HE’S the player with the second-most appearances in A-League history, making Nikolai Topor-Stanley the perfect replacement at Western United for the retired veteran who tops the list.
When Australian football legend Andrew Durante announced his retirement at the end of the 2019/20 campaign, Western United lost an experienced head and an unrivalled leader with 358 games of A-League experience under his belt.
But Topor-Stanley arrives having played 344 A-League games of his own; the second-highest of any player in the league’s history accrued over 13 campaigns.
The central defender slots into the void left by Durante in United’s defensive unit as new United head coach John Aloisi’s second signing for the Green and Black. It’s a signature made even more vital to the club after the departure of defensive utility Tomislav Uskok to Macarthur FC.
Topor-Stanleyyyyyyy ohhhhhh 🤯#ALeague pic.twitter.com/LNwRbVhhE5
— Isuzu UTE A-League (@aleaguemen) July 27, 2021
Topor-Stanley is a capped Socceroo who represented the nation at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. He lifted the AFC Asian Champions League trophy as captain of Western Sydney Wanderers in 2014, and won Player of the Season awards at Newcastle Jets, Perth Glory and the Wanderers throughout his career.
The 36-year-old defender says he’s excited to start a new chapter in his 14th A-League campaign.
“I’m really looking forward to a new challenge with Western United,” Topor-Stanley told the club website.
“Having played the majority of my career in Newcastle, I am eager to bring my experience and show what I have learnt throughout my career to a young club and a relatively young team.”
