All hail the Scorpion King, Nikola Djordjevic

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You’ve seen it from Olivier Giroud, Riley McGree and Sydney Olympic’s Thomas Whiteside, but Round 8 of the National Premier League NSW Men’s saw Nikola Djordjevic produce a rendition of the ‘scorpion kick’ to rival the lot.

The Wollongong Wolves defender has earned worldwide plaudits for his sublime strike which arrived 35 minutes into the Wolves’ thrilling 2-2 draw with the Sutherland Sharks.

With the competition frontrunners suffering an early goal at Seymour Shaw, they knew they required a moment of inspiration to maintain their unbeaten start to the campaign.

But no one could have imagined something quite like what unfolded.

James Stojcevski elected to play a short corner, executing a rapid one-two with Takeru Okada which engineered the angle for him to whip a dangerous ball into the area.

In an instant, there was Djordjevic on the end of it, airborne above the six-yard box, with his body suspended parallel to the ground and marker still tight by his side.

Unfathomably, his extended heel made a stunning connection with the ball, sending it on a precise trajectory into the top corner of the net.

The 20-year-old humbly reflects on the goal as a moment of fortune rather than a calculated flash of ingenuity.

“Basically, as the ball came across I was in a bit of an awkward position getting pulled down by the defender,” he recounted.

“So I just threw my leg at it, hoped for the best and didn’t even know what happened until the boys started screaming and running towards me.”

When questioned as to whether it would be something he attempts to recreate any time soon, Djordjevic was absolute in his response.

“No, definitely not,” he enforced.

“If I was to attempt it another thousand times, I probably wouldn’t get it!”

“It’s hard to explain; one of those moments that I’ll always look back on as an achievement.”

The strike has attracted worldwide attention.

Its clip has been featured by British media powerhouses Sky Sports on their website and iconic program Soccer AM, as well as through global outlets ESPN and Goal.com. It has also stirred quite the storm on social media, including a repost from the ‘433’ Facebook page which boasts over 2.6 million followers.

Djordjevic has been taken aback by the immense response.

“It was a bit of a shock initially,” he revealed.

“I never thought it would spread that far, having pretty much gone worldwide, which is unreal.

“I’m sure the club are glad to be receiving a bit of publicity, helping put them back on the map.”

The Wollongong junior’s strike is the cherry on top of what has been a spectacular campaign so far for Luke Wilkshire’s Wolves, who have surprised many to sit four points clear on top of the ladder with nine rounds played.

Djordjevic is treasuring the ride whilst hoping to contribute further in a push for the historic club’s first piece of silverware since 2008.

“It tops it (a good season) off for the club.

“I’m just looking to continue doing my job on the field, keeping clean sheets and keeping the gaffer happy.

“I also definitely wouldn’t deny another goal or two at all!”

Djordjevic was back on defensive duty at the weekend, keeping a clean sheet in his side’s 4-0 statement victory over Blacktown City. The Wolves will hope to make it ten on the bounce without tasting defeat when they host a resurgent Rockdale City Suns outfit at WIN Stadium this upcoming Saturday.

 By National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Reporter Chris Curulli (Twitter handle @ChrisCurulli)