Joshua Laws

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Joshua Laws
Personal information
Full name Joshua Laws
Date of birth (1998-02-26) 26 February 1998 (age 26)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Center back
Team information
Current team
 Grasshopper Club Zürich
Number 5
Youth career
Blackburn Rovers
2012–2016 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2020 Fortuna Düsseldorf II 23 (0)
2020–2023 Wellington Phoenix 50 (0)
2023– Grasshoppers 17 (0)
International career‡
2013 Scotland U15 3 (0)
2013–2014 Scotland U16 5 (1)
2015 Australia U17 4 (0)
2017–2020 Australia U23 5 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Australia
AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Third place 2020 Thailand U-23 Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 April 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 2 January 2021

Joshua Laws (born 26 February 1998) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a center back for Swiss Super League side Grasshopper Club Zürich.

Early life[edit]

Laws was born in Scotland. He moved to Sydney, Australia aged four before returning to the United Kingdom at the age of twelve.[1][2] When Laws was fourteen, he moved to Germany.[2]

Playing career[edit]

Club[edit]

Fortuna Düsseldorf[edit]

Laws began training with Fortuna Düsseldorf's first team in 2016, before suffering a broken arm and then another subsequent break in the same place.[2] He would later suffer numerous ankle ligament injuries and a medial collateral ligament injury in his time at the club.[3]

Wellington Phoenix[edit]

Laws signed for A-League side Wellington Phoenix in October 2020, reuniting with his former Australian youth team coach Ufuk Talay.[4] He began the 2020–21 season as one of Wellington's first-choice centre backs,[3] however, he suffered an ankle injury and subsequently lost his place in the starting side.[5] Laws played fourteen games in his first season at the club.[6][5]

In June 2021, Laws signed a two-year contract extension with Wellington.[6][5] Laws was released by the Phoenix in May 2023 after three seasons at the club.[7]

Grasshopper Club Zürich[edit]

On 15 August 2023, he signed with Swiss record champions Grasshopper Club Zürich, who play in the Swiss Super League.[8] He joins on a two-year contract, with an option to extend for a further season.

International[edit]

Scotland[edit]

Laws initially played international youth football for Scotland's under-15 and under-16 national teams. This included participating in the 2014 Aegean Cup, where he played against Norway.[9]

In total, Laws played three times for Scotland's under 15 side and five times for the under-16 team, scoring one goal, across 2013 and 2014.[10][11]

Australia[edit]

Laws subsequently elected to represent Australia and was selected in Australia's under-17 squad for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile. Laws played as a central defender in all four of Australia's games at the tournament as they were eliminated in the Round of 16.[12]

Laws was selected in the Australian under-23 side for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship and played in the group stage game against Thailand.[13][14]

Style of play[edit]

Laws is left footed, and able to play in central midfield, central defence and left back.[2]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

As of 15 August 2023[15][16]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fortuna Düsseldorf II 2016–17 Regionalliga West 0 0 — — 0 0
2017–18 Regionalliga West 6 0 — — 6 0
2018–19 Regionalliga West 8 0 — — 8 0
2019–20 Regionalliga West 9 0 — — 9 0
Total 23 0 0 0 0 0 23 0
Wellington Phoenix 2020–21 A-League 14 0 — — 14 0
2021–22 A-League Men 15 0 3 0 — 18 3
2022–23 A-League Men 21 0 3 0 — 24 0
Total 50 0 6 0 0 0 56 0
Grasshopper 2023–24 Super League 0 0 0 0 — 0 0
Career total 73 0 6 0 0 0 79 0
  1. ^ Includes Australia Cup

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hewett, William (30 October 2010). "Football:Wellington Phoenix sign Australian midfielder Joshua Laws". Newshub. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "The Aussie kid bidding to lay down the Laws in Germany". Special Broadcasting Service. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b Rollo, Phillip (6 February 2021). "Joshua Laws not taking game-time for granted after 12 injuries in three years". Stuff.
  4. ^ "Wellington Phoenix sign up Australian U-23 Joshua Laws". 30 October 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Rollo, Phillip (23 June 2021). "Wellington Phoenix resign dependable defender Joshua Laws". Stuff. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Brad (23 June 2021). "Football: Wellington Phoenix defender Joshua Laws inks two-year extension with A-League club". Newshub. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Wellington Phoenix release eight players ahead of 2023–24 ALM rebuild". ESPN.
  8. ^ "GC Zürich signs centre back Joshua Laws". Grasshopper Club Zürich. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Joshua Laws für Schottland aktiv" [Joshua Laws active for Scotland]. Fortuna Düsseldorf (in German). 16 January 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Joshua Laws". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Joshua Laws". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Josh Laws scheidet bei U17-WM Aus" [Josh Laws is elimited from the U-17 World Cup] (in German). October 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Olyroo Laws in line for Thailand test". Seven News. 11 January 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  14. ^ Lewis, Dave (28 December 2019). "Luckless Laws making up for lost time on road to Tokyo". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  15. ^ "Joshua Laws". Kicker. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  16. ^ "J. Laws". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 May 2023.

External links[edit]

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