Victorian born and bred, Josh Kennedy returns to his home state as Melbourne City FC’s Australian marquee player. Starting his career with National Soccer League side Carlton S.C., the striker made the move to the Bundesliga to forge his career in Europe.
After stints at Wolfsburg, Stuttgarter Kickers and FC Koln, Kennedy made his mark in Germany with Dynamo Dresden before securing a move to FC Nurnberg and later Karlsruher SC.
While in Germany, Kennedy netted 41 times over a nine-year period however a move to Japan reinvigorated the big striker, becoming a mainstay at Nagoya Grampus. Kennedy achieved it all in the land of the rising sun, leading his side to its first league title, picking up the J-League Golden Boot twice and almost guiding his side to Asian Champions League glory, bowing out in the semi-finals to Saudi powerhouse Ittihad FC.
In his 149 games at Nagoya, Kennedy found the net 68 times and with 40 assists, the Wodonga-born striker became a fan favourite of the Grampus faithful but in Australia, the striker was best remembered for the goal that secured the Socceroos’ passage to the 2014 World Cup.
After signing with Melbourne City FC in December, Kennedy’s Nagoya Grampus contract expired on December 31 meaning the striker was officially a Melbourne City FC player on January 1, 2015.
