Alex Saniel (born 8 November 1996) is a Vanuatuan footballer who plays as a forward for New Zealander Club Franklin United[1] and the Vanuatu national team.[2]
Club career
Saniel started his career with the Teouma Academy, the national academy of Vanuatu. After stints with Yatel and Spirit 08 he went to New Zealand to play with the Fencibles United.[3] In the end of 2016 after the season with Fencibles he returned home, where he immediately joined Ifira Black Bird for the Super League. In 2017 he returned to the Fencibles with whom he won the 2017 Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2. After that he joined Shepherds United in August 2017 to make a chance for the Vanuatu national football team. In 2019 he played for Papatoetoe AFC in Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Conference League. He also defended Fijian club Lautoka in 2019 Pacific Cup.[4] In November 2019, it was announced that Alex Saniel is going to play for Franklin United in 2020.[5]
In January 2020 he joined Fijian club Lautoka.[6] In 2021 he moved to Suva.[7]
National team
In 2017 Saniel was called up for the Vanuatu national football team. He made his debut on November 23, 2017, in a 1–0 loss against Estonia when he played the whole 90 minutes.[8]
International goals
- Scores and results list Vanuatu's goal tally first.[9]
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 2 December 2017 | Port Vila Municipal Stadium, Port Vila, Vanuatu |  New Caledonia |
1–0 | 2–1 | 2017 Pacific Mini Games |
Honours
Player
Vanuatu
- OFC Nations Cup: runner-up 2024[10]
- MSG Prime Minister's Cup: 3rd place 2023[11]
References
- ^ "Vanuatu's international Alex Saniel joins a new club in New Zealand – Oceania Football Center". oceaniafootballcenter.home.blog. Archived from the original on 2019-12-12.
- ^ "Vanuatu - A. Saniel - Profiel met nieuws, statistieken en geschiedenis - Soccerway". nl.soccerway.com. Retrieved 10 August 2017.
- ^ "Fracas fails to derail Fencibles". stuff.co.nz. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ "Jason Thomas and Alex Saniel help Lautoka to win Pacific Cup – Oceania Football Center". oceaniafootballcenter.home.blog. Archived from the original on 2019-12-12.
- ^ "Vanuatu's international Alex Saniel joins a new club in New Zealand – Oceania Football Center". oceaniafootballcenter.home.blog. Archived from the original on 2019-12-12.
- ^ "Saniel inks deal with Lautoka Blues". Fiji Times. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "Players thankful – Vanuatu imports looked after well". Fiji Times. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "VFF i anaonsem Pacific Mini Games tim". dailypost.vu. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
- ^ "Saniel, Alex". National Football Teams. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
- ^ ""Vanuatu 23 Senior Mens Roster for OFC Nations Cup 2024"". Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "MSG Prime Minister's Cup-Vanuatu Squad". Retrieved November 18, 2024.
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