Joshua Laws

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Joshua Laws
Personal information
Full name Joshua Laws
Date of birth (1998-02-26) 26 February 1998 (age 28)
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Western Sydney Wanderers
Number 28
Youth career
Blackburn Rovers
2012–2016 Fortuna Düsseldorf
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2020 Fortuna Düsseldorf II 23 (0)
2020–2023 Wellington Phoenix 50 (0)
2023–2024 Grasshoppers 22 (0)
2024 Grasshoppers II 3 (0)
2025– Western Sydney Wanderers 1 (0)
International career
2013 Scotland U15 3 (0)
2013–2014 Scotland U16 5 (1)
2015 Australia U17 4 (0)
2017–2020 Australia U23 5 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia
AFC U-23 Asian Cup
Third place 2020 Thailand U-23 Team
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 26 May 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 2 January 2021

Joshua Laws (born 26 February 1998) is an Australian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for A-League Men side Western Sydney Wanderers.

Early life

[edit | edit source]

Laws was born in Scotland. He moved to Sydney, Australia aged four before returning to the United Kingdom at the age of twelve.[1][2] When Laws was fourteen, he moved to Germany.[2]

Playing career

[edit | edit source]

Fortuna Düsseldorf

[edit | edit source]

Laws began training with Fortuna Düsseldorf's first team in 2016, before suffering a broken arm and then another subsequent break in the same place.[2] He would later suffer numerous ankle ligament injuries and a medial collateral ligament injury in his time at the club.[3]

Wellington Phoenix

[edit | edit source]

Laws signed for A-League side Wellington Phoenix in October 2020, reuniting with his former Australian youth team coach Ufuk Talay.[4] He began the 2020–21 season as one of Wellington's first-choice centre backs,[3] however, he suffered an ankle injury and subsequently lost his place in the starting side.[5] Laws played fourteen games in his first season at the club.[6][5]

In June 2021, Laws signed a two-year contract extension with Wellington.[6][5] Laws was released by the Phoenix in May 2023 after three seasons at the club.[7]

Grasshopper Club Zürich

[edit | edit source]

On 15 August 2023, he signed with Swiss record champions Grasshopper Club Zürich, who play in the Swiss Super League.[8] He joins on a two-year contract, with an option to extend for a further season. He was able to quickly establish himself in Grasshoppers' defense and became a regular starter for the majority of the season.[9]

He missed the beginning of the 2024–25 season due to an injury that required him to get surgery.[10] On 29 October 2024, he departed the club by mutual consent.[11] Outside of three games for the reserves, he played no minutes in his truncated second season with Grasshoppers.

Western Sydney Wanderers

[edit | edit source]

On 10 February 2025, Laws signed for Western Sydney Wanderers Sydney Wanderers until the end of the season.[12]

International

[edit | edit source]

Scotland

[edit | edit source]

Laws initially played international youth football for Scotland's under-15 and under-16 national teams. This included participating in the 2014 Aegean Cup, where he played against Norway.[13]

In total, Laws played three times for Scotland's under 15 side and five times for the under-16 team, scoring one goal, across 2013 and 2014.[14][15]

Australia

[edit | edit source]

Laws subsequently elected to represent Australia and was selected in Australia's under-17 squad for the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile. Laws played as a central defender in all four of Australia's games at the tournament as they were eliminated in the Round of 16.[16]

Laws was selected in the Australian under-23 side for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship and played in the group stage game against Thailand.[17][18]

Style of play

[edit | edit source]

Laws is left footed, and able to play in central midfield, central defence and left back.[2]

Career statistics

[edit | edit source]
As of 29 October 2024[19][9]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fortuna Düsseldorf II 2016–17 Regionalliga West 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Regionalliga West 6 0 6 0
2018–19 Regionalliga West 8 0 8 0
2019–20 Regionalliga West 9 0 9 0
Total 23 0 0 0 0 0 23 0
Wellington Phoenix 2020–21 A-League 14 0 14 0
2021–22 A-League Men 15 0 3 0 18 3
2022–23 A-League Men 21 0 3 0 24 0
Total 50 0 6 0 0 0 56 0
Grasshopper 2023–24 Swiss Super League 22 0 1 0 0 0 23 0
2024–25 Swiss Super League 0 0 0 0 0 0
Grasshopper II 2024–25 1. Liga 3 0 3 0
Western Sydney Wanderers 2024–25 A-League Men 1 0 1 0
Career total 99 0 7 0 0 0 106 0
  1. ^ Includes Australia Cup

Honours

[edit | edit source]

Australia U-23

See also

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  5. ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  6. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  8. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  9. ^ a b Joshua Laws at SoccerwayLua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
  10. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  11. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  12. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  14. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  16. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  17. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  18. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  19. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  20. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
[edit | edit source]
  • Joshua Laws at SoccerwayLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).