Kaz Patafta

Kaz Phonesak Patafta (born 25 October 1988) is an Australian professional football player of Laotian and Croatian descent. Patafta currently plays as an attacking midfielder for the Newcastle Jets in the A-League. He attended Radford College in Canberra and received a football scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 2004.

Club career

After graduating from the AIS Patafta had been ignored by Australia's A-League clubs before PSV Eindhoven (whose interest was due to the recommendation of then Australia national football team manager, Guus Hiddink) and SL Benfica expressed interest in signing him. Patafta joined Benfica's Reserve squad as a 16 year old having impressed at international youth level, however, initially his transfer was blocked by Football Federation Australia as he was under the age of 18. After receiving a clearance he eventually joined the squad in January 2006. His first game for the Benfica first team was against CF Estrela da Amadora in a pre-season fixture on August 15, 2006. Patafta joined Australian A-League champions Melbourne Victory on loan for the 2007-08 season. He played his first game for Melbourne Victory in a pre-season match against Sydney FC before making most of his league appearances off the bench amid suggestions that he was not physical enough or even big enough for the league. His first goal in the A-League was a left foot shot from a tight angle...
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