Michael Joseph Boxall born on 18 August 1988, is a New Zealand footballer who currently plays for Minnesota United in Major League Soccer, and the New Zealand national football team.
During high school, Michael Boxall attended and worked at Mount Albert Grammar School. With him serving as a defensive anchor, Mount Albert won league titles in 2004 and 2005 and won the 2005 national championship.
For the 2006 senior season, Michael Boxall was named team captain. He led the team to its second Knockout Cup victory, the first in three years. They also competed in the Auckland Secondary School Football Association Championship. Mount Albert finished second in the national championship that year.
Michael Boxall has played for many teams in his native New Zealand, including Ellerslie AFC, Three Kings United, Central United, and Auckland City FC, leading Central United to the Lotto Sports Italia NRFL in 2007. In addition, He won the NZFC title with Auckland City, appearing in six games that year despite scoring no goals. He was named Young Player of the Year in 2006 with Central United and again with Auckland City FC in 2007.
Michael Boxall was scouted to varsity football at the University of California, Santa Barbara by head coach Tim Vom Steeg. He followed in the footsteps of other New Zealanders such as Tony Lochhead and Neil Jones in Santa Barbara. Both players earned senior caps after playing for UCSB. In his first season with the Gaucho, Michael Boxall appeared in 12 games, starting 10 of them.
Although he failed to provide a goal or assist, he proved to be a solid defensive player alongside Gaucho’s defensive star Andy Iroh. Michael Boxall’s season was cut short by his knee injury, forcing him to miss the rest of the season. He was the top all-rookie in 10 starts despite missing half the season, tying with the team in six games and one in both yellow and red cards.
Michael Boxall was drafted 1st overall by Vancouver Whitecaps FC in the 2011 MLS Extra Draft. He agreed to a contract with the club on 17 March 2011 and made his professional debut on 19 March in the 2011 MLS opener against Toronto FC in Vancouver. After appearing in three games for the Whitecaps during the 2012 season, Michael Boxall was released on June 22, 2012.
On 10 July 2012, it was announced by the club that Michael Boxall had officially joined New Zealand side Wellington Phoenix on a two-year deal. Ricky Herbert, coach of both the Phoenix and New Zealand national teams at the time, played a key role in his efforts and he made his club debut on 14 October 2012 in a 1–1 draw against Melbourne Heart on match day two.
Michael Boxall has represented New Zealand at various international levels. His début with the national setup was with the Junior All-Whites (U-20s) in which he made 14 appearances with no goals. During this time, he appeared in the 2007 U-20 World Cup OFC qualifying tournament and ultimately the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He played in all three U-20 World Cup games before New Zealand were knocked out.
In June 2023, the New Zealand team walked out of an international friendly against Qatar after an alleged incident of racial abuse against Michael Boxall. He is half-Samoan and is the older brother of New Zealand international footballer Nikko Boxall.
What is Michael Boxall’s relationship status?
Michael Boxall is married to Libby Boxall, a blogger, founder of Doseandco, and a Nutritionist & Naturopath. She is also a mother to Maxwell & Beau and even though she’s very popular as a blogger, there is no information about her personal life or that of her family.
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