James Delianov

James Nicholas Delianov (born 20 October 1999) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for A-League Men club Adelaide United.

Early life
Delianov was born in Melbourne, Victoria and raised in Mill Park. He has two older siblings, a brother who is four years older, and a sister who is five years older. He took an interest in football at a young age, like his father, and was enrolled with Bundoora United Soccer Club. Delianov idolised Mark Schwarzer and Mitchell Langerak. He is of Macedonian descent.

Early career
Delianov started his career at Melbourne City where he was named as one of the best young goalkeeping prospects in the country. He was added to the first team squad after signing on a two-year scholarship contract in March 2017.

Delianov made his debut on 26 April 2019, after spending two years as a third-choice keeper, in a 5–0 win against Central Coast Mariners at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium. Despite keeping a clean sheet in his maiden appearance, Delianov was released by Melbourne City a month later.

Shortly after his release, Delianov signed for Western United on a two-year contract ahead of the club's inaugural A-League season. He soon suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in training, missing the rest of the season and was later replaced by Ryan Scott in November 2019. Delianov terminated his contract with Western United in November 2020 by mutual consent.

Adelaide United
Delianov signed a two-year deal with Adelaide United on 11 November 2020, following his departure from Melbourne. He made his debut on 28 December 2020 in a goalless draw against his former side Western United, keeping a clean sheet at GMHBA Stadium. Delianov was voted RAA Travel Members’ Player of the Month twice consecutively by March 2021, having made 41 saves and keeping three clean sheets in total. He was later ruled out with a hamstring injury during that month and temporarily replaced by Joe Gauci.

He played in Adelaide's last match on 19 June 2021, saving a penalty during a 2–1 semi-final defeat to Sydney FC. Delianov remained as a first-choice keeper in his second season, playing in the opening seven league matches before suffering a shoulder injury. He was replaced by Joe Gauci in goals for a second time, although after his return, Delianov remained on the bench in the following matches. He extended his contract with Adelaide United on a renewed two-year contract in June 2022.

After Gauci was absent due to international football, Delianov made his first appearance for United, following two years on the bench (his last being on New Year's Day in 2022), on 4 January 2024 against Wellington Phoenix.

International career
An Australian youth international, Delianov represented Australia under-16 and under-17 squad. He was a part of the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship qualification campaign, and included in the 2015 U-17 World Cup squad, although he did not feature in a single match during the latter tournament. Delianov was called up in October 2018 to the Australian under-20 squad, in preparation for the 2018 AFC U-19 Championship. He received recognition for his goalkeeping abilities during the tournament, even though Australia failed to qualify for the 2020 U-20 World Cup after a 3–1 loss to Saudi Arabia in the quarter-final.