Croatian footballer

Mario Bilen (born 23 January 1985 in Vinkovci, Croatia) is a Croatian professional footballer who currently plays for NRFL Division 2 club Ngaruawahia United.

Career

A stalwart in Croatia's top-flight, the 1.HNL. and youth national teams, where he befriended Luka Modric, Bilen immigrated to New Zealand in 2013 to sign for 9x OFC Oceania Champions League winners, Auckland City FC. After leading the defensive line for the club in over 100 top-flight matches in New Zealand, Bilen departed the club in December 2022, aged 36.

He is widely regarded as a club legend at City and played an instrumental role in the club's third-place finish at the FIFA Club World Cup in 2014 as the starting centre-back.

Following his departure from Auckland City, he joined Ngaruawahia United on the eve of their promotion playoff into NRFL Division 2 against Papakura City. He made his debut for Ngaruawahia in the first game of the NRFL Division 2 season in a 2-0 away win over West Auckland.

References

• Mario Bilen at FootballDatabase.eu
• Mario Bilen at Auckland City FC at the Wayback Machine (archived 22 October 2013)

External links

• Mario Bilen at Soccerway
• Mario Bilen at the Croatian Football Federation