Brisbane Roar have appointed Michael Valkanis as the Isuzu UTE A-League club’s new head coach.
History-making Greek Australian Valkanis returns to the A-Leagues after more than seven years abroad to replace Ruben Zadkovich and he will be in charge for next week’s Australia Cup play-off against Wellington Phoenix in Darwin.
The former Melbourne City and Adelaide United boss – who will be joined by Borja Lema in the role of assistant coach and head analyst Grijia Nektarios – is back in the hot seat after leaving Turkish top-flight side Adana Demirspor in September.
Valkanis brings a wealth of experience to the Roar after their second-bottom finish in 2024-25. The 50-year-old worked as an assistant at PEC Zwolle in the Dutch Eredivisie before joining the Greece national team as John Van’t Schip’s number two for two years prior to a brief stint in Belgium, where he took charge of KAS Eupen and helped the club avoid relegation in 2022.
Valkanis was then the first Australian to coach in the Israeli Premier League after his appointment at Hapoel Tel Aviv, but the war in the Middle East prompted an end to his tenure just three months in back in October 2023. After that, Valkanis followed Van’t Schip to Dutch powerhouse Ajax.
Not only did Valkanis become the first Aussie to work as an assistant at Ajax, he became the first Australian to coach the four-time European champions after deputising for two games in the absence of Van’t Schip.
“Our search for a new head coach here at Brisbane Roar took place both here and abroad, and we are excited to be able to welcome Michael and a number of his team to our football club as the new men’s head coach,” Roar CEO Kaz Patafta said.
“Michael’s stature and experience in both Australian and European football speaks for itself. He comes to our football club with a clear vision to elevate our men’s team and return them to where they belong – challenging for silverware each and every season.
“We join our loyal fans in welcoming Michael to the football club and look forward to seeing him get to work.”
Valkanis and his new Roar side will face the Phoenix in the Australia Cup play-offs on Wednesday, May 14.
Source: A-Leagues
