Patrick Yazbek

Patrick Yazbek (born 5 April 2002) is an Australian professional soccer player who plays as a defensive midfielder for Eliteserien club Viking FK and the Australia national team.

Early life
Having begun playing soccer aged three, Yazbek joined Austral Soccer Club's under-5s. In 2010, he moved Football NSW's "Skill Acquisition Program". Yazbek then played for other youth teams, namely Club Marconi, Sydney United, Western Sydney Wanderers and Sydney FC.

Sydney FC
After making the bench a few times during the 2020–21 A-League season, Yazbek signed a two-year scholarship contract with Sydney FC in July 2021.

He made his senior debut in the 2021 FFA Cup round of 32, in a 4–2 victory over Sydney Olympic. Yazbek's A-League debut came on 12 December 2021, as a substitute in a 2–0 defeat to Central Coast Mariners. On 19 December, he made his starting debut for Sydney FC in a 2–1 win over Wellington Phoenix.

Viking FK
On 2 February 2023, Norwegian Eliteserien club Viking announced the signing of Yazbek. On 15 April 2023, he scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 home win against Lillestrøm.

International career
Yazbek was selected for the Australia national under-23 team ahead of their qualifiers for the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup. He played in both of Australia's games against Indonesia in October 2021, helping his side qualify for the final tournament. In the 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, Yazbek played six games; Australia finished in fourth place, losing the third place match against Japan.

Yazbek was named in the Australia squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Lebanon, the country in which is parents were born in and who he was also eligible to represent. Lebanon manager Miodrag Radulović criticised Yazbek for his decision to represent Australia, saying he "would be better to be one of the leaders in our team than sitting on the bench [for Australia]." Yazbek didn't feature in the first match at Western Sydney Stadium on 21 March, but he did make his debut in the second match 5 days later at Canberra Stadium, managing one assist for John Iredale in a 5–0 victory.

Style of play
In 2021, Yazbek described himself as a "hardworking box-to-box midfielder".

Personal life
Born in Australia, Yazbek is of Lebanese descent. Growing up a Sydney FC supporter, Yazbek studied at Holy Spirit Catholic Primary School in Carnes Hill, and at Clancy Catholic College in West Hoxton. As of 2021, he was a Construction Management student at the University of New South Wales.