At 6ft 5in, he towers above his opponents and is an imposing figure between the posts. For near a decade now Mark Schwarzer has established himself as not only Australia’s premium goal keeper, but one of the world’s best. With his quick reactions and innate composed nature, Mark has taken his career from humble beginnings in rural New South Wales to what most consider the greatest league in the world, the English Premier League.

Making his impact on the Australian league (the then NSL) at the age of 19, he quickly entrenched himself as a regular by guiding his side, Marconi Fairfield, to the NSL championship. Mark’s talent was quickly recognized by overseas scouts and by the age of 21 was signed by Dynamo Dresden in Germany. After temporary stops at clubs Kaiserslautern and Bradford City, Mark found his home at Middlesbrough, where the wiry Australian is now the longest serving player.

In 2004 Mark helped boro to win the 2004 Carling Cup with shoot-out heroics followed by a superb display in the final against Bolton at Cardiff. Mark was widely linked with a move to Manchester United in 2004, however he pledged his long term future to Boro by signing a new three year contract in January 2005.

In contrast to many of his Premier League brethren, Mark has unselfishly given his full commitment to the Australian Socceroos over the years. The former Australian captain is the country’s best shot-stopper with 32 caps to his credit and a key weapon in the Socceroos battle for a historic World Cup berth in 2006.

Off the field, Mark is heavily involved with numerous charities, including the recently established Schwarzer Charity Shield, an organization devoted to child welfare.