Mark Bosnich is going to turn out in goal for the Mariners on Sunday afternoon against Sydney FC. This will be his first professional football game since his dramatic fall from grace because of drugs and other poor life choices he’s made in the past.
The pre-season A-League match will probably not make front page headlines around the world, but the return of the native is a remarkable and inspirational story, not just for football lovers but also for all of us who have fathered a son and dreamed that one day he would become a famous sportsman.
Born in Fairfield, in Sydney’s West in 1972, Bosnich made his trial debut for Manchester United on free transfer from Sydney Croatia, but he wasn’t signed by United and moved to Aston Villa in 1992.
Bosnich won two Coca-Cola Cups with Villa, but found himself in trouble with the football authorities and became famous for making a Hitler salute during a game at Tottenham’s White Hart Lane.
However, the keeper’s form in goal was so good that he attracted the attention of Old Trafford boss Alex Ferguson. A dream return to United and a very lucrative professional contract followed.
Within weeks of moving back to Manchester, Bosnich was arrested after an incident at a lap-dancing club.
Then an unfortunate injury robbed him of his starting place and he lost the prized United keeper’s shirt to France custodian Fabien Barthez.
Bosnich fell out with Ferguson and he went to Chelsea in search of first-team football.
He started as first choice keeper at Stamford Bridge, but again after another injury setback, lost out to Carlo Cudicini.
Mark Bosnich then started to make headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Following a scathing attack on former boss Ferguson, Bosnich was admitted to medical care diagnosed as “suffering from severe clinical depression.”
In December 2002, came the bombshell that destroyed his Premiership career. A failed cocaine test ended his days at Chelsea. He was banned for nine months and at that point he made no attempt to reform or to try and resurrect his professional football career.
He admitted to the cocaine addiction, which had spiralled into shameful drug abuse, depression and tawdry tabloid tales of video sex romps, along with a destructive relationship with English supermodel Sophie Anderton, after walking out on his then pregnant wife.
Also revealed a few years later was the attempted murder of his father, who he had held in a headlock and pointed a pistol at his forehead. Bosnich claimed he thought his father was a burgular, but his father said that he knew he was there.
Bosnich was high on cocaine.
That was the turning point.
As Bosnich had grown into a man, his father had been very proud of how he had realised his dream of helping his much-loved son leave the suburbs of western Sydney to become the world’s best young goalkeeper, with unlimited potential and the chance of millions in earnings.
The same son who almost shot and killed him.
The turnaround was so complete that now the father’s challenge was to still love the son, and the son’s challenge was to change his life and to receive that love.
Bosnich’s dad didn’t abandon him; he worked very hard to help him get his life back together. He worked very hard to get the family back together. It’s been a long hard road for all concerned and it wasn’t going to be easy.
Six years after Mark’s last professional football game in the English Premier League, his father’s beloved son will run out on Bluetongue stadium to play professional football once again.
After all they’ve been through together, the father will undoubtedly look on at his prodigal son with even greater pride than ever before.
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