Australia's top 11 football players of all time

The Down Under blog is Australia's perfect team.

Goalkeeper

Mark Schwarzer

Years in the national team: 1993 - 2013.109 matches. The winner of the Cup of Nations of Oceania - 2004, the silver medalist of the Asian Cup - 2011. The football player of the year in Australia 2009, 2010, was awarded the Order of Australia in 2011.

Ayers Rock Rock Australian Football. 109 matches for the national team - the best result, which in the foreseeable future is unlikely to be surpassed by anyone (if only one famous striker does not extend his career by another three years). 20 years of career in Sockeruz, phenomenal 446 matches for Middlesbrough (Premier League record for a foreigner) and pathological bad luck in the finals of important tournaments. UEFA Cup - 2006, Europa League - 2010, Asian Cup - 2011, UEFA Super Cup - 2013 - just imagine how big the collection of Mark’s trophies could be. Maybe at least this year with "Leicester" lucky "?

It is a pity that the end of his career in the national team turned out to be somehow crumpled. In September 2013, in Brazil, the Australians got six goals from Selesao, but Schwarzer was at fault - the defenders simply threw him to their fate. Few people thought that this was Mark’s last match in a green and gold T-shirt, but it turned out that way - after 4 days the Sockruz lost to the French (Langerak was already standing), Osijek was fired, and another era began in the national team. Already without Schwarzer, in November, Mark announced his departure from the national team.

Alternative: Mark Bosnich.

Protection

Lucas Nill

Years in the national team: 1996 - 2013. 96 matches, 1 goal. Oceania Cup of Nations Winner - 2004.

The first match for the national team was played at the age of 18, and the last one at 35, having lost a place in the Socercruise after devastating defeats in Brazil and France. Subsequently, Nill said that he was not the worst on the field and was the “victim” of press attacks. Until recently, Lucas Nill hoped that he would play at the 2014 World Cup, Postekogl even had to speak with him on purpose and convince him that in his condition he should not think not only about the World Cup, but even about the A-League. But Nill is stubborn - at the beginning of this season he was trying to sign a contract with a club from New South Wales, so Lucas is not going to hang up his boots on a nail.

A rebellious spirit has always hovered over Lucas Nill, since the time of Millwall. It is not surprising that Les Murray wrote the story about the revolution during the 2010 World Cup (supposedly at a team meeting, Nill called Pim Verbick's pre-match setup bullshit and called on to play his football “as before”), which he later quickly denied, but sediment, as they say, remained.

Alternative: Kevin Muscat.

Joe Marston

Years in the national team: 1947–1964. 37 matches. Cavalier of the Order of the British Empire.

Of course, it is amazing to see an amateur player among professionals who, in addition to football, earned money by working as an artist in a factory. It so happened that Joe Marston was actually the first Australian to show spectators on Foggy Albion that they knew how to play football on the other side of the world. Preston Nord End fans could not rejoice at their defender, who liked to train barefoot to get used to the cold and fog of England. Five years at Preston, they hosted the FA Cup final (Joe later said that the meeting with the queen would remain in his heart for life), the interest of Arsenal (in 1953 the Londoners offered 80 thousand for Marston, but PNE did not agree) and the constant boredom of Australia. When the depression reached its climax, Joe packed up and drove back to the Green Continent, Waltzing Matilda.  In 2013, Lancashire residents included Marston in the list of the best players in the entire 125-year history of the club.

JF Marston’s contribution was also noted by the FFA, and the prize for the best player in the A-League Grand Final was named after him.

Alternative: Alex Tobin.

Craig Moore

Years in the national team: 1995 - 2010. 52 matches, 3 goals. 5-time champion of Scotland, winner of the Intertoto Cup - 2006.

All partners of Moore celebrate his amazing leadership qualities and impeccable professionalism. For the Rangers, he became almost legendary, having won 12 titles with the team in 10 years. In 2006, in a decisive match with Croatia, with a score of 0-1, the judge awarded a penalty, which Craig Moore had to execute in the absence of John Aloisi. The leader did not disappoint, the score caught up, and Australia reached the World Cup playoffs.

After the World Cup, Moore’s career declined, and age made itself felt. Moreover, in 2008, already during the Brisbane Roar game, Moore had to endure several difficult weeks in connection with a testicular cancer. Fortunately, the operation was successful, which made it possible to extend the player’s career for another two years. After the 2010 World Cup, Craig Moore announced that he was leaving football, explaining his decision by emotional overload.

Alternative: Scott Chipperfield.

Midfield

Johnny warren

Years in the national team: 1965 - 1974. 42 matches, 7 goals. Cavalier of the Order of the British Empire.

If there is a person in the history of Australian football who has earned his place in this team not only by exploits on the field, but also outside it, then this is Johnny Warren. In 1974, Warren and his teammates first represented Australia at the World Cup, having done the impossible for those times - the country was distracted from rugby with cricket and was surprised to find that the football team was also worth something. Even if Germany did not succeed in scoring goals, only one game was reduced to a goalless draw, the seeds from which Golden Generation would grow in 30 years were sown.

Ascetic enthusiasm, ideas and emotions of Warren led to the fact that football is no longer considered in Australia "some kind of game for immigrants." He openly called for the unification of the confederations of Oceania and Asia, to reform the national league, cried live after a draw with Iraq in 1997, and believed that Australia has very good potential for the development of football. Warren dreamed that when the Australian team achieved serious international success, he would come out and say to everyone, "I told you!" Before the realization of his dream, Johnny did not live two years - after reaching the playoffs of the 2006 World Cup, this phrase still appeared on the screen of national television.

Alternative: Jason Chulina.

Alan Davidson

Years in the national team: 1980 - 1991. 51 matches, 2 goals. Oceania Nations Cup Winner - 1980.

The team of the 80s, apparently, will always be in the shadow of the 74 team, led by Johnny Warren and the next generation of players, later nicknamed the "Golden". But someone must be on the list of "11 best"! The attackers are too serious competitors, none of the defenders were amazing, but in the middle line there is a place for Alan Davidson. The midfielder and his comrades tried unsuccessfully three times to break into the World Cup, but each time someone got in the way. In 1981, New Zealanders suddenly appeared on the road, who had never been considered rivals before. Having managed to concede 0-2 in Sydney, the Sockruz actually put a ticket to Spain into the hands of All Whites.

In 1984, Alan Davidson tried to gain a foothold in Nottingham Forest, but because of injuries he played only 5 matches in a year and returned back to Melbourne, although Brian Clough liked him and he wanted Alan to stay. They are not looking for good from good, Davidson decided not to test fate anymore, having played more than 200 matches for Melbourne clubs until the age of 32. Do not think that at the level of the national teams Alan Davidson did not achieve anything. The peak of his career was 1988: at a friendly tournament, Australia defeated the current world champions Argentines with Ruggeri, Simeon, Batista and Monson in the squad, and at the Olympics in Seoul, the Sockeruz reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to future Olympic champions.

By the way, the father’s son has already surpassed - Jason has three matches at the World Cup and a victory at the Asian Cup.

Alternative: Stan Lazaridis.

Ned Zelich

Years in the national team: 1991 - 1997. 34 matches, 3 goals. Confederations Cup silver medalist - 1997, German champion, UEFA Cup finalist - 1993.

Zelich became one of the first Australians to make a big statement in Europe. The high defensive midfielder attracted attention at the Olympic tournament in Barcelona (Australia became the 4th, and Ned took the team out as captain), and in the fall Zelich already went on the field wearing a Dortmund Borussia T-shirt. In the first season with “Dortmund” Zelich reached the final of the European Cup, but “Juventus” could not be defeated. The 1995 championship title became Zelich’s swan song as part of Borussia, in the summer he left the club, subsequently changing a lot of teams, starting with the Japanese Urava and ending with Dynamo Tbilisi.

Having lost in 1997 the main chance in life to play at the World Cup, Zelich tried to grab luck by the tail after 8 years. For this, Ned accepted the Newcastle Jets offer, but his sore knee let him down at the very end of the season, and the trip to Germany was canceled by itself. Guus Hiddink, I think, then breathed a sigh of relief - he did not have to come up with an “excuse” why he did not take a well-deserved 35-year-old veteran.

Alternative: Paul Windows.

Marc Bresciano

Years in the national team: 2001 - 2015. 84 matches, 13 goals. The winner of the Cup of Nations of Oceania - 2004, the winner of the Asian Cup - 2015.

When the Australian team did not succeed, when it was necessary to come up with something extraordinary, often all the hopes were pinned on Bresiano. From the first days of their careers, everyone noted technical talent, a culture of a pass, and a vision of the Mark field. In the homeland of his ancestors in Italy, Bresiano enjoyed great respect and love from his fans, having spent more than a dozen seasons in Serie A.

Bresiano is directly related to the two most important goals in the history of Socercruz. In 2005, he scored in Sydney Uruguay, equalizing the score for the sum of two matches and giving the opportunity to take place the legendary penalty shootout. And in 2013, at the end of the match with Iraq, Bresciano laid the ball on Kennedy's head, and he scored a goal, which brought the Australian team to the third world championship in a row. What would we do without the most famous bald head in the history of the team?

Another interesting fact is connected with Bresiano. In 2004, he lifted the UFC Cup of Nations over his head, and 11 years later he stood on the podium with the Asian Cup. How Harbor Bridge Mark connected the generation of the 90s with a team of a new convocation, becoming one of the two players who won two different continental trophies. The second record holder will be discussed later.

Alternative: Brett Emerton.

Attack

Harry kewell

Years in the national team: 1996 - 2012. 56 matches, 17 goals. Winner of the Champions League - 2005, winner of the UEFA Super Cup - 2005, winner of the Nations Cup of Oceania - 2004, silver medalist of the Asian Cup - 2011.

Australian Football Golden Boy burst into the English Premier League with a meteor. At age 19, Kewell played in the Leeds main squad (do you still remember that reckless gang of David O'Leary?), Won a bunch of individual prizes, but the team didn’t get to it - the Yorkshire people were missing a little. Fate thanked Kewell already at Liverpool, where Harry moved, rejecting the more generous offers of AC Milan, Barcelona, ​​Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea. From childhood, he was rooting for the Reds and could not refuse his dream, but the affair with Liverpool was mixed. The Champions League title was overshadowed by injury and obstruction of fans, permanent damage led to missed games, so after the 2006 World Cup, Kewell missed almost a year. Injuries accelerated parting with Liverpool, Kewell left for Turkey, which actually meant the start of breaking up with big football. Then there was a noisy return to Australia, but even in A-League matches, Harry was only a pale shadow of himself. After suffering another 2 years, Kewell announced his retirement and went to Watford to train youth.

The career of a national team player as well as a club one was mixed. He scored an important goal for Iran at the raging stadium in Tehran in 1997, but the team sensationally lost the ticket to the World Cup in a home game. At the 2006 World Cup, Harry scored a goal for the Croats, who brought the Soc-Cruz to the playoffs, but could not play with the Italians due to another untreated injury. In 2010, Kewell unsuccessfully played the role of the last defender and received a red card for playing with his hand on the goal line, Gyan scored a penalty, and Australia could only draw the match with ten men. The only major tournament where Harry Kewell led the national team was the Asian Cup 2011. Three goals, one of which Iraq in the 118th minute in the quarterfinals, all matches in the starting lineup without a hint of injuries, what a pity that the best tournament is “ Golden Boy ”played at 33, when his career was drawing to a close.

Human memory is still an interesting thing. Harry Kewell did not realize half his potential, was constantly injured, missed games, received stupid red cards, did not score decisive penalties, but still remained in the fans' memory as the best player in the history of Australian football, the “wizard of Oz”.

Alternative: John Aloisi.

Tim Cahill

Years in the national team: 2004 - present 88 matches, 45 goals. The winner of the Cup of Nations of Oceania - 2004, the winner of the Asian Cup - 2015.

At the age of 14, Tim Cahill received an offer to play for the Samoa national team at the Oceania Championship for players no older than 20 years old. Tim’s mother is Samoan, his grandmother lived on the island, the federation paid for all flights, so Tim decided to spend his holidays with his family, playing football in parallel. If he knew that these two matches would become an obstacle to Cahill’s way to the Sockruz camp, he would think twenty times if he should spend his holidays like that.

Cahill had no desire to play for the adult Samoa team, and Tim got the opportunity to play for another country only in 2004, when he was already 24 years old. The choice was rich (England, Ireland, Australia), but Cahill chose the Sockeruse, where he immediately took a place in the attack. In the new team, Tim began to do what he knows best - to score goals. Nevertheless, they saw how he does it - with not the tallest growth, Tim jumps out like a kangaroo, hangs in the air, as if beating his head, and then runs to box with the corner flag.

It is possible to enumerate Cahill's achievements for a very long time. He scored in three world championships and three Asian Cups, he won two continental tournaments (like Bresciano, yeah), he is a record holder for long times in terms of the number of goals for the national team (the closest of the current players Archie Thompson is also far from being a boy).

If injuries pass Cahill, then next year at the Confederations Cup we will probably see him at the forefront of the Sockruze attack. Physical readiness at the level, the existence mode in China is favorable, so beware of the corner flags of Russian stadiums!

Alternative: Ray Barrtz.

Mark Viduka

Years in the national team: 1994 - 2007. 43 matches, 11 goals. 3-time champion of Croatia, winner of the championship of Oceania U-20 - 2004.

Perhaps the only player on our list who has earned a place not because of the game for the national team, but rather, contrary to. How bright Mark's career was at the club level, so slurred she turned into Sockruz. Only the period under Guus Hiddink can be added to the asset - the Dutchman made Viduka captain, and Mark led the team to the playoffs of the World Cup. Then there was an unsuccessful Asian Cup, after which Pim Verbik ceased to call Viduka to the team at all. Along the way, things went bad at the club level, where due to constant injuries Mark lost his place in the Newcastle. In 2009, Viduka remained a free agent, but intended to pursue a career for the sake of a possible trip to the World Cup. It didn’t work out - Pim Verbik and some members of the national team questioned his readiness, after which Mark Viduka announced his retirement.

Despite the fact that the career in Sockruz did not work out, one must pay tribute to Viduke. If you now ask an ordinary fan to name one of the Australian football players, half will say - Mark Viduka. So impressive was his performance for Leeds United and Middlesbrough in the early 2000s. In the foreseeable future, it is unlikely that anyone will swing at his record for goals in the Champions League for the Australians (4 goals in the 2000-01 draw), he rightfully deserved a place in the national team.

Alternative: Damian Mori.

Trainer

Gus Hiddink

Years in the national team: 2005 - 2006. 12 matches: + 7 = 2-3. Achievement: access to the playoffs of the 2006 World Cup.

In choosing the best mentor, trust Harry Kewell. He played in the national team under the leadership of Venables, Farina, Hiddink, Arnold, Verbika, Osijek, so he probably knows what he is talking about. So last year, Kewell composed his symbolic team and called Guus Hiddink "the best coach of the team, under whose guidance I played."

A similar point of view can be read in the memoirs and interviews of many players (and not only Australian ones). Gus led the Sockruz for only a year, but during this short period he not only brought them to the World Cup after a 32-year absence, but (most importantly) made him believe in himself. Made to reckon with the Australian team. He made the country go crazy and be proud of his team. As James Cook once discovered the mainland of Australia, Guus Hiddink rediscovered the Sockruz for the rest of the world. Cook then returned twice more, but Gus did not seem to be planning. Although, who knows how life will turn out, right, Gus Ivanovich?

Alternative: Ange Postekoglu.

PS On my Twitter, I conducted a survey where I asked to name the best player in the history of the Australian national team. A total of 20 votes were cast. The results are as follows:

• Mark Schwarzer - 5%;
• Tim Cahill - 55%;
• Harry Kewell - 25%;
• Mark Viduka - 15%.