Saša Ognenovski

Club career Ognenovski played for Macedonian Australians' club Preston Lions for four years early in his career before joining National Soccer League club Melbourne Knights in 2000. He moved to Greek side Panahaiki in 2002, but returned to Preston Lions the next year after making only two Alpha Ethniki appearances.

In January 2009, Ognenovski received an offer from Shin Tae-yong, then manager of K League club Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma and former coach of Queensland Roar. On 13 January 2009, Adelaide United revealed he would join Seongnam at the end of the 2008–09 season on a two-year deal. He gave a glowing tribute to the club upon the announcement saying, "I've met some great people, the owners Nick and Dario are probably the best people I've met in football so it is a tough decision but obviously I have to secure my future and look after my family so that was the main reason that I took up the offer".

In his first season at Seongnam, Ognenovski played both legs of the 2009 K League Championship final against Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, but lost 3–1 on aggregate. The next year, he captained the club and led them to win the 2010 AFC Champions League. He was selected as the Man of the Match in the 3–1 final win over Zob Ahan, where he scored the opening goal, and furthermore, he was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. In 2011, he was criticised for attempting to transfer to league rivals FC Seoul, but repaid the club for their trust by bringing a Korean FA Cup title. Australian soccer players gained popularity with K League clubs due to his success at the time.

On 7 July 2012, Ognenovski moved to Qatar Stars League club Umm Salal. On 21 October, he made his debut for Umm Salal in a 1–1 draw with Al Kharaitiyat.

On 4 February 2014, Ognenovski signed for Sydney FC, moving back to the A-League. On 22 February, he scored his first goal for Sydney assisted by Alessandro Del Piero in a 2–0 win over Newcastle Jets. He and his partner Nikola Petković were in charge of Sydney's rearguard, and both were appointed the club's vice-captains on 8 October. However, he was sidelined after suffering from a thigh injury in a match against Melbourne Victory on 15 November. On 3 June 2015, he was released from the club.

International career Ognenovski was eligible to represent Australia, but after not being selected for 2011 AFC Asian Cup qualification matches against Indonesia and Kuwait, he expressed his disappointment and put himself up for selection for the country of his heritage, Macedonia (now North Macedonia). Although not available to play (due to not having yet received FIFA clearance), Ognenovski was called by Srečko Katanec to play for Macedonia in the match against Moldova on 11 February 2009, although he did not feature due to issues with his eligibility.

After dashing his hopes for playing for the Socceroos under the late Pim Verbeek, new manager Holger Osieck called him up for a friendly against Egypt in Cairo, Egypt, and he was subsequently named in the 23-man 2011 AFC Asian Cup squad. Throughout the AFC Asian Cup, he started every match and developed a solid defensive partnership with Lucas Neill, and scored the second goal in Australia's 6–0 defeat of Uzbekistan in the semi-finals.

Managerial career Between 2019 and 2021, Ognenovski managed National Premier Leagues Victoria club Dandenong City.

In August 2026, Ognenovski was named head coach of A-League Men club Macarthur FC, signing a two-year contract.

Career statistics Club

International

+ List of international goals scored by Sasa Ognenovski No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition1 25 January 2011 Doha, Qatar 2–0 6–0 2011 AFC Asian Cup

Honours Adelaide United AFC Champions League runner-up: 2008

Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma AFC Champions League: 2010

Australia AFC Asian Cup runner-up: 2011

Individual A-League Team of the Season by Professional Footballers Australia: 2008–09 AFC Champions League Most Valuable Player: 2010