Mark Schwarzer

Mark Schwarzer
OAM
Schwarzer in 2008
Personal information
Full name Mark Schwarzer[1]
Date of birth (1972-10-06) 6 October 1972 (age 52)[2]
Place of birth North Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[3]
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
Colo Cougars
Penrith
Blacktown Association
Marconi Stallions
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1990–1994 Marconi Stallions 58 (0)
1994–1995 Dynamo Dresden 2 (0)
1995–1996 1. FC Kaiserslautern 4 (0)
1996–1997 Bradford City 13 (0)
1997–2008 Middlesbrough 366 (0)
2008–2013 Fulham 172 (0)
2013–2015 Chelsea 4 (0)
2015–2016 Leicester City 6 (0)
Total 625 (0)
International career
1989 Australia U17 6 (0)
1990–1991 Australia U20 8 (0)
1993–2013 Australia 109 (0)
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Men's association football
FIFA Confederations Cup
Third place 2001 South Korea-Japan
AFC Asian Cup
Runner-up 2011 Qatar
OFC Nations Cup
Winner 2004 Australia
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Mark Schwarzer OAM (/ˈʃwɔːrtsər/ SHWORT-sər;[4][5] born 6 October 1972) is an Australian former professional football player who played as a goalkeeper. He represented Australia at international level from 1993 to 2013, and was selected for both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cups.[6]

Having progressed through the youth ranks of Colo Cougars, Penrith, Blacktown Association and Marconi Stallions, Schwarzer turned professional for National Soccer League side Marconi Stallions in 1990. After making 58 appearances for the club, he moved to German Bundesliga side Dynamo Dresden in 1994, appearing twice, and then to Bundesliga side 1. FC Kaiserslautern in 1995, appearing four times. Schwarzer joined then-second-tier side Bradford City in 1996 and made 16 appearances before joining Premier League club Middlesbrough in February 1997. He made 445 appearances for Middlesbrough, but decided to leave the club in May 2008. He then switched to Premier League side Fulham, and made 218 appearances for the club until he moved to Chelsea in 2013. He was the first – and, to date, only – non-Briton to have made more than 500 Premier League appearances (making him the highest-appearing non-Briton in the Premier League's history), and also the oldest player to have played in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. He joined Leicester City on a free transfer in January 2015 and left the club at the end of their 2015–16 Premier League-winning season.

Having played for Australia at under-17 and under-20 level, Schwarzer made his full international debut in a World Cup qualifying match against Canada in 1993 as a substitute after Robert Zabica was sent off in the 17th minute.[7] During the course of his international career, he won a total of 109 caps for his country. He became Australia's most capped male player when he surpassed Alex Tobin's appearance record in January 2011.

  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010: List of Players: Australia" (PDF). FIFA. 4 June 2010. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2020.
  2. ^ Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Mainstream Publishing. p. 372. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  3. ^ "M. Schwarzer". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  4. ^ Sky Sports Football (20 October 2017), Have Chelsea players turned against Conte? | Mark Schwarzer & Simon Jordan | The Debate, archived from the original on 17 April 2019, retrieved 15 November 2017
  5. ^ LCFC (6 January 2015), Schwarzer: A Great Buzz About The Club, archived from the original on 13 December 2021, retrieved 15 November 2017
  6. ^ "Mark Schwarzer EPL: Aussie goalkeeper to leave Chelsea for Leicester City". Fox Sports. Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Canada v Australia, 31 July 1993". Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2016.