Mark Schwarzer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mark Schwarzer
OAM

Schwarzer in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Mark Schwarzer
Date of birth	(1972-10-06) 6 October 1972 (age 52)
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 Representing  Australia Men's association football FIFA Confederations Cup Third 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 is an Australian former professional goalkeeper who played football. He was born on October 6, 1972. He played for the Australian national team from 1993 to 2013. He was chosen to play in both the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup tournaments.

Mark Schwarzer started playing football in youth teams like Colo Cougars and Marconi Stallions. He became a professional player for Marconi Stallions in 1990. After playing 58 games there, he moved to Germany in 1994 to play for Dynamo Dresden and then 1. FC Kaiserslautern. In 1996, he joined Bradford City in England.

In February 1997, he moved to Premier League club Middlesbrough. He played 445 games for Middlesbrough before leaving in May 2008. He then joined Fulham and played 218 games. In 2013, he moved to Chelsea. Mark Schwarzer was the first player from outside Britain to play more than 500 Premier League games. He also became the oldest player to play in the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League. He joined Leicester City in January 2015 and left after they won the Premier League in the 2015–16 season.

Mark Schwarzer played for Australia's under-17 and under-20 teams. He made his first game for the senior national team in 1993. He played a total of 109 games for Australia. In January 2011, he became Australia's most-capped male player, meaning he had played the most games for his country.

About Mark Schwarzer's Life

Mark Schwarzer was born in North Richmond, New South Wales, a suburb near Sydney. He went to Richmond North Public School and Colo High School. He played for a local football club called the Colo Cougars. His parents, Hans-Joachim and Doris, moved to Australia from Germany in 1968. Mark can speak German very well.

In 2009, Mark Schwarzer received the Medal of the Order of Australia. This is a special award given to people who have done great things for Australia.

In 2007, Mark Schwarzer wrote a children's book called "Megs and the Vootball Kids" with Neil Montagnana-Wallace. The book is about a boy named Megs who moves from England to Australia. He makes friends with a cleaner at his new school. The book was popular, and Mark wrote four more books in the series.

After turning down offers from Australian clubs, Mark Schwarzer retired from playing football in 2016 when he was 43 years old. He then started working as a football expert for Optus Sport, a sports TV channel. He often appears on their shows and podcasts to talk about football. His son, Julian Schwarzer, is also a goalkeeper and plays for a club in Wales. Julian can play for the Philippines national football team because his mother (Mark's wife) is from the Philippines.

Mark Schwarzer's Club Career

Starting His Football Journey

Schwarzer playing against Damian Mori in an NSL game.

Mark Schwarzer's first football club was Colo Cougars in Richmond, New South Wales. He started his professional career at 19 with Marconi Stallions in Australia's National Soccer League. In 1994, he left Australia to play in Germany for Dynamo Dresden and 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Then, in 1996, he moved to England to play for Bradford City. In February 1997, he joined Middlesbrough.

Playing for Middlesbrough

Schwarzer playing for Middlesbrough in 2006.

Mark Schwarzer played his first game for Middlesbrough in February 1997. He played in the League Cup final that year, which ended in a 1–1 draw. He was injured for the replay game. He also played in the 1998 League Cup final but Middlesbrough lost. Six years later, in 2004, he helped Middlesbrough win the League Cup final by beating Bolton Wanderers 2–1. This was a big win for the club.

In the last game of the 2004–05 season, Mark saved a Robbie Fowler penalty in the final moments. This save helped Middlesbrough draw 1–1 with Manchester City. This draw meant Middlesbrough finished seventh in the league and qualified for the UEFA Cup. If the penalty had gone in, Manchester City would have qualified instead.

Mark Schwarzer asked to leave Middlesbrough in January 2006 but changed his mind later that month. He broke his cheekbone in a game but came back to play in the UEFA Cup final wearing a protective mask. Middlesbrough lost that final to Sevilla. In December 2007, he became the longest-serving foreign player at one club in the Premier League. He played 446 games for Middlesbrough in total. His last game for them was a big 8–1 win against Manchester City in May 2008.

Time at Fulham

Schwarzer warming up for Fulham.

Mark Schwarzer's contract with Middlesbrough ended in June 2008. He signed a two-year contract with Fulham on May 21, 2008. He said he turned down offers from big clubs like Bayern Munich and Juventus because they couldn't promise him the main goalkeeper spot.

He played his first game for Fulham in a 2–1 loss to Hull City. But in his next game, he kept a "clean sheet" (meaning the other team didn't score) in a 1–0 win against Arsenal. He played every minute of the 2008–09 season. He kept ten clean sheets that season.

Schwarzer playing for Fulham in 2009.

Mark's great performances helped Fulham finish seventh in the league. This meant they qualified for a European competition the next season. He was named Fulham's Player of the Year for the 2008–09 season. In February 2010, he was named the Premier League's Player of the Month. He was the first Australian player to win this award.

He played a very important part in Fulham reaching the Europa League final in 2010. However, Fulham lost the final to Atlético Madrid.

After his great season in 2009–10, Arsenal tried to sign Mark Schwarzer. Fulham rejected their offers. Mark signed a new contract with Fulham in January 2012, keeping him at the club until summer 2013.

In November 2012, he made a fantastic penalty save against Mikel Arteta to help Fulham draw 3–3 with Arsenal. In April 2013, he played his 500th Premier League game, becoming the first player from outside Britain or Ireland to do so. On June 5, 2013, Mark Schwarzer announced he was leaving Fulham.

Joining Chelsea

Schwarzer training for Chelsea in 2014.

On July 9, 2013, Mark Schwarzer signed a one-year contract with Chelsea, a rival club in London. He said it was an "honour" to join one of the biggest clubs in the world. He played his first game for Chelsea in a 2–0 win against Swindon Town in the League Cup. He kept another clean sheet in his second game, helping Chelsea beat Arsenal 2–0.

On December 11, Mark Schwarzer became the oldest player to play in the UEFA Champions League. He was 41 years and 65 days old. He kept a clean sheet in that game, a 1–0 win against Steaua București. This win meant Chelsea moved on to the next round.

He became Chelsea's oldest player in the Premier League on April 19, 2014, when he played against Sunderland. He was 41 years and 195 days old. On April 22, he came on as a substitute in a Champions League semi-final against Atlético Madrid and kept the score at 0–0. On April 27, he started a very important game against Liverpool and kept a clean sheet, helping Chelsea win 2–0. This was his 150th clean sheet in the Premier League.

Mark Schwarzer was released by Chelsea at the end of the season but then signed a new one-year contract. Even though he didn't play any league games in the 2014–15 season before moving to Leicester City, Chelsea's manager said he would still get a winner's medal for his help to the team.

Playing for Leicester City

On January 6, 2015, Mark Schwarzer moved to Leicester City on a free transfer. He joined to help out while their main goalkeeper was injured. He signed an 18-month deal. He played his first game for Leicester on January 24, 2015, in a 2–1 win against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup. He became Leicester's oldest player ever in that game. He played eight games in his first season, helping Leicester avoid being relegated from the Premier League.

Mark Schwarzer did not play any league games in the 2015–16 Premier League season. However, Leicester City won the league that season! Even though he didn't play enough games to get a winner's medal, he was the first player since Eric Cantona to be part of championship-winning teams at different clubs in back-to-back seasons.

Leicester City released Mark Schwarzer at the end of the 2015–16 season when he was 43 years old.

Mark Schwarzer's International Career

Schwarzer playing for Australia in 2010.

Mark Schwarzer played his first international game for Australia in 1993. It was a 1994 World Cup qualifying match against Canada. He came on as a substitute after the main goalkeeper was sent off. In the next game against Canada, he saved two penalties. This helped Australia move closer to qualifying for the World Cup.

He was very important in Australia qualifying for the 2006 World Cup. In a play-off game against Uruguay, Australia won 1–0 after losing the first game 1–0. In the penalty shootout, Mark saved two penalties, and Australia won 4–2.

At the 2006 World Cup, he played in Australia's first two group games. He was replaced by another goalkeeper for the third game but came back for the game against Italy. Italy scored a penalty in the final moments, and Australia lost.

Mark Schwarzer played in all of Australia's games at the 2007 AFC Asian Cup. He made some good saves but also made a mistake that led to a goal against Iraq. In the quarter-final, Australia lost in a penalty shootout to Japan. Mark said it was the first penalty shootout he had ever lost in his career.

In March 2008, Mark saved an 89th-minute penalty against China in a 2010 World Cup qualifier. This game ended in a 0–0 draw. He continued his record of stopping penalty kicks.

He was Australia's main goalkeeper for all three group games in the 2010 World Cup. Australia lost badly to Germany but drew with Ghana and beat Serbia. They finished third in their group and just missed out on moving to the next round.

After the 2010 World Cup, Mark Schwarzer said he wanted to play in the 2014 World Cup, even though he would be 41 years old. However, on November 5, 2013, he announced he was retiring from international football.

Career Statistics

Club Games

International Games

Awards and Achievements

Marconi Stallions

• National Soccer League: 1992–93 (Won the league title)

Middlesbrough

• Football League Cup: 2003–04 (Won the cup); runner-up: 1997–98 (Finished second)

Australia National Team

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 3rd place, 2001
• AFC Asian Cup: runner-up 2011 (Finished second)
• OFC Nations Cup: 2004 (Won the cup)

Individual Awards

• FFA Australian Football Awards: Footballer of the Year: 2009, 2010
• Football Media Association Australia International Player of the Year: 2009
• Australian Professional Football Association Player of the Year: 2010
• Australia's Greatest Ever Team: 2012 (Chosen as part of the best team)
• Premier League Player of the Month: February 2010
• Fulham Player of The Year: 2008–09
• Football Australia Hall of Fame: 2021 (Added to the Hall of Fame)
• Alex Tobin OAM Medal: 2014
• Order of Australia Medal: 2009

Records He Holds

Middlesbrough

• Most international games played while a Middlesbrough player: 53

Chelsea

• Oldest player for Chelsea in all time: 41 years and 218 days

Leicester City

• Oldest player for Leicester City in all time: 43 years and 32 days

Australia

• Most games played for Australia all-time: 109
• Most clean sheets for Australia all-time: 44
• Longest career playing for Australia: 20 years, 38 days
• Oldest player for Australia all-time: 40 years and 336 days

See also

In Spanish: Mark Schwarzer para niños

• List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps