Christopher Naumoff (born 29 June 1995) is a retired Australian professional football (soccer) player who played as a winger for Sutherland Sharks in the NPL and for Sydney FC in the A-League.

Chris Naumoff
Personal information
Full name Christopher Naumoff
Date of birth (1995-06-29) 29 June 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth Sydney, Australia
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
Menai Hawks
Sutherland Sharks
Marconi Stallions
Sutherland Sharks
2011–2014 Sydney FC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Sutherland Sharks 17 (3)
2013–2016 Sydney FC 44 (2)
Total 61 (5)
International career
2013–2015 Australia U-20 10 (0)
2015 Australia U-23 4 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Born in Sydney, Naumoff played youth football for Sutherland Sharks, eventually playing for the first team in the National Premier Leagues NSW before moving to Sydney FC's senior side in 2014. He made over 50 appearances for Sydney before leaving the club in 2016. Soon after, Naumoff agreed to a deal with Spanish side Numancia, but was found in medical testing to have a heart disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which led to the cancellation of the contract and Naumoff's subsequent retirement as a health precaution.

Naumoff represented the Australian under-20 and under-23 sides on several occasions.

Early life

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Naumoff was born to a Macedonian mother born in Smilevo in the Demir Hisar Municipality, and a Macedonian Australian father, whose parents hail from Capari near Bitola. He is a Macedonian Orthodox Christian.[1]

Club career

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Sydney FC

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Naumoff joined Sydney FC's youth team from New South Wales Premier League outfit Sutherland Sharks in 2011 after winning the Under 20s Championship and being crowned the Under 20s Premier League Player of the Year 2012.[2] Having had a strong pre-season under Frank Farina where he scored 5 goals, Naumoff was handed his senior debut at home to the Newcastle Jets in Round 1 of the 2013–14 season where Sydney FC won 2–0. On 15 November 2013, Naumoff made his starting debut for Sydney FC against Melbourne Heart at AAMI Park. His first A-League goal was against the Central Coast Mariners on 24 January 2015. On 16 March 2016, Naumoff scored the winning goal in a 1–0 against Pohang Steelers in the Asian Champions League. He has participated in various community activities for the club, including training sessions with local club Curl Curl Acdamy. At the conclusion of the 2015–16 season, Naumoff was not offered a new contract with Sydney FC.[3]

Numancia and retirement

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On 16 June 2016, Naumoff agreed to a three-year deal with Spanish Segunda División side Numancia[4] The deal was later cancelled after Naumoff failed a medical examination.[5]

Following further testing, Naumoff was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). On 4 July 2016, he announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 21 for health reasons but stated his wish to stay involved in the game.[6] Professional Footballers Australia announced that they would continue to support Naumoff.[7]

Management career

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Naumoff joined Rockdale City Suns as a youth coach in late 2016, and also flagged an intention to start an academy of his own, which he has subsequently done.[8] He also currently coaches Sydney Grammar School.

Career statistics

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As of 26 May 2016
Club Season League FFA Cup ACL Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Sutherland Sharks 2012 NSW Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2013 National Premier Leagues NSW 17 3 2 0 0 0 19 3
Sharks total 17 3 2 0 0 0 19 3
Sydney FC 2013–14 A-League 10 0 0 0 0 0 10 0
2014–15 24 2 3 2 0 0 27 4
2015–16 10 0 2 0 6 1 18 1
Sydney total 44 2 5 2 6 1 55 5
Career total 61 5 7 2 6 1 74 8

Honours

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Club

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Sydney FC

Individual

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Interview with Sydney attacker Chris Naumoff". MacedonianFootball.com. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Christopher KIKI Naumoff". Sydney FC. 16 November 2013. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  3. ^ "Sydney FC announce Hyundai A-League squad changes". Football Federation Australia. 26 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Naumoff seals Spanish Segunda deal with Numancia". SBS World Game. 16 June 2016.
  5. ^ Bossi, Dominic (30 June 2016). "Ex-Sydney FC player Chris Naumoff's Numancia deal off after mystery medical result". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 30 June 2016.
  6. ^ "Exclusive: Heart condition forces Aussie starlet Naumoff into retirement". The World Game. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  7. ^ "PFA to Continue to Support Naumoff". PFA. 4 July 2016.
  8. ^ Collins, Jayden (20 October 2016). "Naumoff excited for new role". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Chris Triantis crowned 2012 Gold Medal Winner". Football NSW. 9 September 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
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