Mathew Leckie is a footballer whose path to the sport was anything but ordinary. Mathew Leckie was a boy who, at the age of 10, had no intention of becoming a footballer. In fact, his heart was set on Australian rules football, a sport his parents avidly supported, with clubs like Essendon and Box Hill being their favourites.
So, what led to the shift in Mathew’s passion from Australian rules football to soccer? It was the influence of friends at his school. These soccer-loving boys introduced him to the beautiful game, sparking a new passion in him. His parents’ decision to change schools played a crucial role in this transformation, allowing Mathew to discover his love for soccer and ultimately leading him to his destiny on the pitch.
In this biography, we explore Mathew Leckie’s journey from a boy with a different dream to a celebrated footballer. We’ll cover his early life, the pivotal moments that led to his career in soccer, and the impact of his family and friends on his journey. Let’s dive into the complete story of Mathew Leckie, a footballer who found his true calling thanks to the unexpected turn of events in his childhood.
Mathew Leckie’s Unexpected Path to Football Fame
Preamble:
Our Mathew Leckie Biography tells you Facts about his Childhood Story, Early Life, Parents – Mr and Mrs Allan Leckie, Wife (Laura Friese), Family Background, Sibling (a sister, Jessica Leckie), Daughter (Olivia Leckie), Son (Henry Leckie) etc.
This article on Leckie’s Bio also unveils details of his family origin, ethnicity, the school he attended, hometown (Sunshine, Melbourne), etc. More so, we’ll unveil facts about the Socceroos’ Lifestyle (with nature), Personality, etc.
We begin Mathew Leckie’s biography by telling you about the notable events of his boyhood years and early life. Next, we’ll explain his early love for Australian rules football and what made him abandon the game and embrace soccer. Finally, we’ll tell you how the Aussie journeyed his way to become a hero for his country.
We hope to stir your interest in autobiography as you read Mathew Leckie’s Bio. To begin doing that, let’s show you a photo gallery of the greatest moments of his life. From being a little Melbourne boy to achieving a lot in life, Mathew has indeed come a long way.
The Biography of Mathew Leckie. Unveiling some of the most significant moments of his life.
Mathew Leckie Childhood Story:
For Biography starters, the Aquarius-born Aussie bears the nickname Matt. Mathew Allan Leckie arrived in the world on the 4th day of February 1991 to Australian parents in the country’s city of Melbourne.
Growing-Up:
Mathew Leckie spent his childhood years at Sunshine, a Melbourne Western Suburbs. As a little boy, he aspired to build a career in Aussie rules.
This is not football but a contact sport between two teams of 18 players who play on an oval field or a modified cricket ground.
Mathew Leckie’s Early Life:
Attending a soccer-friendly school and meeting soccer friends led to his discovery and love for sports. Mathew Leckie has his parents to thank for the change of school, which helped him meet his destiny.
Leckie explained that he, a schoolboy, got an invite from Brimbank Stallions. Since joining the soccer club from Sunshine, he (who fell deeply in love with soccer) never looked back.
Mathew Leckie Family Background:
To start with, the celebrity Socceroos winger holds no rags-to-riches story. Mathew was raised in a middle-class household.
A home where members have something in common – the love for Australian rules football. Our research shows that Mathew Leckie’s parents and siblings support Essendon and Box Hill.
Mathew Leckie Family Origin:
Both parents of the Socceroos winger are Australian citizens. And by virtue of being born in the country’s most populous city, the footballer holds Australian nationality.
To clarify, here is a map of Melbourne, where Mathew Leckie’s family comes from. Melbourne is not just the capital but the most populous city in Australia’s state of Victoria.
A map of Australia depicting Mathew Leckie’s family origins.
Mathew Leckie Ethnicity:
From the demographic standpoint, the former Hertha BSC winger identifies with the Anglo-Australians.
In other words, Mathew Leckie belongs to the English-Australian ethnic group. This is the largest self-identified ancestry in Australia, holding around 33% of the country’s population (based on a 2021 census report).
Mathew Leckie Education:
When he approached the schooling age, the youngster started his studies in Melbourne. At age eleven, Mathew Leckie’s parents had him change school.
Did you know? It was this change in his school that inspired his love for the beautiful football game (soccer). As stated earlier in this Bio, Mathew was initially used to playing Australian rules football.
At the age of eleven, the future Socceroos captain began attending a school in Sunshine North. Mathew Leckie was known to experience a multicultural student body.
While at school, his friends (recognized his soccer abilities) and advised him to take up football as a profession.
With Mathew Leckie’s family’s support, he took up the sport and stayed with it. Since that moment, the Melbourne native has never looked back. Now, let’s tell you the career story of this great Australian footballer.
Mathew Leckie Biography – Football Story:
The year 2002 was when the future Socceroos star began his soccer journey. Mathew Leckie joined the academy of Brimbank Stallions, an Australian semi-soccer club from Sunshine.
Leckie’s love for soccer was extraordinary. Thanks to his leadership tendency, he earned a captaincy spot for his team.
Young Mathew Leckie in a Brimbank Stallions shirt.
At the age of 16, in 2007, the youngster joined Bulleen Lions. This is another Australian semi-professional football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Bulleen.
Bulleen Lions had more competition than Brimbank Stallions, and Mathew earned his first pro contract there.
Road to Fame Story:
For every professional soccer player in Australia, the need to play in Europe is always the greatest on their wish list.
To achieve that, Leckie knew he had to do the extraordinary. While he was part of Australia’s U19 national team, he won the AFF Youth Championship.
Mathew Leckie’s CV looked rich, with 23 goals already scored in his professional football career. It was rich enough for a European club to come to ask for his hands in transfer after two seasons in the Australian league.
Among the clubs that fought for his signature, it was Borussia Mönchengladbach that finally got his signature.
Leckie joined the Foals reserve team (Borussia Mönchengladbach II) before his short stay at the club’s senior team.
With his next transfer to FSV Frankfurt, the young Socceroos achieved a rise, which earned him a call to a national team call. In 2013, young Leckie made his name among the squad for the Brazilian-hosted 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Following his impressive performance in the World Cup team captained by Mile Jedinak, Leckie got a transfer and improved contract with FC Ingolstadt. His four great seasons at the German outfit began on solid footings, which ended his 14/15 season with a trophy.
Mathew Leckie Biography – Rise to Fame:
If you ask the Socceroos winger about the biggest trophy of his career, he would tell you that it was the 2015 AFC Asian Cup. Mathew Leckie revealed (via Instagram) that it was by far the biggest achievement and proudest moment of his life, which he would never forget.
The biggest trophy of Leckie’s football career.
Some of Australia’s biggest soccer stars, like Mathew Ryan and Tim Cahill, were among the winners of this trophy. Also, in that great year (2015), Mathew Leckie won his second piece of silverware. In the photo below, he celebrates with his Ingolstadt 04 teammates after they have won the 2. Bundesliga: 2014–15 trophy.
The Melbourne star was so happy to be a part of this team with an unbelievable group of guys that never give up.
In his next success story, Leckie began scoring goals that the country needed to gain entry into the 2018 FIFA World Cup list. In May 2018, he, alongside Aaron Mooy, Jackson Irvine, etc., made their name on the Australian World Cup 2018 squad.
The Road to Qatar:
Mathew Leckie led the attack in the World Cup Qualification, Inter-Confederation Playoffs against the UAE.
In that match, Australia’s rising superstar, Ajdin Hrustic, scored the goal that gave the Socceroos the opportunity to face a strong Peru side at the finals.
The 13th day of June 2022 was one of the most important days in the life of the Melbourne City footballer.
Against all odds, Mathew Leckie got his team and country to his third FIFA World Cup after a win against Peru. Here is the unforgettable penalty kick that got Australia to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The truth is, not many soccer fans believed they could do it, but these footballers all knew nothing but their self-belief.
Qualifying for the 2022 Qatar-hosted FIFA World Cup gave Mathew the perfect opportunity to step away from football for a bit and enjoy some quality time with his family.
The Socceroos star was so happy to be a part of this great football family.
Laura Friese – Mathew Leckie’s Wife:
Behind the successful Australian soccer player comes a glamorous woman who has stood by him in both good and hard times. At the moment of creating this Bio, Laura Friese is Mathew Leckie’s Wife. The earliest rumours of their relationship began in June 2014.
Her name is Laura Friese. She is Mathew Leckie’s Wife.
In the year 2016, when he played for FC Ingolstadt 04, a 25-year-old Matt decided to take a bold step in his life. A marriage proposal to his girlfriend was followed by the love birds tying the knot. The 28th of May 2016 was Laura Friese and Mathew Leckie’s wedding day.
In May 2016, Laura Friese and Mathew Leckie became one.
Mathew Leckie’s Children:
The marital union between Laura Friese and her husband have produced fruits. Mathew Leckie is a proud parent, a father to his little daughter, Olivia and son, Henry Leckie. Olivia Leckie was born on the 17th day of August 2017. Mathew Leckie’s son, Henry Leckie, was born in January of 2022.
Meet Mathew Leckie’s Children – Olivia and Henry. As of 2022, they are a family of four.
Personal Life:
Who is Mathew Leckie?
You can easily tell that Mathew is a gentleman with a lack of off-pitch controversy to his name. Leckie is just like Liam Delap and Christian Eriksen, a typical Aquarius who can adapt to the energy that surrounds them. Who knows?… if football had not worked out, he would probably have become a pilot.
The Aussie Athlete take a photo from a cockpit or flight deck.
Mathew Leckie Lifestyle:
Getting to know how the Australian winger spends his leisure time would help you get a better picture of him. To start with, Mathew Leckie loves wildlife.
Rather than showing his fans his cars and exotic houses on social media, he prefers to reveal the details of his animal adventure. There have been reports that some of these monkeys could be very ferocious.
It takes a friendly monkey to do this. The Melbourne Athlete loves taking holidays to Indonesia.
One of Mathew Leckie’s favourite holiday destinations is the Monkey Forest Ubud. This is a Nature preserve in Ubud, Indonesia. When the Baller takes a holiday to Indonesia, he never fails to visit the Elephant Safari Park and Lodge. The Melbourne City star loves monkeys as well as he loves elephants.
The combative Forward takes a photo with elephants.
Mathew Leckie Family Life:
Ever since he busted into the limelight, the Socceroos World Cup star has kept private details about members of his household. This section tells you information that relates to them.
Mathew Leckie Sister:
Jessica is a sibling to the Australian footballer. Unlike her brother (a celebrity), she is a private person – as seen from her Instagram home page. At the time of writing this Bio, Jessica Leckie lives in Melbourne.
Jessica Leckie’s fundraising:
In July of 2021, Mathew Leckie’s sister did a fundraising for the Stillbirth Foundation Australia. Jessica supported a friend who recently experienced the unspeakable trauma of delivering a stillborn baby.
Mathew Leckie’s Parents:
Although he is yet to reveal his Dad and Mum publicly, we sure know that they positively impacted his childhood. As earlier recalled in Mathew Leckie’s Biography, his parents transferred the sporting spirit to their son through their support of Australian rules football.
Untold Facts:
In this concluding phase of Mathew Leckie’s Biography, we’ll tell you more truths about him. Now, without further ado, let’s begin.
Mathew Leckie Religion:
Our odds are in favour of the Ex-Borussia Mönchengladbach star being a Christan. There is a saying that the statue of Jesus can help a believer focus his or her mind on aspects of prayer or worship. Mathew Leckie’s parents probably raised him to believe that. We picture him standing beside one, probably in the Melbourne Catholic church his family attends.
Our research on Mathew Leckie’s Religion shows he is a Christian.
Mathew Leckie FIFA:
There is a reason why this footballer is important in his national team, just like Harry Kewell and Mark Viduka were back in the years. The photo below shows Mathew Leckie’s perfect FIFA stats. Do you know?… At 30, he lacked nothing (below the 50 average) in football aside from standing tackle and free-kick stats. Here is proof.
The Melbourne City star excels best when it comes to his movement, power and skills.
How rich is the former FSV Frankfurt star?
According to AU Talent, the average person in Australia makes around $67,898 annually. Did you know such a person would need ten years and one month to make Mathew Leckie’s annual wage with Melbourne City FC? The following below tells you how rich the Ex-Adelaide star is.
Mathew Leckie’s Net Worth:
JB Sports2Business GmbH is the company behind the growth of the Forward’s financial worth, ensuring he gets the best out of his professional contract.
As of 2024, Mathew Leckie’s net worth is approximately 9.5 million Australian dollars.
EndNote:
Mathew was born to Australian parents (Mr and Mrs Allan Leckie) on the 4th of February 1991. The Socceroos star grew up alongside his sister, Jessica Leckie. Mathew and Jessica spent their early years at Sunshine, a Melbourne suburb in Victoria, Australia.
As a little boy, young Mathew never had the idea that he would become a footballer. In fact, he was carried away by Australian rules football. Mathew Leckie’s parents were great fans of the sport (proud supporters of Box Hill and Essendon).
Attending a school where he played lots of soccer and meeting soccer-friendly friends ignited the career we know him to have today. Mathew is a bit of a latecomer in football as he joined his first club (Brimbank Stallions) at 11. Bulleen Lions was the club that gave him a professional contract in 2007.
After scoring 23 goals in his senior career (locally), the youngster (in 2011) finally got his European transfer. He had a slow start to his senior career with Mönchengladbach before removing to FSV Frankfurt. With Leckie’s performance in this team, he made his name on the squad list of players for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Following the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Leckie’s market value shot up. Next, the boy from Sunshine Melbourne bagged honours from both club and county football. Mathew was among the Ingolstadt 04 stars that won the 2. Bundesliga and the Socceroos team that won the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.
Fast forward to 2022, Mathew Leckie is about to participate in his third FIFA World Cup. The AFC Asian Cup winner is already a successful football with a family. Laura Friese is Mathew Leckie’s Wife. They got married in May 2016. The marital union with Laura has produced Mathew Leckie’s children – Olivia and Henry.
Appreciation Note:
Thank you for exploring the story of Mathew Leckie, a footballer who continues to secure marquee deals even at more than 30 years of age, proving his enduring significance in the sport beyond his prime.
As always, we strive for accuracy and fairness in our collective quest to deliver you stories about Asia-Oceanian Football stars. Mathew Leckie’s History is a product of our Australian Football Story collection.
Kindly reach us (via comment) if you notice anything that doesn’t look right in the memoir about the former Brimbank Stallions player.
Also, share your expert thoughts about the superstar who once held the Socceroos captaincy position.
Aside from Mathew Leckie’s Bio, we’ve got other interesting stories that break down the lives of other Asian-Oceanian footballers.
The history of Mitchell Duke (CF), Takehiro Tomiyasu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will surely interest you. Let’s not forget to mention two of Australia’s fast-rising female footballers, Sam Kerr and Ellie Carpenter.
