Mark Schwarzer

Mark Schwarzer OAM (born 6 October 1972) is an Australian association football who plays as a goalkeeper. He currently plays for Premier League club Fulham. He rose to prominence during his time at North-East England football club Middlesbrough. He represents Australia at international level, and was selected for both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup. He is currently Australia's most capped player at international level, surpassing Alex Tobin's appearance record in January 2011.

Early career

Mark Schwarzer's first club was Colo Cougars in Richmond NSW. Schwarzer has worn the same pair of shin pads since he started his professional career at the age of 19 with Marconi Stallions, in the National Soccer League. He left the Sydney-based club to play in Germany with Dynamo Dresden and FC Kaiserslautern. He then traveled to England to play for Bradford City, where he eventually joined Middlesbrough in February 1997.

Middlesbrough

Schwarzer made his debut for Middlesbrough against Stockport County in the League Cup semi-finals. He played in the final against Leicester City, a 1–1 draw, but injury kept him out of the replay, which Middlesbrough lost. He was part of the side, however, who beat Bolton Wanderers to win the 2004 League Cup Final, producing a superb display having recovered after his mistake in letting in a soft shot.

Perhaps his most important save for Middlesbrough came in the last match of the 2004–05 season against...
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