AFL star wants out of ‘boring’ city after partner leaves him
An AFL star wants his contract torn up to escape the “most boring” city that his glamorous partner refused to live in.
AFL
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Ivan Soldo has reportedly asked to be traded by Port Adelaide just one season into a three-year contract signed 12 months ago.
The star ruckman has had a turbulent time in Adelaide after a high profile move from Richmond at the end of the 2023 season.
The biggest bump in the road has been his partner Chelsea Becirevic’s decision to leave him — and the “boring” city — behind earlier this year.
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The Instagram influencer made headlines in May when she told her 66,000 followers she couldn’t bear living in the City of Churches any longer.
The 23-year-old last year followed Soldo from Melbourne to Adelaide, but said this year the “novelty” of living in South Australia had worn off.
It’s why Soldo’s request to return to Melbourne has attracted so much attention.
According to AFL Media’s Callum Twomey, Soldo “didn’t settle into living in Adelaide and after a year is keen to get back to Melbourne”.
Soldo, who is still contracted with the Power until 2026, has reportedly settled on St Kilda as his club of preference, but has not formally nominated the club as Port seeks to begin trade negotiations with Victorian clubs.
Soldo would potentially be a formidable ruck partner alongside Rowan Marshall.
The 2.04m giant only played eight AFL games this year and was eventually forced out of the senior side by Jordon Sweet.
It appears Becirevic will be happier than anyone to see her partner make the move.
She was scathing of Adelaide when in May announcing she was moving to Dubai to start a new life working for an airline — despite remaining committed to their relationship.
“I’ve always wanted to work for Emirates, live in Dubai, and travel the world. So that’s exactly what I’m gonna do,” she wrote on Instagram.
“Doing this one solo. Never moved anywhere by myself so will be good to gain some independence.”
Despite emphasising that her relationship with Soldo remained solid, Chelsea admitted living in Adelaide had been a “struggle”.
“He had to move to Adelaide for his career and tbh it’s been a struggle for me. It [living in Adelaide] is just not for me permanently,” she said.
“Temporarily it’s fine. But long term in Aus I think Melbourne or Gold Coast are for me... maybe even Syd.”
When asked how Soldo was taking the news at the time, she posted a photo of him standing dejectedly in the corner of a lift with the caption, “surprisingly taking it really well”.
Despite the distance, the couple at the time planned to keep their relationship alive via long distance and were aiming for Soldo to travel to be with her during his off-season.
When she first announced the move last November, shortly after making headlines at Richmond’s best and fairest awards, she confessed her reservations about Adelaide.
“Tbh [to be honest] can’t say I ever thought I would ever move to Adelaide,” she wrote. “I’ve never even been to Adelaide before so I actually have no idea what to expect … and I hear so many mixed reviews.”
Chelsea’s move to South Australia sparked a media spat last October. Melbourne-based columnist Jackie Epstein questioned whether she could “settle for the ‘low-energy lifestyle’ of the state capital,” while Adelaide’s Kara Jung fired back, accusing Epstein of a “petty little quip” and claiming residents of Adelaide “rolled their eyes and smiled at the poor misconception”.
Meanwhile, Soldo wasn’t the only Power player to drop a bombshell on the club this week.
Dan Houston also confirmed he has requested a trade back to Victoria despite having a long-term contract with the club.
The dual All-Australian missed the entire finals series due to his Showdown suspension.
“I informed the club my preference was to play in Victoria next year,” he said at Alberton on Tuesday.
“The last few weeks I’ve had a fluctuation of emotions. If the deal can’t get done, I’m happy to stay at Port, I love the club.”
Houston recently met with Carlton, Collingwood, St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs, with Port reportedly seeking two first-round picks back in a swap.
Originally published as AFL star wants out of ‘boring’ city after partner leaves him
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