1. Ivan Soldo was born on 14 April 1996 and is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Port Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League.
42 Facts About Ivan Soldo
1. 2.
Ivan Soldo is the cousin of former Richmond ruck Ivan Maric.
3.
Ivan Soldo spent his formative years in the Australian capital city of Canberra.
4.
Ivan Soldo attended Daramalan College and completed his studies in 2013.
5.
Ivan Soldo played his first Australian rules football match in late July 2014, with the Northern Knights and against the Gippsland Power in Morwell.
6.
Ivan Soldo was officially drafted in December with the club's fifth selection and the 68th selection overall in the 2015 Rookie Draft.
7.
Ivan Soldo did not play a match at senior level in his first two years at the club, instead learning his craft with Richmond's reserves side in the VFL.
8.
Ivan Soldo played eight games at VFL level in 2015 before playing 15 in the 2016 season.
9.
Ivan Soldo was elevated to the Richmond senior list in May 2017, a potential replacement for suspended ruck Toby Nankervis.
10.
Ivan Soldo made his AFL debut in Round 7 2017, in a match against the reigning premier Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium Ivan Soldo recorded nine disposals and three marks in the match, along with setting a league record for debutants with 42 hitouts.
11.
Ivan Soldo was omitted from the senior side the following week but returned in Round 9 to play the GWS Giants in Sydney.
12.
Ivan Soldo played as the club's lead ruck, with the more mobile Nankervis moved into the role of centre half forward.
13.
Ivan Soldo kicked his first career goal in round 20 against Hawthorn at the MCG.
14.
Ivan Soldo did not return to senior football that season, instead closing out his year with the VFL side on their push towards the league's grand final.
15.
Ivan Soldo finished the year having played seven AFL matches in 2017.
16.
Ivan Soldo was upgraded to Richmond's senior player list ahead of the 2018 season.
17.
Ivan Soldo started that year as he had done the previous three, playing with Richmond's reserves side in the VFL.
18.
Ivan Soldo was named as an AFL emergency on a league-leading 12 occasions over the first 15 weeks of the season, including in rounds 8 and 9 when the club's leading ruck Toby Nankervis was dealing with a minor wrist injury and considered in some doubt to play.
19.
On both occasions Nankervis was ultimately fit to play however and Ivan Soldo reached the mid-point of the season without having played a match at AFL level.
20.
Ivan Soldo recorded a match-high 34 hitouts and earned the praise of senior coach Damien Hardwick for his performance in that match, but was ultimately omitted from the side upon Nankvervis' return the following week.
21.
Ivan Soldo finished 2018 having played just the one AFL match, along with 16 games at reserves level in the VFL.
22.
Ivan Soldo took the role as number one ruck in the first of two pre-season games, while Nankervis played in the same team but primarily as a forward.
23.
Ivan Soldo was ultimately unable to gain AFL selection in round 1, with numerous media outlets attributing this largely to his poor positional versatility.
24.
Ivan Soldo attracted the attention of the AFL's Match Review Officer in that match however, offered a one match suspension for strike on midfielder James Worpel which was graded intentional conduct with low impact to the head.
25.
Ivan Soldo challenged the finding at the AFL Tribunal but the ban was upheld, with Ivan Soldo subsequently missing the club's match against Essendon.
26.
Ivan Soldo was immediately recalled to AFL action in round 11, where he set a new career-best with seven tackles.
27.
Ivan Soldo repeated that mark the following week, this time along with an equal career-best four clearances.
28.
Hours before round 13's Thursday night match up against Adelaide, Ivan Soldo was ruled out with illness.
29.
Ivan Soldo made an immediate return to AFL level following that match and the club's mid-season bye.
30.
Ivan Soldo held his spot at senior level while Nankervis returned to football with three weeks on limited minutes in the VFL, with Ivan Soldo kicking four goals in the five matches up to and including round 20's win over Melbourne.
31.
Ivan Soldo was dropped back to VFL level the following week, with Nankervis elevated in his place.
32.
Ivan Soldo would remain at the level for just one match however, recalled to replace Nankervis who was withdrawn from the round 22 clash with groin soreness.
33.
Ivan Soldo posted a season-best 40 hitouts and career-best six clearances in that match before setting new career-bests with 14 disposals, five marks and six score involvements in the final match of the season.
34.
Ivan Soldo was again influential in that match with 23 hitouts and 10 disposals in another Richmond win.
35.
Ivan Soldo finished the season having played 14 matches and winning an AFL premiership in just his 22nd career AFL match.
36.
Ivan Soldo recorded 25 hitouts and five clearances in the win 1 win over Carlton which was played extraordinary conditions imposed on the league as a result of the rapid progression of the coronavirus pandemic into Australia.
37.
Ivan Soldo held down that role over a further six matches including on a minor rolled ankle in rounds 10 and 11, before putting in a starring performance in the club's round 13 Dreamtime in Darwin win over Essendon.
38.
Ivan Soldo set new career highs in disposals and intercepts in that match, while another 19 hit outs saw him ranked seventh in the league for total hitouts that year.
39.
Ivan Soldo went on to share ruck duties with his teammate when Nankervis returned from injury the following week, and both held their spots into the club's round 17 match-up with Geelong.
40.
Ivan Soldo missed the entirety of the 2021 season as he rehabilitated a serious knee injury from 2020.
41.
Ivan Soldo plays in the ruck, and is especially notable as a tap ruckman with a special ability for winning hitouts.
42.
Ivan Soldo is less developed at groundball aspects of the role.