sourcepfa.netMichael Baird profile
Michael Baird plays with NSL Club Sydney Olympic and recently represented Australia in the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships. Read on to find out more.
Personal
Nick name? Bairdy
Age? 20
Any brothers and sisters? One sister
Most embarrassing moment? Don’t have one
Favourite food? Steak
Favourite movie? Gladiator
Favourite music/band? Black Eyed Peas
Do you play any other sports - competitively or socially? [cenzurat]
Favourite celebrity and or sportsperson and why?
David Beckham – because of his flair
What do you do in your leisure time away from football?
Play Golf
Any quote that motivates you?
Practice makes perfect
Best or most memorable sporting moment you have watched?
I watched a semi-final game in Brazil with a crowd of over 100,000 people
What year have you completed at school?
Completed Year 12
Do you do any other work apart from your football?
I am a personal trainer
Any four people in the world you would like to have dinner with?
David Beckham, Alex Ferguson, Zidane and Kosta Tszyu
Your football
When and where did you have your first kick?
When I was five years of age at Newmarket Soccer Club
Football number? 9 or 17
What position do you play? Striker
How would you describe yourself as a football player?
Determined
How often do you train? Six to Seven times a week
What training do you do apart from pure football skills -i.e. physical and psycological? Working out in the gymnasium
How many times have you represented Australia (and from what age)? I have represented Australia twice, as a 19 and 20 year old
Most memorable experience from representing Australia?
Beating Brazil in the recent 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship in Dubai
Any goals you would like to achieve short term?
To make the top six with Sydney Olympic
Any goals you would like to achieve long term?
To play soccer at the highest level
What or who inspires you in your football? My dad
Football superstition? None
The strangest thing that you have seen on the football field?
A “riot” on the field when I played at South Melbourne
What do you think is the best/most important part of playing in a team? Team spirit
You recently played for the Young Socceroos (at the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championships) - what was the most memorable thing about your trip - on the field? Hearing the crowd (roar)
What was the most memorable thing about your trip off the field?
Experiencing the culture in Dubai
How does playing against and with the best young talent in the world affect your game?
It helps you to improve as it gives you more confidence
How does playing in this type of tournament impact on the way you look at Australia’s standard of football?
It highlights the fact that Australia’s players are not far off the standard (of the best) as we have some of the best junior coaches in the world
I remember reading a quote from one of the team members before the Brazilian game saying that the team believed they could beat Brazil - what do you think was the defining thing about that historical victory?
Before the game we (the players) had team meetings together without the coaches and just talked about what we wanted and what we needed to do to win.
Do you have aspirations of playing overseas fulltime - or with the new proposed league, would you prefer staying in Australia to play?
If the league is of a really high standard here in Australia I would prefer to stay.
Whos the best Australian player you have ever seen play?
Ante Milicic
Now Bairdy, after spending some time on QR, plays for Universitatea Craiova and managed to score one goal in the last friendly played by the team...we hope he`ll do well in his next apearence, and, wish him good luck and lots of goals.
"I'm not affraid of Romania, even in my country there were written words not so good about Romanian football. There were some speculations about Michel Twaite situation on FC National. He was sent in the 3rd League from Romania even he is a National Team player. I do assure Universitatea Craiova fans that they will see from me more goals than wrong shots. I talked with Guus Hiddink and he told me ifg i score for Craiova I will be in National Team of Australia" declared Michael Baird.
Tha aussie player thought Romania is closer to Australia. But he flew 40 hours and after this was convinced is not like this.