The Premier League has seen a plethora of superstars from down under, as we look at the 5 Greatest Aussies to play in English football’s top flight.
5 Greatest Aussies to play in the Premier League
The Premier League’s global appeal means it is popular in Australia and there have been plenty of players from Down Under who have starred in the top flight in England. Here we run down who we think are the 5 Greatest Australians to have graced the Premier League.
Greatest Aussies: Mark Schwarzer
Mark Schwarzer is an Australian legend and is the country’s most-capped player with 109 appearances for the Socceroos. The goalkeeper also played 514 times in the Premier League between 1997 and 2016, keeping 153 clean sheets. After a brief spell at Bradford City, Schwarzer joined Middlesbrough in 1997 and went on to make 366 league appearances for the club, helping them win the League Cup in 2004.
He also played in the Premier League for Fulham, where he spent five years after leaving Boro, and had short stints as a back-up keeper at Chelsea and Leicester before he retired in 2016.
Greatest Aussies: Mark Bosnich
Another well-known Aussie goalkeeper, Mark Bosnich was a star in the early years of the Premier League after signing for Aston Villa in 1992. Bosnich, who had been at Manchester United as a teenager but only made three appearances, was widely regarded as one of the best keepers in the country in the mid-90s and he won the League Cup with Villa in 1994 and 1996.
After making 179 league appearances for Villa, he went back to United in 1999 but struggled for consistency and was allowed to join Chelsea two years later, where injury severely hampered his chances of regular action. In total, Bosnich played 208 Premier League games and kept 81 clean sheets.
Greatest Aussies: Harry Kewell
Harry Kewell is among the best-known Australians to have forged a successful career in England with the winger first impressing at Leeds United between 1996 and 2003 before he made a high-profile move to Liverpool. Kewell had starred for Leeds’ youth team but became a first-team regular from 1997 and was part of an exciting Whites’ squad that reached the Champions League semi-final in 2001.
He scored 45 league goals in 181 games for Leeds before joining Liverpool in 2003, where he was expected to progress further but ultimately failed to live up to expectations as injuries and poor form affected him. Kewell was part of the Liverpool squad that won the Champions League in 2005, memorably starting against AC Milan in the final in Istanbul before injury forced him off early on, and he remains the only Australian to have won Europe’s top club competition.
Greatest Aussies: Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill scored 56 Premier League goals for Everton and is one of Australia’s best-ever exports, having starred for the Toffees in an eight-year spell between 2004 and 2012. Cahill had already made headlines at Millwall, helping the Lions reach the FA Cup Final in 2004, before he made the switch to Goodison Park, where he established himself as one of the best forwards in the top flight in the mid and late 2000s.
Cahill, who is second on Australia’s all-time appearance list with 108 caps, played 278 times for Everton in all competitions before leaving for New York Red Bulls.
Greatest Aussies: Mark Viduka
Mark Viduka is the record Australian goalscorer in Premier League history, netting 92 goals in the top flight when starring for Leeds, Middlesbrough and Newcastle between 2000 and 2009. The striker was bought by Leeds after a prolific spell in Scotland for Celtic, where he scored 30 goals in just 37 league appearances, and he was an instant hit for the West Yorkshire outfit, bagging 22 goals in his debut campaign.
Viduka managed 59 Premier League goals in his four years at Elland Road overall and he continued to catch the eye at Boro between 2004 and 2007, scoring 26 league goals for the Teessiders. A shorter spell at Newcastle still yielded a further seven Premier League goals before he left following the Magpies’ relegation in 2009.
By James Mason
Please note that the information provided in this Greatest Aussies article is for entertainment purposes only. We do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided. Any action you take upon the information on this article is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any losses and damages in connection with the use of our article. We do not encourage gambling and remind you to gamble responsibly.
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