Annalie Longo

Annalie Antonia Longo (born 1 July 1991) is an association football player who plays for Wellington Phoenix in the A-League Women and represents New Zealand at international level. She has played for Sydney FC and Melbourne Victory in the Australian W-League. From her time in the W-League with Melbourne Victory, Longo is dubbed the Kiwi Messi by the fans for her ability on the ball and goalscoring prowess.

Early life
Longo got into football when she used to go with her dad, Paul, to watch her brothers, Jason and Julian, play for Eden Football Club. She joined the club which merged with Mt Roskill to become Three Kings United.

Three Kings United
Longo played for Three Kings United from when she first started playing football through all childhood and also while playing for Epsom Girls and training with the Wynton Rufer Soccer School of Excellence. She made her debut for Three Kings United senior women's football team in the Northern Premier Women's League in 2004.

Epsom Girls' Grammar School
Longo played football at Epsom Girls' Grammar School for their first XI, winning the NZ Secondary Schoolgirls tournament in 2008 with future international teammates Anna Green and Hannah Wall. This was after the team won the Auckland provincial championships unbeaten.

Wynton Rufer Soccer School of Excellence
Longo was part of Wynton Rufer Soccer School of Excellence (WYNRS) from 1999 to 2006.

Melbourne Victory
On 25 October 2019, Longo signed a one-year deal with Melbourne Victory to return to the Australian W-League. She made her first appearance for Victory in their 3–2 win over the Brisbane Roar, playing 74 minutes before getting subbed off in the second half. In September 2021, it was announced that Longo wouldn't return to Melbourne Victory for the 2021–22 W-League season.

Wellington Phoenix
In September 2023, Longo returned to the game, signing with New Zealand A-League Women club Wellington Phoenix.

Cashmere Technical
In May 2024, Longo returned to New Zealand's Women's South Island League side Cashmere Technical to compete in the 2024 season, where she is one of multiple A-League players who have joined clubs in regional competitions to stay active between A-League seasons.

U-17
She scored New Zealand's first goal at the 2008 inaugural FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup although they were effectively eliminated from contention in the 1–2 loss to Denmark, having previously lost 0–1 to Canada in the opening game.

U-20
Longo also represented New Zealand at the 2006 Women's U-20 World Cup finals where she played in all three games.

Longo was again included in the U-20 squad for the 2008 Women's U-20 World Cup finals to be played in Chile, featuring in two of their three group games. In 2010, she represented New Zealand at a third Under-20 World Cup, this time in Germany, appearing in all three group games.

National team
Longo at age 15, made her Football Ferns debut in a 0–3 loss to China PR on 14 November 2006, becoming New Zealand's youngest senior football international. She then went on to represent New Zealand at the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup finals in China, where they lost to Brazil 0–5, Denmark (0–2) and China PR (0–2). Longo is the second youngest player to represent any country at a senior FIFA World Cup.

She played one of New Zealand's three matches in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany and all three matches of her country at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada. She also competed for New Zealand at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

Longo made her 100th appearance for New Zealand in a friendly against the United States in September 2017 and is the first player in the world to compete at all U17, U20, Women's World Cup and Olympic Games tournaments.

Personal life
She was a student at Auckland's Epsom Girls' Grammar School. In footballing circles, she is known by the nickname "flea".

In an interview Longo gave in November 2014, she said she lives in Kaiapoi but also spends half of her week in Auckland for national trainings. While in Kaiapoi, she plays for Canterbury United Pride and then spends the rest of her time coaching at the Grasshopper Soccer programme – a non-competitive programme for kids aged 2–10 years, where the focus is on fun and skill development. She said that she enjoyed working with young children and enjoyed watching them develop.

High school

 * NZ Secondary Schoolgirls champions: 2008

Club
Three Kings United
 * Northern Premier Women's League runner-ups: 2004, 2010
 * Northern Premier Women's League winners: 2006, 2007
 * Women's Knockout Cup runner-ups: 2004, 2010
 * Women's Knockout Cup winners: 2012

Auckland Football Federation
 * National Women's League champions

'''Canterbury United Pride
 * National Women's League champions

Cashmere Technical
 * South Island Qualifying League (North) winners: 2024

International

 * OFC U-19 Women's Championship: 2006, 2010

Personal

 * 2007 ASB Bank Young Sportsperson of the Year
 * Finalist, International Women's Young Player of the Year
 * Finalist, Auckland Junior Sportswoman of the Year
 * National U-14 Girls Tournament Golden Boot: 2005