Australia
Get all the data from the most played outdoor club sport in Australia, soccer, with Sportmonks’ Football API.
Get all the data from the most played outdoor club sport in Australia, soccer, with Sportmonks’ Football API.
The Australia men’s national soccer team represents Australia in international men’s soccer. Officially nicknamed the Socceroo’s. The name itself is like most other Australian national representative sporting team nicknames. Used informally when referring to the team, in the media or conversation. Similarly, the name is derived from a well-known symbol of Australia, in this case, the kangaroo. The words soccer and kangaroo are combined into the word Socceroo’s. The team is affiliated with the Asian Football Confederation and the regional ASEAN Football Federation. Australia is the only national team to have been a champion of two confederations, having won the OFC Nations Cup four times between 1980 and 2004, as well as the AFC Asian Cup at the 2015 event on home soil. The team has represented Australia at the FIFA World Cup tournament on five occasions, in 1974 and from 2006 to 2018. The team has also represented Australia at the FIFA Confederations Cup four times.
Johnny Warren also referred to as Mr Australia was the heart and soul of football until his passing in 2004. “Captain Socceroo” was part of the national side that qualified for the World Cup in 1974 and wept mournfully when the team failed to make the 2002 tournament. Warren can take credit for the recent successes of the national side as few Australians have done more for the nation’s sport than he. He earned 62 caps for the Socceroos and was inducted into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
Tim Cahill was admired in England for his diehard performances for Millwall and Everton, Cahill is revered in Australia as one of the finest competitors the nation has ever produced. The tenacious midfielder earned his place in the hearts of fans both for his attitude and for his handy knack for scoring crucial goals at crucial moments. On numerous occasions, he was the Toffees’ saviour, while his goals against Japan in the 2006 World Cup kick-started a famous campaign for Australia.
Brett Emerton played for Sydney Olympic, Sydney FC, Feyenoord Rotterdam, Blackburn Rovers and the Australia national team. Able to play as a wide midfielder or defender, Emerton was known for his “speed, ball control and creativity. He was named the 2002 Oceania Footballer of the Year.
Craig Johnston, born in South Africa and an England youth international, Johnston may seem like a strange choice for this list. However, the neglected former Liverpool man was born to Australian parents and lived on the island for most of his youth. It was at Anfield that he made his name and was a maelstrom of an enigma from 1981 to 1988, some of the club’s most glorious years. Despite never being guaranteed a spot in the first XI, the midfielder won nine major honours in seven years
Mark Bosnich is an Australian former goalkeeper and one of the best Australian soccer players of all time. He played in England for Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea. He also played in Australia for Sydney United, Central Coast Mariners and Sydney Olympic, as well as featuring Australia 17 times throughout his career, scoring 1 goal for his country.
Mark Viduka was the captain of the 2006 World Cup team. The temperamental Viduka made his name as a goal-scorer, offering clinical finishing and devastating forward play for several sides in four different countries. After tearing apart the Australian and Croatian leagues he excelled in Glasgow, with Celtic, before heading south of the border and testing his mettle in the English Premier League.