just have a feeling he will make it. He’ll play for the Socceroos for years to come as long as he stays injury free,” he told the St George & Sutherland Shire Leader in 2019.
Reid coached Botic as a youngster at Rockdale Ilinden in NPL NSW. The former Sydney FC and Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder kept tabs on the striker as a youngster.
Botic, who is the cousin of Deni Juric and his brother Socceroo Tomi, burst onto the scene playing for their U-18s as 16-year-old, scoring 18 goals that season and earning the opportunity to train in the senior side under the eye of then coach, Reid.
“I really do believe he has what it takes. You can just see it in a player. I was at Rockdale for seven years, watching NPL first grade and under-20s football no one really stood out for me. Then I saw Noah and I thought this kid has something.
I just have that feeling he will make it in Europe. Not the lower leagues, he’s got the attributes to play in the top tier, the big European leagues. He’s a goal scorer.
“Some people say we haven’t had a Viduka since Viduka. He’s a different player to Mark Viduka but he can hold the ball up, he’s strong for his age but then he’s quick and makes smart runs. For a striker they are great attributes to have. He’s scored regularly for every team he’s played for. He has that eye for goal.”
His form, however, didn’t go unnoticed, in fact it caught the attention of Manchester United, who offered him a trial.
But with mounting interest from fellow European giants Bayern Munich, Premier League side Everton and A-Leagues sides, Botic secured a move to Bundesliga side Hoffenheim on a two-year scholarship deal – just prior to linking up with the Joeys ahead of the 2019 U-17 FIFA World Cup.
“Noah spent a week with (Manchester) United earlier in the year and scored in a 4-0 win against Newcastle United,” his manager Nathan Gaynor of the Cove Agency told SBS in 2019.
“They were quite keen to get him back but we decided Germany was the best place for Noah’s style of football.
We had several options there but Hoffenheim opened the door to him for a couple of weeks and he impressed in a game for the U-19’s against SpVgg Unterhaching, scoring twice and setting one up in a 4-1 win.
“Hoffenheim has a terrific Academy and they are all about individual development of their players too.
“It’s a little striker factory there at the minute and fingers crossed he does well and will do well for Australia in the years to come. They have a high opinion of the boy.”
History-making success
2019 was well and truly Botic’s year.
Botic came into the year fresh off helping the Joeys secure qualification to the 2019 U-17 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, scoring five goals in five games at the U-16 AFC Championship.
His form – at international and club level – and subsequent move to Hoffenheim caught the eye of The Guardian, who named him among 60 of the world’s best young talents in their yearly Next Generation list.
Other names on the list included Belgium international Jeremy Doku, Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol, Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga and Barcelona’s Spanish duo Ansu Fati and Pedri.
Not bad company.
But it was in Brazil shortly after where Botic took his game to another level, as he helped the Joeys to the Round of 16.
Botic scored four of Australia’s five goals in the group stage, with two of them coming in a decisive 2-1 win over Nigeria that booked their place in the final 16 against France – where they eventually fell 4-0.
His performances didn’t go unrecognised, winning the inaugural Dylan Tombides Medal – an award given to the men’s player who exemplifies the standards, commitment and courage in representing Australia at youth international level – honouring the late striker who passed away in 2014.
“It feels amazing, I couldn’t be happier,” Botic said at the time.
“It tells me that I am working hard constantly on and off the pitch and confirms that I’m on the right track to become a professional footballer.
“To see that [Joeys Head Coach] Trevor Morgan and the PFA have picked me to win this award has made me feel excited about what is still to come in the future.
After Trevor mentioned Dylan, it’s touched me a bit about his story and him playing for a young Australian side and him having that sort of difficulty in his life wasn’t easy, so he has inspired me.
Europe and the return home
At Hoffenheim, Botic started strongly, scoring three goals in seven games for their U19s, playing alongside now Everton and Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the 2019-20 season prematurely, creating all sorts of problems for Botic who was separated from friends and family as border closures came into place.
The challenges of the pandemic weighed on the young striker, who after two years opted to return home, with A-Leagues clubs circling for his services.
“I was just a little bit down last season because I wasn’t getting game time overseas. Even though [we were] playing friendly games, it sort of wasn’t the same because it’s not [regular] season games. It just didn’t really have the same effect,” Botic told The Football Sack in 2021.
I couldn’t come back during the second season, when I was in Hoffenheim last season so I was just stuck over there training and stuff. It had a bit of an affect on me.
“So, I thought I want to come back to Australia [and] be closer to my family. Just get the confidence back up, and the game time back up.”
Botic decided to link up with John Aloisi at Western United in 2021, joining the Australian football legend as one of his first signings.
And perhaps there was no one better for him to work under than one of the country’s greatest ever strikers – who understands the trials and tribulations of being a highly-regarded number nine.
“Noah has a strong presence on the park being six-feet tall,” Aloisi said at the time of his arrival.
He is capable of scoring goals in any number of ways, but it is his intelligence and predatory instincts around the six-yard box that make him incredibly difficult to defend.
“I’m looking forward to watching Noah continue to develop here at Western United.”
Botic was one of three strikers to join that off-season, alongside Serbian international Aleksandar Prijovic and Dylan Wenzel-Halls – meaning competition was always going to be stiff alongside two experienced number nines.
His first season at the club was a difficult one, as injuries and international duty – at a time when border closures were still in place – disrupted his pre-season, meaning he started well behind the eight-ball.
Botic only played three times as a substitute, but due to a late season injury crisis, he was drafted onto the bench for each of their first three finals, before being dropped for the Grand Final for a returning Adisu Bayew.
United went on to win their first ever Isuzu UTE A-League championship, defeating Melbourne City 2-0 in the decider where he watched on from the stands.
This season, however, things have begun to turn for Botic. With Prijovic unavailable for their Australia Cup ties with Melbourne Victory and Sydney United 58 – Botic was given consecutive opportunities to impress as a substitute.
Even though Western would bow out to Sydney at Edensor Park, Botic gave fans a glimpse of his quality in one swift motion. The young striker stood up in the penalty shootout to take the first spot-kick and with the coolness of a cucumber, he slotted the ball past Danijel Nizic with a panenka kick.
His performances in pre-season were rewarded with opportunity when the new Isuzu UTE A-League season started as Prijovic continued to miss time with injury.
It was in those cameos where he showcased glimpses of his potential, picking up good positions in the attacking third and causing havoc for opposition defenders. At that point, the goals weren’t coming, but Aloisi was seeing the hallmarks of a player who was firmly on the right track.
“I’ve got a lot of hope for him because I know what he was capable of doing as a younger player,” Aloisi said after their 1-1 draw with Macarthur FC in Round 3.
“He was in Germany, didn’t play a lot then got injured for a long period and then he had disrupted pre-season, going away, getting injured and so we are trying to build his body and build his game up and he’s getting better.
I still think that Noah is going to be a very good striker.
With each passing week, the opportunities continued to come, even when Prijovic returned to the side – usurping Wenzel-Halls in the pecking order and earning his first start for the club in January.
And once the first of his senior career went in against Adelaide United almost a month ago, the rest was history – going on to score three in the following three games.
Now, with the excitement increasing over the last few weeks, Aloisi said it’s his job to manage those expectations and not let the hype get to him.
“He’s not the type that will get carried away. He still works the same, works hard,” Aloisi said last Thursday.
“It’s up to me to make sure that the added pressure from the outside and the added hype doesn’t affect him.
“He’s a really good trainer. No matter what exercise we’re doing, he does it to the best of his ability.
“If that’s the way of him dealing with the hype I don’t know, but I don’t see it affecting him too much.
“It’s more (about) us not going on about it.
He’s still starting his career and I wouldn’t compare him to anyone else – that’s unfair for him.
All eyes are on what’s next for Botic, who is helping lead United’s charge towards a finals berth, with his next test coming in a clash with crosstown rivals Melbourne Victory on Labour Day.
And the hype will only continue to grow should he help United get to the promised land. Not for the next Mark Viduka, but for the one and only – Noah Botic.
