The Wellington Phoenix have added some real speed and quality to the men’s squad for the 2025-26 Isuzu UTE A-League.
The Phoenix have signed former Adelaide United, Brisbane Roar and Perth Glory forward Nikola Mileusnic for the upcoming season.
Mileusnic, 32, was clocked at 36.2km/h while playing for Adelaide, placing him in an elite group of footballers worldwide.
On top of his pure speed, he’s a proven winner. Mileusnic won the Australia Cup in successive years with the Reds before lifting the Danish Cup with Randers in 2021.
He has gone on to play more than 200 professional matches, primarily in the A-League, scoring 31 goals and providing 24 assists.
Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano believes Mileusnic will complement the squad’s fellow forwards Ifeanyi Eze, Hideki Ishige, Luke Supyk, Gabriel Sloane-Rodrigues, Luke Brooke-Smith and Nathan Walker.
“Nikola’s unbelievably quick but he’s also an intelligent footballer,” Italiano said. “If you look at his time in Brisbane, he played not only as a 10 and a winger but also played as a nine, so he’s very versatile and we need that in our system.
“Even though he’s 32 there’s still a lot of improvement in him and I believe I can get him to be the player he’s demonstrated over the years in the A-League.
“And I need a counterpoint to Ishige, Eze, Supyk, Sloane-Rodrigues, Brooke-Smith and Walker, and I think Nikola brings that.
“His combination with those players will make him very dangerous when he’s put in the right position.”
Nikola Mileusnic arrived in Wellington late on Monday night and is looking forward to showing the club’s supporters what he’s capable of.
“I love to score goals and assist, and ultimately I want to help the Phoenix win games,” Mileusnic said.
“My speed is still something I try to use to my advantage to help the team out.
“I just want to come in and work hard and hopefully bring some good days to the club’s fans.”
Mileusnic “can’t wait” to play for the Phoenix after a difficult season in Perth.
“It’s been a while since I’ve played a competitive game so I’m very keen to get started.
“I didn’t have the best pre-season in Perth. I had a lot of niggly injuries that weren’t really taken proper care of, and they sort of kept me back a bit.
“In the end we got there and I started getting some game time, but it was just a bit late and the season overall wasn’t the best.
“It still had its enjoyable parts, but definitely looking to put that one behind me and make a fresh start with the Phoenix.”
The close to three months between leaving Perth and arriving in Wellington has had a silver lining as it allowed him to remain in Adelaide with his partner and their now four-month-old son.
“I’ve been very lucky to be home with my family and spend quality time with them and they can also have some time with our son.
“It’s been really refreshing and quite wholesome to be home.”
Nikola Mileusnic will wear the no. 10 shirt for the Wellington Phoenix in the 2025-26 A-League, with the club now having 21 men’s players contracted for the upcoming season.
