Australia's Greatest Footballers (Soccer Players) of All Time
The 5 Greatest Australian Players in Football (or Soccer) History
Australia is a unique footballing nation, and has had some well-known players don the famous green and gold colours, but who are the best football players to have played for Australia?
Australia as been the champion of two confederations, having won the OFC Nations Cup four times before moving to the Asian Football Confederation and winning the AFC Asian Cup.
Australia have become regular World Cup attendees in the 21st century, and Qatar 2022 was their fifth tournament in a row, which has helped soccer become one of Australia’s most popular sports.
Many Australian football players have been adored by their nation and they’ve also had an impact on World football, competing for huge teams with many personal accolades.
In this article, we will discuss the greatest 5 football players from Australia, considered the best players in their history.
5. Brett Emerton
Caps: 95
Goals: 20
Oceania's football player of the year in 2002 and A-League All-Star of 2013, Brett Emerton is a significant cognit of Australian football history.
Emerton's career lasted from 1996 until 2004, and he played for clubs such as Feyenoord, Blackburn Rovers and, in his homeland, Sydney FC.
During his club career, he made 490 appearances, with a significant number of these coming from European teams. He is one of the only Australians to truly break ground in European Football.
Emerton scored 20 goals for the Socceroos. Emerton generally played as a winger, but his strong build made him a tough man to beat, and he was a huge defensive asset for all of his teams.
Ultimately, his impressive speed on the ball and creative skills were mesmerising to watch.
4. Mark Viduka
Caps: 43
Goals: 11
The peak of Mark Viduka's career took place in the English Premier League.
He played for clubs such as Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Newcastle United- but his time at Elland Road was certainly the highlight of his career.
Viduka managed to find the net 251 times at six different clubs. Viduka's most impressive feat was when he captained the Socceroos at the World Cup in Germany in 2006, in which they reached the knockout stage.
Viduka was a big target man centre forward, and he was a nightmare for defenders to deal with. This meant he provided many goals for others, besides also scoring in abundance.
In the Premier League, Viduka was well known for his time at Leeds United and holds the record for the 6th fastest goal in Premier League History.
3. Mark Schwarzer
Caps: 109
Mark Schwarzer is widely perceived as one of the greatest Australian soccer players of all time, and one of the greatest Premier League goalkeepers of all time.
Schwarzer played for a number of prominent clubs during his career, including Chelsea and Leicester City. He was a member of the Leicester City team that defied the odds to win the Premier League in 2016.
Schwarzer is the most capped Australian player in history, and he also holds the record for the most clean sheets for the national side (44).
2. Tim Cahill
Caps: 108
Goals: 50
Tim Cahill is an absolute icon in Australian history- and he almost made it to the top of this list!
Cahill is the all-time record goalscorer for the Socceroos, with 50 goals under his belt. He also scored Australia's first-ever World Cup goal in the opening game of the 2006 World Cup against Japan, and he added a further goal in the same game.
Cahill was often deployed as a centre forward and he was a prolific goalscorer in England for Millwall and Everton, netting 52 goals for the former and 56 for the latter.
Cahill made an unusual name for himself by scoring diving headers, despite being just 5’10. He is remembered fondly for these headers, mainly by Everton fans and Australians back home.
1. Harry Kewell
Caps; 58
Goals: 17
Harry Kewell is without a doubt the finest player in Australian history! However, he also had a huge impact on the European game.
Kewell spent the peak of his career at Leeds United, and he started there at just 15 years old.
He was a tricky winger, with blistering pace and excellent passing ability. He also spent time at Liverpool and Galatasaray in Turkey, scoring 91 goals across 380 appearances at 6 different clubs during his career.
Most significantly, Kewell earned the award of Australia’s greatest ever footballer in 2012, which shows how highly he is regarded by Australians.
Kewell was a Ballon d’Or nominee in the prime of his career in 2001, which is by far the best achievement any footballer from Australia can boast.
Kewell was also a starter for Liverpool in the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, becoming the only Australian to win the competition, as the Reds miraculously turned over a three-goal lead to be crowned Champions of Europe.
