Mark Schwarzer
Mark Schwarzer OAM (/ˈʃwɔːrtsər/; 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.
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Schwarzer in 2008 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Mark Schwarzer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 6 October 1972 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | North Richmond, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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. 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.