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Opinion
As Graham Arnold’s Socceroos land and assemble in camp for the 2022 World Cup, each and every one of them will be hopeful of etching their name in Australian football history.
Many have done so before them, and despite the Socceroos only once having advanced beyond the group stage, a number of superb footballers have done the nation proud while up against the sternest of opposition across a total of five previous campaigns.
So with the Socceroos history books awaiting and hoping for a modern hero to emerge from the Qatar World Cup, it seems apt to reflect on the men who have done so in the past and represented Australia in the most brave and patriotic manner.
Here are my top ten Socceroos based on performances at the World Cup.
10. Brett Holman
Still just 38 years of age, Holman scored twice at the 2010 World Cup and represented Australia on 63 occasions across an eight-year international career. Club play took him to Holland, England and the UAE, with ten goals back in Australia with Brisbane Roar in his final professional stint a fitting finish for a fine player.
Only two men have scored on more occasions for the Socceroos in World Cup play, and Holman’s performances and successful strikes helped Australia get within reach of qualification for the Round of 16 in 2010.
9. Mathew Ryan
This will be Ryan’s third World Cup, and he stands untouched as the Socceroos’ keeper of the modern generation. Counting the moments where Ryan has erred in his World Cup performances is a short exercise, and should Arnold choose to start him in all three group games, it would convert to nine consecutive appearances on the biggest stage for the man from Plumpton, New South Wales, an achievement that would equal the record currently held by Mark Bresciano and Tim Cahill.
8. Lucas Neill
While Neill will forever be remembered as the man who conceded the questionable penalty that gave Italy victory against the Socceroos in their 2006 Round of 16 clash, he will always live in my memory as one of the finest defenders Australia has ever produced.
With seven appearances across two World Cups in the green and gold and a glittering career that took him through England, Spain, the Middle East and Japan, Neill’s final days in football and early retirement were not befitting of the man nor the honour and skill with which he played.
7. Craig Moore
Alongside Neill at both the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, Moore chalked up six games on the biggest stage, matches filled with leadership, defensive grunt and an often underestimated level of skill.
With lengthy experience as captain at Glasgow Rangers, it was clear that Moore’s leadership and poise lay at the heart of the Socceroos’ success of the period, something that may forever be underestimated in light of the hidden fortitude required to be successful against the best teams in the world.
6. Mile Jedinak
Only Tim Cahill has put the ball into the back of the net on more occasions than Jedinak in World Cup play for the Socceroos, and the three penalties he converted across the 2014 and 2018 tournaments were taken professionally and fearlessly by a man whose presence in the Australian back half is yet to be fully compensated for.
Somehow things always felt a little safer when Jedinak was on duty in defensive midfield. Another Aussie destined for a lengthy career in the UK, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa enjoyed the presence, toughness and poise of one of Australia’s greatest ever players.
5. Mark Schwarzer
Schwarzer played six times in World Cup play in a career that included the 2006 and 2010 tournaments. While potentially more remembered for some astonishing feats during qualification campaigns, the Middlesbrough and Fulham legend was the custodian in what remains the greatest Socceroos team in history.
In spite of the serious quality coming his way from top-class opponents during those two tournaments, Schwarzer rarely lowered his colours and remains the greatest Socceroo goalkeeper.
4. Mark Viduka
The prince of hold-up play, a Leeds United legend and potentially the most relaxed and unflappable Socceroo of all time, Viduka was world standard, and after a little nudge from Socceroos coach Guus Hiddink, he showed the world his quality and leadership value during the 2006 World Cup.
Sadly, there was to be no return to the big stage in 2010, with Dukes adamant that retirement at 34 years old would suit him just fine. It is doubtful that the record-breaking Socceroos of 2006 would have been able to achieve what they did without the influence of the large and intimidating man up front.
3. Mark Bresciano
The selection of Bresciano ahead of some other significant names is destined to cause some debate, yet his unsurpassed nine matches across three World Cups and his extended period in the highly skilled and technical environment of Italian football make him unquestionably one of the most talented players ever to represent the Socceroos.
Three consecutive World Cups is an achievement for any player, and only a goal on the world stage evaded one of the most popular Socceroos of all.
2. Harry Kewell
Current Central Coast Mariners star Garang Kuol reminds me a little of Kewell. They’re both blessed with talent that mere mortals simply yearn for and have raw confidence and belief possessed by very few players.
While Kewell suffered a sad end to his World Cup experience with a red card in 2010 against Ghana that drew a penalty and an equaliser that cost the Socceroos a spot in the final 16, his goal against Croatia four years earlier was the one that saw Australia move into the knockout phase and the controversial loss to Italy.
As the man of the match against Croatia, Kewell will forever have a place in Socceroos folklore.
1. Tim Cahill
Few words can describe the full contribution made to Australian football by Cahill, the best header of the ball the Socceroos have seen and for over a decade the talisman for a team that struggled to find goals from other sources.
Five times the Sydney-born attacker found the net across four World Cups, and despite being underused by Bert van Marwijk in Russia in 2018, the legend status that Cahill built was not diminished one iota.
Historic goals against Japan in 2006 and the Netherlands in 2014 are football moments never to be forgotten by Australian fans, with Cahill destined to be the Socceroos’ greatest World Cup performer for some time to come.