Former Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was inducted into Football Australia’s Hall of Fame before last night’s Socceroos World Cup Qualifier against Vietnam.
Schwarzer is Australia’s most-capped player having made 109 appearances in an international career that spanned two decades. Having made his debut against Canada in Edmonton in 1993, he famously saved two penalties in a shoot-out against Uruguay in Sydney to send the Socceroos to the 2006 World Cup, where they were knocked out in the last sixteen by a late Italian spot-kick. Schwarzer played all three matches in the 2010 World Cup, where the Australians narrowly missed out on qualifying from the group stages after beating Serbia 2-1 in their final fixture.
Schwarzer, now 49, was one of three nominees inducted after a public ballot that saw suggestions ratified by a committee of football historians who submitted names for approval to Football Australia’s board. He made 220 appearances for Fulham between 2007 and 2013, keeping 77 clean sheets, helping the Whites to their highest ever league finish – seventh in the Premier League in 2009 – and was part of the team that made it all the way to the Europa League final in 2010.
