Djite first played soccer during a four-month stay with his family in Ivory Coast[6] in 1993, and loved it, so registered with his local amateur club. He later said "By the time I was 8 I knew soccer was all I wanted to do".[4] He joined the Marconi Stallions in 2004 at the age of 16, after the demise of Northern Spirit FC, whom Djite signed for in 2002–03 National Soccer League season. He continued to play with Marconi Stallions until the end of the 2005–06 season (August 2006). He trained at the NSW Institute of Sport in Sydney.[5]
In November 2006 at age 19 years old, Djite unsuccessfully trialled for two weeks at SV Werder Bremen of the Bundesliga in Germany. Upon his return to Australia, Djite signed for Adelaide United for the remainder of the 2006–07 A-League season, scoring three goals with an assist in thirteen matches.[5]
On 15 May 2008, it was reported that Djite had been released from his contract with Adelaide United to sign for an unnamed European club. On 21 May 2008, Djite agreed to a three-year contract with Süper Lig club Gençlerbirliği in Turkey for the 2008–09 season.[15]
Djite made his debut in the Süper Lig on 24 August 2008 in a 1–1 draw with Kocaelispor. Djite scored his first league goal for Gençlerbirliği in the 45th minute against Denizlispor on 25 October 2008. Fellow Australian James Troisi also got off the mark in a game which ended in a 2–2 draw. Djite consistently displayed his lethal acceleration, footspeed and strength in the penalty area and finished 2008–2009 Süper Lig season with 6 goals and two assists in twenty-eight matches played.[16][15]
On 23 March 2011, it was announced that Djite had signed a two-year contract until April 2013 for two seasons, the 2011–12 and the 2012–13 seasons with the club that gave him his first A-League contract, Adelaide United.[18]
Djite was given squad number 19 and debuted for Jiangsu Sainty in the 2011–2012 Chinese Super League season on 3 April 2011 in the match against Beijing Guoan. Djite scored his first goal in the 18th minute of the match, an equaliser for Jiangsu Sainty in a 1–1 draw against Henan Jianye on 30 April 2011,[22] followed by the winning goal in the 55th minute of the match in a 1–0 win against Chengdu Blades on 18 June 2011.[23] Djite scored 4 goals with an assist in 13 Chinese Super League matches, helping Jiangsu Sainty to 4th place in the league. He scored the fourth goal for Jiangsu Sainty in a 4–0 win against Dalian Shide on 2 July 2011,[24][25] and played his 14th and last Chinese Super League match in a 1–0 win against Shanghai Shenxin on 6 July 2011.[21][26]
On 1 December 2012, Djite scored for Adelaide United to lead 1–0 against reigning A-League champions Central Coast Mariners in the 17th minute shot from 51.5 m (169 ft) past the goalkeeper Justin Pasfield and into the left-hand corner of the net at Central Coast Stadium.[30]
On 3 February 2013, Djite once again scored for Adelaide United against Western Sydney Wanderers on 61 minutes by dribbling past three Wanderers defenders and then taking a left-footed shot from 60.2 m (198 ft) past goalkeeper Ante Čović and into the right-hand corner of the net.[31]
On 26 July 2016, after showing good form in Adelaide United's championship-winning season, Djite signed with Korean club Suwon FC, joining countryman Adrian Leijer.[33]
PSM Makassar
In mid-2018, Djite moved to Indonesia, aged 31,[10] and played for PSM Makassar.[4]
Djite was a star striker for the Young Socceroos during their 2006 tournament in South America scoring five goals in thirteen caps and was also chosen in the Australia Under-20 squad to compete at the 2006 AFC Youth Championships, in India.[34]
Australia Olympic team
Djite was the key striker and a mainstay in the Australia Olympic football team qualification matches for the 2008 Olympics and helped the Australia Olympic football team, the Olyroos squad, to qualify for the Beijing Olympics contributing thirteen caps and scoring two goals.[35]
Djite's first cap for Australia in a competitive match was when he came on as a substitute for Harry Kewell in Australia's 2010 World Cup Qualifier against Iraq on 1 June 2008.[37] Djite then again appeared in the Socceroos next match on 15 June 2008 against Qatar, coming on as a Super-sub for the 2010 World Cup Qualifier in Doha, Qatar.[38][39]
"Bruce Djité is a fine football player, powerful and quick, intimidating and sharp around the penalty area. "Djité is a future Socceroo star, himself and many of his football colleagues are now multi-millionaires, playing in the most taxing of the world's professional football leagues."
Djité was a quick bustling left forward or striker with great footspeed and acceleration who kicks and shoots the ball well with either foot.[41] He used his extreme physical strength and footspeed to out-run defenders in an A-League 2007–08 season, where he was crowned and awarded with the Rising Star Award, after scoring 10 goals in his first full season and then followed by registering six goals and two assists in his first Süper Lig 2008–09 season in Turkey.[16] In 2011, Djité was among the top-goalscorers in the league, registering 10 goals and three assists in twenty-three matches.[18]
In 2016, he worked part-time at PKF, an accounting firm in Adelaide, while playing for the Reds.[11]
Djite was an ambassador for All Together Now, Australia's only national charity with the sole focus of erasing racism,[42] for some time before 2019.[11] As of 2019[update] he was an ambassador for Little Heroes Foundation, a South Australian charity that supports seriously ill children and their families,[43] and Roger Rasheed's Sports Foundation.[11]
On 3 June 2019, Djite returned to his former club, A-League side Adelaide United FC taking up the role of director of football.[44] In the first six months in this role, the club won the FFA Cup and began their A-League campaign well. Djite signed two young newcomers, Al Hassan Toure and Louis D'Arrigo.[12]
^"Bruce Djite". Adelaide United FC. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
^"Djite, Bruce". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 27 January 2013., "Bruce José Djite". Goal.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
