Mark Schwarzer
Encyclopedia
Mark Schwarzer OAM
(born 6 October 1972) is an Australia
n association football (soccer) player 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 10th in the all-time Premier League appearances table and is currently Australia's most capped player at international level, surpassing Alex Tobin
's appearance record in January 2011.
. 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.
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 Manchester City
, saving a Robbie Fowler
penalty in stoppage time to preserve a 1–1 draw. The draw was sufficient to put Middlesbrough in seventh in the final league table and ensure qualification for the UEFA Cup
. Had Fowler converted the penalty, Man City would have qualified for the UEFA Cup at Middlesbrough's expense.
Schwarzer was granted a transfer request by Middlesbrough late in 2005 and sought to join a new club, but he withdrew his request on 20 January 2006, and rejoined the team. A fractured cheekbone sustained against West Ham United
, however, looked like it had ruled Schwarzer out for the rest of the season, but he returned for the UEFA Cup final against Sevilla
, albeit playing with a protective mask. When he played in Middlesbrough's 1–0 victory over Portsmouth
on 29 December 2007, he became the Premier League's longest-serving foreigner at one club beating Dennis Bergkamp
's record of 315 games.
had to plan a future with a new goalkeeper, as on 21 May 2008, Schwarzer signed a two-year deal at Fulham
, ending an 11-year association with the Teesside club. Schwarzer revealed in an interview with The World Game
that he had received offers from Bayern Munich
and Juventus
but declined their offers because they could not guarantee him the position as the number-one keeper.
Schwarzer made his Fulham debut in a 2–1 defeat to newly-promoted Premier League side Hull City
, but he followed up by keeping a clean sheet in his next match in a 1–0 win at home to Arsenal
and played every minute of the 2008–09 season. He kept ten clean sheets during the 2008–09 season in all competitions.
Schwarzer's contribution was phenomenal as his performances lead Fulham to a high seventh place finish and a place in Europe the next season, a massive improvement on Fulham's 17th place finish just a season before. Notable scalps included wins over Arsenal
, Manchester United
and a draw with Chelsea
largely due to many spectacular saves from Schwarzer. He received the Fulham Player of the Year 2008–09 in his first year at the club. He was also named Barclays Premier League's Player of the Month for February 2010, in which he only conceded one goal in his team's two wins and two draws that month, making him the first Australian to do so.
He played an important role in Fulham reaching the Europa League Final in 2010, but Schwarzer lost his second European final with a narrow defeat to Atlético Madrid of Spain
.
After impressive displays in 2009–2010 season Schwarzer caught the eye of Arsenal
manager Arsène Wenger who stated that Arsenal are in the market for a new keeper after seeing the form of Manuel Almunia
and Łukasz Fabiański come into questioning. It had been reported that a bid of around £2m in May 2010 had been made for Schwarzer and second bid of around the same value had been made in August 2010, however both were rejected by Fulham.
It was reported on 11 August 2010 that Schwarzer had handed in a transfer request, paving a way for his move to Arsenal to be complete, which was later confirmed by Fulham Manager Mark Hughes
who also rejected his request. On 31 August 2010, it was reported that Arsenal had made a last ditch bid to bring Schwarzer to the Emirates Stadium
before the transfer window closed, however Fulham Manager Mark Hughes denied that any approach was made.
in Edmonton
in a 1994 World Cup
qualifier. He came on as a substitute for Milan Blagojevic
after first-choice Robert Zabica
was sent off 17 minutes into the match. In the return leg in Sydney, he covered himself in glory when he saved two penalties to send Australia to the final phase of qualifying against Argentina
. Schwarzer did not play in these matches, and Australia were defeated 2–1 on aggregate.
He was instrumental in Australia's qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, in the play-off against Uruguay
. After Uruguay
won the first leg 1–0 in Montevideo
, Australia won 1–0 in Sydney. In the penalty shootout, Schwarzer saved two penalties to see Australia victorious 4–2.
At the World Cup Finals, he played the first two games in Australia's group matches, conceding a controversial goal against Japan
and two goals against Brazil
. In the third match, he was replaced by Željko Kalac
, but after Kalac's disappointing performance, he was reinstated for the Round of 16 match against Italy
.
Even though he predicted the direction of the penalty kick, he was unable to save the penalty in the second round of the World Cup
against Italy, which was scored by Francesco Totti
in injury time and sent Australia out of the World Cup.
After the World Cup in 2006, he vowed to return for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
in South Africa
. He played in all of Australia's matches in the 2007 Asian Cup. Although he performed admirably against Oman
in the 1–1 draw, he made an error which led to a goal in the 3–1 loss to Iraq
and could not match Japanese goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
during the penalty shootout, which saw the Socceroos crash out of the competition in their debut at the tournament. Schwarzer said that the penalty shootout in the Asian Cup quarter-finals was the first penalty shootout in his career that he had ever lost.
Schwarzer saved an 89th minute Shao Jiayi
penalty against China
in Australia's 0–0 draw in the 2010 World Cup qualifier
in March 2008, continuing his record of stopping penalty kicks.
He received his second yellow card of the tournament against Qatar
in Doha
, in which Australia were 3–1 winners. He also missed Australia's second leg game against the Chinese in Sydney. He played every minute for the Socceroos in round two of qualification, conceding only one goal, which was in the final game against Japan.
Schwarzer made several vital saves to secure Australia's Asian Cup Qualifier
2–1 comeback win over Oman in Muscat
after conceding from his penalty save rebound.
He was the country's first-choice keeper for all three matches of the Group Stage in the 2010 World Cup in a group composed of Australia, Germany
, Ghana
, and Serbia
. In the first match, Australia were crushed 4–0 by the Germans, but they recovered with a 1–1 draw against Ghana in the next game. In the final match, Australia beat Serbia 2–1, thus finishing third in the group with four points, just missing qualification to the Round of 16 on goal difference with Ghana.
After the tournament, Schwarzer declared his interest in performing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup
, at which time he would be 41 years old.
|1990–91||rowspan="4"|Marconi Fairfield||rowspan="4"|National Soccer League
||1||0||||0||||0||||0||||0
|-
|1991–92||9||0||||0||||0||||0||||0
|-
|1992–93||23||0||||0||||0||||0||||0
|-
|1993–94||25||0||||0||||0||||0||58||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Marconi Fairfield Total
!58!!0!!!!0!!!!0!!!!0!!58!!0
|-
|1994–95||Dynamo Dresden
||Bundesliga
||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||2||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Dynamo Dresden Total
!2!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!2!!0
|-
|1995–96||rowspan="2"|Kaiserslautern
||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga
||4||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||4||0
|-
|1996–97||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Kaiserslautern Total
!4!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!4!!0
|-
|1996–97||Bradford City
||Division 1
||13||0||3||0||0||0||0||0||16||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Bradford City Total
!13!!0!!3!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!16!!0
|-
|1996–97
||rowspan="12"|Middlesbrough
||Premier League||7||0||0||0||3||0||0||0||10||0
|-
|1997–98||Division 1
||34||0||3||0||7||0||0||0||44||0
|-
|1998–99
||rowspan="10"|Premier League||34||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||35||0
|-
|1999–00||37||0||1||0||5||0||0||0||43||0
|-
|2000–01
||31||0||3||0||0||0||0||0||34||0
|-
|2001–02
||21||0||3||0||1||0||0||0||25||0
|-
|2002–03
||38||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||39||0
|-
|2003–04
||36||0||1||0||7||0||0||0||44||0
|-
|2004–05
||31||0||2||0||0||0||10||0||43||0
|-
|2005–06
||27||0||6||0||3||0||11||0||47||0
|-
|2006–07
||36||0||6||0||0||0||0||0||42||0
|-
|2007–08||34||0||5||0||0||0||0||0||39||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Middlesbrough Total
!367!!0!!32!!0!!26!!0!!21!!0!!445!!0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="4"|Fulham
||rowspan="4"|Premier League|||38||0||5||0||1||0||0||0||44||0
|-
|2009–10||37||0||5||0||0||0||18||0||60||0
|-
|2010–11
||31||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||32||0
|-
|2011–12
||13||0||0||0||1||0||11||0||21||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Fulham Total
!119!!0!!10!!0!!3!!0!!29!!0!!161!!0
|-
58||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||58||0
6||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
499||0||45||0||29||0||50||0||623||0
563||0||45||0||29||0||50||0||687||0
|1993||2||0
|-
|1994||2||0
|-
|1995||0||0
|-
|1996||1||0
|-
|1997||0||0
|-
|1998||0||0
|-
|1999||0||0
|-
|2000||4||0
|-
|2001||10||0
|-
|2002||0||0
|-
|2003||3||0
|-
|2004||6||0
|-
|2005||8||0
|-
|2006||7||0
|-
|2007||8||0
|-
|2008||11||0
|-
|2009||10||0
|-
|2010||8||0
|-
|2011||9||0
|-
!Total||89||0
|}
Fulham
in 1968. He speaks English
, Spanish
, and German
. Schwarzer and his wife Paloma have two children; a son, Julian, and a daughter, Amaya. In 2009, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
. He is also the co-author of the kid's soccer books series, Megs Morrison and had his 2006 World Cup Diary Published under the title "Mark Schwarzer's World Cup Destiny: From Sydney to Stuttgart".
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 6 October 1972) is an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n association football (soccer) player who plays as a goalkeeper. He currently plays for Premier League club Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
. He rose to prominence during his time at North-East England football club Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
. He represents Australia at international level, and was selected for both the 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
and 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
.
He is currently 10th in the all-time Premier League appearances table and is currently Australia's most capped player at international level, surpassing Alex Tobin
Alex Tobin
Alexander Hugh Tobin is a former Australian football player. Tobin is the second most capped player for the Australia national football team with 87 'A' appearances, including many as captain...
's appearance record in January 2011.
Early career
Schwarzer's first club was Colo Cougars in Richmond, New South WalesRichmond, New South Wales
Richmond is a town in New South Wales, north-west of Sydney, in the Local Government Area of the City of Hawkesbury. It is located at a latitude of 33° 35' 54" South and a longitude of 150°45' 04" east, 19 metres above sea level on the alluvial Hawkesbury River flats, at the foot of the Blue...
. Schwarzer has worn the same pair of shin pads since he started his professional career at the age of 19 with Marconi Stallions
Marconi Stallions
The Marconi Stallions Football Club is an Australian football club located in Sydney, Australia. The club won the National Soccer League title a record four times, along with South Melbourne FC and Sydney City SC...
, in the National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
. He left the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
-based club to play in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden
SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles...
and FC Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
. He then traveled to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to play for Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
, where he eventually joined Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
in February 1997.
Middlesbrough
Schwarzer made his debut for Middlesbrough against Stockport CountyStockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
in the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
semi-finals. He played in the final against Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, 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
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
to win the 2004 League Cup Final
2004 Football League Cup Final
The 2004 Football League Cup Final was played between Bolton Wanderers and Middlesbrough at the Millennium Stadium on 29 February 2004. Middlesbrough won the game 2-1 to clinch their first major trophy...
, 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
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
, saving a Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....
penalty in stoppage time to preserve a 1–1 draw. The draw was sufficient to put Middlesbrough in seventh in the final league table and ensure qualification for the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
. Had Fowler converted the penalty, Man City would have qualified for the UEFA Cup at Middlesbrough's expense.
Schwarzer was granted a transfer request by Middlesbrough late in 2005 and sought to join a new club, but he withdrew his request on 20 January 2006, and rejoined the team. A fractured cheekbone sustained against West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, however, looked like it had ruled Schwarzer out for the rest of the season, but he returned for the UEFA Cup final against Sevilla
Sevilla FC
Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club based in Seville, Spain that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship.They are one of the most successful clubs in Spanish football having won a 1 La Liga title, 5 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 2 UEFA...
, albeit playing with a protective mask. When he played in Middlesbrough's 1–0 victory over Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
on 29 December 2007, he became the Premier League's longest-serving foreigner at one club beating Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Bergkamp
Dennis Nicolaas Bergkamp , is a former Dutch professional footballer who is currently the assistant manager to Frank de Boer at Ajax. At club level he played for Ajax, Internazionale, and Arsenal, and also represented the Netherlands at international level...
's record of 315 games.
Fulham
Schwarzer's contract with Middlesbrough expired in June 2008, and although he was offered a new contract, manager Gareth SouthgateGareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate in Crawley, West Sussex is a retired English footballer and ex-manager. He is known as the "Penalty Misser of '96." He served as manager of Middlesbrough from June 2006, until he was dismissed in October 2009...
had to plan a future with a new goalkeeper, as on 21 May 2008, Schwarzer signed a two-year deal at Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
, ending an 11-year association with the Teesside club. Schwarzer revealed in an interview with The World Game
The World Game
The World Game is a Monday night television show on SBS in Australia dedicated to association football. It is currently hosted by David Basheer, former Socceroo Craig Foster, and Les Murray, the show analytically reviews and previews soccer and soccer issues from around the globe, albeit with an...
that he had received offers from Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
and Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
but declined their offers because they could not guarantee him the position as the number-one keeper.
Schwarzer made his Fulham debut in a 2–1 defeat to newly-promoted Premier League side Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, but he followed up by keeping a clean sheet in his next match in a 1–0 win at home to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and played every minute of the 2008–09 season. He kept ten clean sheets during the 2008–09 season in all competitions.
Schwarzer's contribution was phenomenal as his performances lead Fulham to a high seventh place finish and a place in Europe the next season, a massive improvement on Fulham's 17th place finish just a season before. Notable scalps included wins over Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and a draw with Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
largely due to many spectacular saves from Schwarzer. He received the Fulham Player of the Year 2008–09 in his first year at the club. He was also named Barclays Premier League's Player of the Month for February 2010, in which he only conceded one goal in his team's two wins and two draws that month, making him the first Australian to do so.
He played an important role in Fulham reaching the Europa League Final in 2010, but Schwarzer lost his second European final with a narrow defeat to Atlético Madrid of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
After impressive displays in 2009–2010 season Schwarzer caught the eye of Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
manager Arsène Wenger who stated that Arsenal are in the market for a new keeper after seeing the form of Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia
Manuel Almunia Rivero is a professional footballer. He plays as a goalkeeper for Arsenal.-Early career:Born in Pamplona, Navarre, Almunia started his senior career with Osasuna's reserve team in 1997, playing two seasons with the team in Segunda División B...
and Łukasz Fabiański come into questioning. It had been reported that a bid of around £2m in May 2010 had been made for Schwarzer and second bid of around the same value had been made in August 2010, however both were rejected by Fulham.
It was reported on 11 August 2010 that Schwarzer had handed in a transfer request, paving a way for his move to Arsenal to be complete, which was later confirmed by Fulham Manager Mark Hughes
Mark Hughes
Leslie Mark Hughes, OBE , is a former Welsh international footballer. As an international footballer, he made 72 appearances and scored 16 goals....
who also rejected his request. On 31 August 2010, it was reported that Arsenal had made a last ditch bid to bring Schwarzer to the Emirates Stadium
Emirates Stadium
Ashburton Grove, currently known as the Emirates Stadium, is a UEFA elite football stadium which is home to Arsenal FC, where they moved from Highbury in 2006. It has an current capacity of 60,361, and there have been rumours of an expansion...
before the transfer window closed, however Fulham Manager Mark Hughes denied that any approach was made.
International career
Schwarzer made his international debut for Australia against CanadaCanada men's national soccer team
The Canada men's national soccer team represents Canada in international soccer competitions at the senior men's level. They are overseen by the Canadian Soccer Association and compete in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football .Their most significant...
in Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
in a 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
qualifier. He came on as a substitute for Milan Blagojevic
Milan Blagojevic
Milan Blagojevic is a retired Australian soccer player.-Playing career:During a long and distinguished professional career, Blagojevic made 31 appearances for the Socceroos, 255 National Soccer League appearances as well as playing overseas for Germinal Ekeren , SC Heerenveen , Johor...
after first-choice Robert Zabica
Robert Zabica
Robert Zabica is an Australian former football player of Croatian descent. Zabica played as a goalkeeper...
was sent off 17 minutes into the match. In the return leg in Sydney, he covered himself in glory when he saved two penalties to send Australia to the final phase of qualifying against Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
. Schwarzer did not play in these matches, and Australia were defeated 2–1 on aggregate.
He was instrumental in Australia's qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, in the play-off against Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
. After Uruguay
Uruguay national football team
The Uruguayan national football team represents Uruguay in international association football and is controlled by the Uruguayan Football Association, the governing body for football in Uruguay. The current head coach is Óscar Tabárez...
won the first leg 1–0 in Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
, Australia won 1–0 in Sydney. In the penalty shootout, Schwarzer saved two penalties to see Australia victorious 4–2.
At the World Cup Finals, he played the first two games in Australia's group matches, conceding a controversial goal against Japan
Japan national football team
The Japan national football team represents Japan in association football and is operated by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan...
and two goals against Brazil
Brazil national football team
The Brazil national football team represents Brazil in international men's football and is controlled by the Brazilian Football Confederation , the governing body for football in Brazil. They are a member of the International Federation of Association Football since 1923 and also a member of the...
. In the third match, he was replaced by Željko Kalac
Željko Kalac
Željko Kalac is a retired Australian football goalkeeper. Standing at 2.02m, Kalac is one of the world's tallest professional goalkeepers....
, but after Kalac's disappointing performance, he was reinstated for the Round of 16 match against Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
.
Even though he predicted the direction of the penalty kick, he was unable to save the penalty in the second round of the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
against Italy, which was scored by Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti
Francesco Totti, Ufficiale OMRI, is an Italian footballer who is the captain of Serie A club Roma. His primary position is that of a trequartista, though he has also been successfully utilized as a lone striker. Totti has spent his entire career at Roma, is the number-one goalscorer and the most...
in injury time and sent Australia out of the World Cup.
After the World Cup in 2006, he vowed to return for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. He played in all of Australia's matches in the 2007 Asian Cup. Although he performed admirably against Oman
Oman national football team
The Oman national football team is the national team of Oman. Although the team was officially founded in 1978, the squad was formed long before, and has established a proper football association in only December, 2005...
in the 1–1 draw, he made an error which led to a goal in the 3–1 loss to Iraq
Iraq national football team
The Iraqi national football team represents Iraq in international football and is controlled by the Iraq Football Association. They won the 2007 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup tournament.-The Golden Generation:...
and could not match Japanese goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi
, sometimes referred to as Yoshi Kawaguchi, is a Japanese footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He is a former captain of the Japan national team.-Biography:...
during the penalty shootout, which saw the Socceroos crash out of the competition in their debut at the tournament. Schwarzer said that the penalty shootout in the Asian Cup quarter-finals was the first penalty shootout in his career that he had ever lost.
Schwarzer saved an 89th minute Shao Jiayi
Shao Jiayi
Shao Jiayi is a Chinese footballer currently playing for MSV Duisburg in the 2. Bundesliga. Previously, Shao played for Energie Cottbus and 1860 Munich, as well as starting his career with Beijing Guoan in the Chinese Super League...
penalty against China
China national football team
The China PR national football team is the national association football team of the People's Republic of China and is governed by the Chinese Football Association...
in Australia's 0–0 draw in the 2010 World Cup qualifier
2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC)
The Asian Football Confederation was allocated four assured qualifying berths for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and one place in a play-off. 43 teams were in the running for these spots; Laos, Brunei and the Philippines did not attempt to qualify...
in March 2008, continuing his record of stopping penalty kicks.
He received his second yellow card of the tournament against Qatar
Qatar national football team
The Qatar national football team is the national team of Qatar and is controlled by the Qatar Football Association. They have never qualified for a FIFA World Cup but are hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The team has also appeared in seven AFC Asian Cup tournaments and hosted the 2011 AFC Asian...
in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
, in which Australia were 3–1 winners. He also missed Australia's second leg game against the Chinese in Sydney. He played every minute for the Socceroos in round two of qualification, conceding only one goal, which was in the final game against Japan.
Schwarzer made several vital saves to secure Australia's Asian Cup Qualifier
AFC Asian Cup
The AFC Asian Cup is an international association football tournament run by the Asian Football Confederation . It is the second oldest continental football championship in the world after Copa América. The winning team becomes the champion of Asia and automatically qualifies for the FIFA...
2–1 comeback win over Oman in Muscat
Muscat, Oman
Muscat is the capital of Oman. It is also the seat of government and largest city in the Governorate of Muscat. As of 2008, the population of the Muscat metropolitan area was 1,090,797. The metropolitan area spans approximately and includes six provinces called wilayats...
after conceding from his penalty save rebound.
He was the country's first-choice keeper for all three matches of the Group Stage in the 2010 World Cup in a group composed of Australia, Germany
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
, Ghana
Ghana national football team
The Ghana national football team, popularly known as the Black Stars, is the national association football team of Ghana and is controlled by the Ghana Football Association...
, and Serbia
Serbia national football team
The Serbia national football team represents Serbia in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Serbia, the governing body for football in Serbia. Serbia's home ground is Stadion Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade and their last head coach was Vladimir Petrović...
. In the first match, Australia were crushed 4–0 by the Germans, but they recovered with a 1–1 draw against Ghana in the next game. In the final match, Australia beat Serbia 2–1, thus finishing third in the group with four points, just missing qualification to the Round of 16 on goal difference with Ghana.
After the tournament, Schwarzer declared his interest in performing at the 2014 FIFA World Cup
2014 FIFA World Cup
The 2014 FIFA World Cup will be the 20th FIFA World Cup, an international association football tournament that will take place in Brazil from 12 June to 13 July 2014....
, at which time he would be 41 years old.
Club
|-|1990–91||rowspan="4"|Marconi Fairfield||rowspan="4"|National Soccer League
National Soccer League
The National Soccer League is the former national association football competition in Australasia, overseen by Soccer Australia and later the Australian Soccer Association. The NSL spanned 28 seasons from its inception in 1977, until its demise in 2004...
||1||0||||0||||0||||0||||0
|-
|1991–92||9||0||||0||||0||||0||||0
|-
|1992–93||23||0||||0||||0||||0||||0
|-
|1993–94||25||0||||0||||0||||0||58||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Marconi Fairfield Total
!58!!0!!!!0!!!!0!!!!0!!58!!0
|-
|1994–95||Dynamo Dresden
Dynamo Dresden
SG Dynamo Dresden are a German association football club, based in Dresden, Saxony. They were founded in 1950, as a club affiliated with the East German police, and became one of the most popular and successful clubs in East German football, winning eight league titles...
||Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||2||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Dynamo Dresden Total
!2!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!2!!0
|-
|1995–96||rowspan="2"|Kaiserslautern
1. FC Kaiserslautern
1. Fußball-Club Kaiserslautern, also known as 1. FCK, FCK or simply Kaiserslautern, is a German association football club based in Kaiserslautern, Rhineland-Palatinate. On 2 June 1900, Germania 1896 and FG Kaiserslautern merged to create FC 1900...
||rowspan="2"|Bundesliga
Fußball-Bundesliga
The Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
||4||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||4||0
|-
|1996–97||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Kaiserslautern Total
!4!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!4!!0
|-
|1996–97||Bradford City
Bradford City A.F.C.
Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
||Division 1
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||13||0||3||0||0||0||0||0||16||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Bradford City Total
!13!!0!!3!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!16!!0
|-
|1996–97
FA Premier League 1996-97
The 1996–97 FA Premier League season was the fifth season of the competition, since its formation in 1992. The majority of the season was contested by the reigning champions, Manchester United, along with Newcastle United, Arsenal and Liverpool...
||rowspan="12"|Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
||Premier League||7||0||0||0||3||0||0||0||10||0
|-
|1997–98||Division 1
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
||34||0||3||0||7||0||0||0||44||0
|-
|1998–99
FA Premier League 1998-99
The 1998–99 FA Premier League season was the seventh season of the Premier League, the top division of English football, since its establishment in 1992. The season will always be remembered as the one in which Manchester United won a unique treble of the league title, the FA Cup and the European Cup...
||rowspan="10"|Premier League||34||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||35||0
|-
|1999–00||37||0||1||0||5||0||0||0||43||0
|-
|2000–01
FA Premier League 2000-01
The FA Premier League 2000-01 season was the third season running which ended with Manchester United as champions and Arsenal as runners-up. Sir Alex Ferguson became the first manager to win three successive English league titles, although three teams had achieved that feat in the past - but with...
||31||0||3||0||0||0||0||0||34||0
|-
|2001–02
FA Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...
||21||0||3||0||1||0||0||0||25||0
|-
|2002–03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...
||38||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||39||0
|-
|2003–04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...
||36||0||1||0||7||0||0||0||44||0
|-
|2004–05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
||31||0||2||0||0||0||10||0||43||0
|-
|2005–06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
||27||0||6||0||3||0||11||0||47||0
|-
|2006–07
FA Premier League 2006-07
The 2006–07 FA Premier League was the fifteenth season of the FA Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 19 August 2006 and concluded on 13 May 2007....
||36||0||6||0||0||0||0||0||42||0
|-
|2007–08||34||0||5||0||0||0||0||0||39||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Middlesbrough Total
!367!!0!!32!!0!!26!!0!!21!!0!!445!!0
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="4"|Fulham
Fulham F.C.
Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
||rowspan="4"|Premier League|||38||0||5||0||1||0||0||0||44||0
|-
|2009–10||37||0||5||0||0||0||18||0||60||0
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Premier League
The 2010–11 Premier League was the 19th season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2010–11 fixtures were released on 17 June 2010 at 09:00 BST. The season began on 14 August 2010, and ended on 22 May 2011...
||31||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||32||0
|-
|2011–12
2011–12 Premier League
The 2011–12 Premier League is the twentieth season of the Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The 2011–12 fixtures were announced on 17 June 2011 at 9:00 BST. The season began on 13 August 2011 and is due to end on 13 May 2012...
||13||0||0||0||1||0||11||0||21||0
|-
!colspan="3"|Fulham Total
!119!!0!!10!!0!!3!!0!!29!!0!!161!!0
|-
58||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||58||0
6||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||6||0
499||0||45||0||29||0||50||0||623||0
563||0||45||0||29||0||50||0||687||0
National team statistics
|-|1993||2||0
|-
|1994||2||0
|-
|1995||0||0
|-
|1996||1||0
|-
|1997||0||0
|-
|1998||0||0
|-
|1999||0||0
|-
|2000||4||0
|-
|2001||10||0
|-
|2002||0||0
|-
|2003||3||0
|-
|2004||6||0
|-
|2005||8||0
|-
|2006||7||0
|-
|2007||8||0
|-
|2008||11||0
|-
|2009||10||0
|-
|2010||8||0
|-
|2011||9||0
|-
!Total||89||0
|}
Club
Middlesbrough- Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
(1): 2003–042004 Football League Cup FinalThe 2004 Football League Cup Final was played between Bolton Wanderers and Middlesbrough at the Millennium Stadium on 29 February 2004. Middlesbrough won the game 2-1 to clinch their first major trophy... - UEFA Cup Runner-up: 2005–062006 UEFA Cup FinalThe 2006 UEFA Cup Final was a football match that took place at Philips Stadion, Eindhoven, on 10 May 2006. The match was contested by Middlesbrough of England and Sevilla of Spain. Sevilla won the UEFA Cup with a 4–0 win.-Match details:...
- Football League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
Runner-up: 1996–971997 Football League Cup FinalThe 1997 Coca-Cola Cup Final was played between Middlesbrough and Leicester City. The first game at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, 6 April 1997 ended in a 1–1 draw after extra time. Fabrizio Ravanelli opened the scoring only for Leicester's Emile Heskey to equalise in the last minute of extra time...
, 1997–981998 Football League Cup FinalThe 1998 Coca-Cola Cup Final was a football match played between Chelsea and Middlesbrough on 29 March 1998 at Wembley Stadium. Chelsea, under new manager Gianluca Vialli, won with two extra time goals and would go on to win the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup later that season...
Fulham
- UEFA Europa League Runner-up: 2009–10
International
Australia- OFC Nations CupOFC Nations CupThe OFC Nations Cup is an international association football tournament held among the Oceania Football Confederation member nations. It was held every two years from 1996 to 2004; before 1996 there were two other tournaments held at irregular intervals, under the name Oceania Nations Cup...
(1): 20042004 OFC Nations CupThe 2004 OFC Nations Cup doubled as the qualification tournament to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, except the two-legged final .... - 2011 Asian Cup - Runner Up
Individual
- Fulham F.C.Fulham F.C.Fulham Football Club is a professional English Premier League club based in southwest London Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they play in the Premier League, their 11th current season...
Player of The Year (1): 2008–09 - FFAFootball Federation AustraliaFootball Federation Australia is the governing body for the sport of football in Australia. Before 1 January 2005, it was known as the Australian Soccer Association , which succeeded Soccer Australia in this role in 2003...
Australian Football Awards: Footballer of the Year (2): 2009, 2010 - Football Media Association Australia International Player of the Year (1): 2009
- Order of Australia Medal 2009
- Australian Professional Football Association Player of the Year (1): 2010
- Premier League Player of the MonthPremier League Player of the MonthThe Player of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best Premier League player each month of the season. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor, and announced alongside the Manager of the Month on the first or second Friday of the following month...
(1): February 2010
Personal life
Schwarzer was born in North Richmond, a semi-rural suburb in North-Western Sydney, and attended Richmond North Public School and Colo High School. He played for the local soccer (football) club the Colo Cougars. His parents Hans-Joachim and Doris emigrated to Australia from GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1968. He speaks English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. Schwarzer and his wife Paloma have two children; a son, Julian, and a daughter, Amaya. In 2009, he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
. He is also the co-author of the kid's soccer books series, Megs Morrison and had his 2006 World Cup Diary Published under the title "Mark Schwarzer's World Cup Destiny: From Sydney to Stuttgart".