Wellington Phoenix have signed experienced speedster Nikola Mileusnic for the Isuzu UTE A-League 2025-26 season.
Mileusnic makes the move to Wellington from Perth Glory for the upcoming campaign.
The former Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar and Glory attacker brings genuine pace and experience to the Phoenix, having been clocked at 36.2km/h while playing for Adelaide – “placing him in an elite group of footballers worldwide”.
VISIT THE 2025-26 ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE TRANSFER CENTRE
Mileusnic is also a winner after claiming back-to-back Australia Cup titles with Adelaide before hoisting the Danish Cup aloft during his time at Randers.
WONDERKID WATCH: Western Sydney’s ‘whirlwind’ debut season as young gun scores 8 goals in a day
AUSTRALIA CUP RECAP: New faces lead Sydney into quarter-finals, 17yo debuts in dramatic ‘Nix win
“I love to score goals and assist, and ultimately I want to help the Phoenix win games,” the 32-year-old said.
“My speed is still something I try to use to my advantage to help the team out. I just want to come in and work hard and hopefully bring some good days to the club’s fans.”
Mileusnic, who has scored 31 goals and provided 24 assists in more than 200 professional appearances, added: “It’s been a while since I’ve played a competitive game so I’m very keen to get started.
“I didn’t have the best pre-season in Perth. I had a lot of niggly injuries that weren’t really taken proper care of, and they sort of kept me back a bit. In the end we got there and I started getting some game time, but it was just a bit late and the season overall wasn’t the best.
“It still had its enjoyable parts, but definitely looking to put that one behind me and make a fresh start with the Phoenix.”
Mileusnic joins Ifeanyi Eze and Carlo Armiento as Wellington’s new signings.
EXPLAINED: Why Isuzu UTE A-League star has finally said yes to World No. 168 after 7 years
INTERVIEW: ‘Amazing story’ that highlights A-Leagues club’s ‘deliberate’ academy strategy
“Nikola’s unbelievably quick but he’s also an intelligent footballer,” Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano said. “If you look at his time in Brisbane, he played not only as a 10 and a winger but also played as a nine, so he’s very versatile and we need that in our system.
“Even though he’s 32 there’s still a lot of improvement in him and I believe I can get him to be the player he’s demonstrated over the years in the A-League.
“And I need a counterpoint to (Hideki) Ishige, (Ifeanyi) Eze, (Luke) Supyk, (Gabriel) Sloane-Rodrigues, (Luke) Brooke- Smith and (Nathan) Walker, and I think Nikola brings that.
“His combination with those players will make him very dangerous when he’s
put in the right position.”
