sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Raphael Ohanua Lea'i Jr. (born 9 September 2003) is a Solomon Islands footballer who plays as a striker for Telekom S-League club Henderson Eels and the Solomon Islands national team.

Raphael Lea'i

Personal information
Full name	Raphael Ohanua Lea'i
Date of birth	(2003-09-09) 9 September 2003 (age 19)
Place of birth	Honiara, Solomon Islands
Position(s)	Striker
Club information
Current team	Henderson Eels
Number	10
Youth career
2015	Kossa
2016–2018	Marist
2019	Wellington Phoenix
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018	Marist	6	(4)
2019–	Henderson Eels	43	(90)
National team‡
2018–2019	Solomon Islands U17	12	(14)
2022–	Solomon Islands	7	(5)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 November 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 30 September 2022

Early life

Lea'i was born on 9 September 2003 in Honiara. Taking up futsal at the age of 12, he played for local side Kossa before moving to Marist.[1]

Club career

Following promising performances at international level, Lea'i was noticed by foreign clubs, including Argentine Primera División club Deportivo Godoy Cruz and Australian A-League side Brisbane Roar. Both clubs offered him a trial, however due to FIFA regulations on youth footballers, he was unable to sign an overseas professional contract before the age of 18.[2][3]

By the end of 2018, Lea'i had made his senior debut for Marist scoring four goals across six matches in the 2018 Solomon Islands S-League. For 2019, Lea'i was offered a scholarship to New Zealand high school Scots College, affiliated with A-League club Wellington Phoenix.[4] He ended the season as the local Wellington high school league's top scorer, having scored 15 of Scots' 41 goals for the season.[5]

Following his time in New Zealand, Lea'i signed with Henderson Eels for the end of the 2019–20 S-League season. In his first season he scored 24 goals in seven matches, including a haul of 11 goals in a single match against Real Kakamora.[6][7] At the end of the 2019–20 S-League season, Lea'i was invited to a weeklong trial with A-League side Melbourne Victory.[8] During the beginning of the 2021–22 S-League season, he was offered a trial with Turkish Süper Lig side Alanyaspor, however Visa issues caused this to be delayed.[9]

International career

By the age of 14, Lea'i had impressed enough to be selected for the 2017 OFC Youth Futsal Tournament. Despite being three years younger than some of his opponents, Lea'i shone through as the tournament's best player and top scorer, scoring 34 goals in six matches. He was pivotal to the success of the undefeated Solomon Islands team, helping them sweep aside the competition to take the title as well as qualifying for the 2018 Youth Olympics in Argentina. At the 2018 Youth Olympics, Lea'i scored seven goals as the Solomon Islands were eliminated in the group stage.

In September 2018, Lea'i was selected for the 2018 OFC U-16 Championship, held in Honiara. Once again, he was crucial to the success of the Solomon Islands team, scoring seven goals in three consecutive 5–0 wins over Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Vanuatu. Solomon Islands subsequently qualified for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup by defeating Fiji 3–1 in the semi-final. In the final, he missed a penalty just before full-time, with New Zealand eventually prevailing 5–4 in a penalty shootout.[1]

Lea'i was selected to take part in the 2019 U-17 Minsk Tournament in preparation for the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He scored in all three games; one in a 2–1 win over Moldova, as well as the lone goal in a 1–1 draw against Belarus and both goals in a 2–2 draw against Kazakhstan.[5]

In the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup, Lea'i appeared in all three games - against Italy, Paraguay and Mexico - as the Solomon Islands were eliminated in the group stage.

During 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, Raphael Lea'i scored all three goals in a 3–1 win against Tahiti to cement Solomon Islands' spot top of Group A and qualify to the semi-finals as group winners.[10]

International goals

Scores and results list the Solomon Islands' goal tally first.[11]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	24 March 2022	Al-Arabi Stadium, Doha, Qatar	Tahiti	1–0	3–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
2.				2–1
3.				3–1
4.	27 March 2022	Al-Arabi Stadium, Doha, Qatar	Papua New Guinea	3–1	3–2	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.	24 September 2022	Luganville Stadium, Luganville, Vanuatu	Fiji	1–0	2–2	2022 MSG Prime Minister's Cup

International statistics

As of match played 30 September 2022[11]

Solomon Islands
Year	Apps	Goals
2022	7	5
Total	7	5

References

External links

• National Football Teams profile
• Raphael Lea'i at Soccerway

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