Rashid Mahazi

Rashid Mahazi is an Australian football (soccer) player of Kenyan descent who plays as a central midfielder for Melbourne Victory in the A-League. A natural defensive minded player, Mahazi can also play as a right back or as a defensive midfielder as he primarily did in the 2014-15 A-League season, under coach Kevin Muscat in Melbourne Victory's premiership and grand final victories.

Youth career

Mahazi is a central midfielder who tends to be more defensive than attacking that can also play right back as he is a right footed player. After progressing through Box Hill United, Northcote City, Independiente & Dandenong Thunder youth systems, Mahazi first received publicity from his home town of Melbourne after local Herald Sun journalist Matt Windley wrote an article on news.com about Australian footballers playing overseas on 7 January 2013. He made 15 appearances for Northcote at senior level.

Melbourne Victory

2013–14

Mahazi signed his first professional senior contract with home town giants Melbourne Victory on 4 October 2013 on a two-year contract, being the fifth signing, following Pablo Contreras, James Troisi, Kosta Barbarouses & Mitch Nichols. Mahazi made his debut at professional level on 12 October 2013 against local rivals Melbourne Heart in a 0–0 draw. He started in the right central midfield role and was given a yellow card at the 41st minute of the match following a challenge, logging 79 minutes before being substituted for injury returning Guilherme Finkler. Mahazi would have to wait four rounds until he could make his second appearance in round six, whilst being on the bench three of those four times. His first away appearance for Melbourne and second start, turned out to be Mahazi's first full ninety-minute appearance against the Western Sydney Wanderers in a 0–1 loss at Pirtek Stadium, on 16 November 2013. His performance awarded him a first full appearance in front of his home supporters on 23 November, in a 3–0 win over Adelaide United at Etihad Stadium. Mahazi was to make another eleven A-League appearances for Melbourne, bringing the season total to fourteen, logging a total of 1,046 minutes and twelve starts.

Mahazi was selected by coach Kevin Muscat to be part of the victory's thirty man squad. He was on the bench for play off match against Muangthong United, but featured in all six group stage games, making his Asian and continental debut against Guangzhou Evergrande coming on as a substitute in the 67th minute with the game finishing in a 2–4 loss. He logged a total of 384 minutes, and started in four of these six games, with three being full ninety-minute appearances.

Along with making his A-League and ACL debut, Mahazi also made his home and away debuts to national finals football, for Melbourne Victory. Mahazi played in both of the Victory's elimination and semi-final games, coming on as a substitute in both, logging a total of 34 minutes in finals football.

2014–15

Mahazi featured in the first game of the A-League & Melbourne Victory's tenth season, coming on as a substitute for Macedonian team mate Daniel Georgievski in the 86th minute, against Western Sydney Wanderers on 10 October 2014. Following this appearance, Mahazi went on to make eighteen more appearances for Melbourne Victory in the A-League season with five of these being starts, two of which were full ninety-minute appearances, as well as thirteen substitution appearances, including the premiership winning match against Central Coast Mariners on 26 April 2015. Mahazi did not participate in the 2014 FFA Cup for the Victory.

Mahazi featured in both matches as a substitute of the Victory's 2015 final series campaign. Mahazi was substituted on for Mathieu Delpierre in the 89th minute of the semi final derby against Melbourne City on 8 May 2015. Mahazi's grand final debut came the week later on 17 May 2015 against Sydney FC, being substituted on for Gui Finkler at the 87th minute.

2015–16

With the offseason departure of Mark Milligan, and with captain Carl Valeri ruled out for the majority of the season due to medical reasons, Mahazi featured in 23 of the Victory's 28 A-League matches, starting 16 times. Mahazi made 780 passes, won 78 duels, and 110 recoveries throughout the season, and was named as one of the Herald Sun's top 5 unsung heroes of the A-League season.

2016–17

On 23 July 2016, Mahazi started for the Victory in the club's inaugural International Champions Cup match against Juventus in the 2016 tournament, in what finished in a 4-3 victory on penalties at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. On 3 August 2016, Mahazi featured in the round of 32 squad of the 2016 FFA Cup squad for the Victory that beat Newcastle Jets 3-1, progressing to the round of 16 against Hume City.

As of 1 September 2016

Footnotes

With Melbourne Victory !Melbourne Victory:

• A-League Championship: 2014–2015
• A-League Premiership: 2014–2015
• FFA Cup: 2015

Mahazi was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia to an Australian mother and Kenyan father.