Similar to the situation in the United States, football (soccer) is not the most popular sport in Australia. However, this country's soccer team recently began to show remarkable performances. They performed brilliantly in a variety of international soccer tournaments, such as the Asian Cup and the World Cup.
Indeed, the fact that Australia national soccer team showed quality football is not a surprising fact because this country possesses a lot of quality footballers. Some of them even play for various clubs in European leagues, even won a lot of prestigious trophies. In this article, I'd like to discuss fifteen greatest soccer players from Australia. Without further ado, here is the list:
15. Mile Jedinak
Mile Jedinak is the player who serves as the current captain of the Australia national team. Playing as a central midfielder, Jedinak possesses complete individual skills. He is good at aerial duel, has a high stamina, and able to act as a leader of his teammates. Jedinak also won numerous achievements in 2013, among others are helping Crystal Palace earn promotion to the Premier League, elected as the club's best player, and awarded the title of Australian Footballer of the Year.
14. Peter Wilson
In the 20th century, Australia only participated in the World Cup tournament once, which is in the 1974 World Cup. Peter Wilson was the Australia's team captain in the tournament. Playing as a libero, Wilson was known by the nickname "Big Willie" because of his large stature and aggressive playing style. During his career, Peter Wilson played in 65 games and scored three goals for his country.
13. Joshua Kennedy
Joshua Kennedy is a striker who spent most of his career playing outside Australia. The striker has a tall stature (196 cm height), making him often scores goals from headers. Kennedy's one of the best achievements in the Europen League is winning the DFB Pokal 2006-07 season with FC Nurnberg. He joined Nagoya Grampus in 2009 and so far has won a J-League title and became the top scorer of the tournament twice.
12. Tony Vidmar
Tony Vidmar is a former defender who played in the period 1989-2008. This player also had a long career in the European League, joined several big clubs such as Glasgow Rangers, NAC Breda, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City. His best career period was when he played for Glasgow Rangers. During that period, Vidmar won two Scottish League titles and three Scottish Cups. In total, Vidmar played in 76 games and scored three goals for the Australia national soccer team.
11. John Aloisi
John Aloisi is the first Australian player ever to score in La Liga, English Premier League, and Serie A. He made the achievements in the 1990s with three different clubs: Cremonese, Coventry City, and Osasuna. While he was still actively playing, Aloisi was known as a poacher who was very good at positioning. His off-the-ball movement was also very good and often provide empty spaces for another striker who played alongside him.
10. Mark Bresciano
Before moving to the United Arab Emirates League, Mark Bresciano underwent a 12-year career in the Italian League. He played for several Serie A clubs such as Lazio, Parma, Palermo and Empoli. Bresciano is known an attacking midfielder with remarkable playmaking ability. Sometimes, he is also positioned as a winger due to his great pace and ability to provide accurate crossing from the side of the pitch.
9. Brett Emerton
Brett Emerton is a retired right midfielder who could also play as a right back. He possessed equally good offensive and defensive capabilities, supported by high stamina and incredible work-rate. During his career as a professional footballer in the period 1996-2014, Emerton played for two European clubs, Feyenoord and Blackburn Rovers. His best achievement was winning the UEFA Cup with Feyenoord in the 2001-02 season.
8. Archie Thompson
Archie Thompson is the record holder of the most goals scored in a single international soccer match. The accomplishment was achieved in 2001, when he scored 13 goals and helped Australia defeat American Samoa national team with a fantastic score, 31-0. Thompson was known as a player who possessed great pace and high techniques. He spent most of his career playing for an Australian League club, Melbourne Victory, and helped the club win the league twice.
7. Craig Moore
Craig Moore is an example of a perfect defender. He was very calm, calculating, and did not hesitate to perform hard tacklings. The best period of his career was passed at Glasgow Rangers in the period 1994-2005, when he won five league titles and three Scottish Cup trophies. This player also played for his country in the 2006 World Cup and scored a goal in the tournament. Moore ended his career as a professional footballer in 2011 at Sydney United FC.
6. Paul Okon
Paul Okon started his debut with the national team in 1991. The retired midfielder had a very high experience as he had played for various European clubs such as Lazio, Club Brugge, Fiorentina, APOEL, and Middlesbrough. The best period of his career occurred in the 1995-96 season, where he helped Club Brugge win the Belgian league and he was also selected as the best player of the competition.
5. Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka is a former target man who became a mainstay of the Australian national team in the 1994-2007 period. He possessed a playing style that resembles Christian Vieri, one of the best Italian strikers, who has a great heading ability, powerful shot, and excels in positioning. Viduka also underwent a career at many different clubs, ranging from Dinamo Zagreb, Glasgow Celtic, Middlesbrough, and Newcastle United. His best achievement occurred in 2000, where he helped Celtic win the Scottish Cup, became the Scottish League top scorer, as well chosen as the best footballer in Oceania.
4. Lucas Neill
Lucas Neill is a defender who holds the record as a player with the most number of matches playing as the captain of Australia national soccer team. Debuting in 1996, Neill frequently represents his country in various international tournaments such as 2006 World Cup and the 2010 World Cup. He has also played for various clubs in different parts of the world, like Everton, West Ham, Galatasaray, Sydney FC, and Al Jazira.
3. Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill is a perfect attacking midfielder. He does not only possess accurate passing, but also often scores important goals and known as a reliable set-piece taker. With a total of 31 goals, Cahill holds the record as all-time top scorer of Australia national soccer team. Not only that, he is also regarded as one of the legendary Everton players due to his outstanding contribution to the club during the period 2004-2012.
2. Mark Schwarzer
With a total of 109 caps, Mark Schwarzer holds the record as a player with the highest number of appearances for Australia national team. He debuted as the number one goalkeeper of Socceroos in 1993 and recently retired from the national team in 2013. Schwarzer's career at club level is quite good, where he played for eleven years at Middlesbrough, five years at Fulham, and currently serves as the second goalkeeper of Chelsea. Schwarzer was also twice elected as the Australian Footballer of the Year and won the League Cup trophy in the 2003-04 season with Middlesbrough.
1. Harry Kewell
In terms of individual skills and the number of trophies won, it seems appropriate to name Harry Kewell as the best Australian soccer player of all time. The former attacking midfielder played in the 1996-2014 period and claimed numerous achievements when he played for Leeds United and Liverpool. At Leeds United, Kewell won the award as Premier League's best young player in the 1999-00 season. His career at Liverpool was better, where Kewell won a Champions League trophy, an FA Cup trophy and a UEFA Super Cup trophy.
