Australia has a great sporting heritage. They’ve won over 600 medals at the Olympics and been crowned world champions in a range of sports.

While football has often taken a back seat to cricket, both formats of rugby and, of course, Aussie Rules football, the Socceroos have still tasted success of their own. They’ve won four OFC Nations Cups, won the AFC Asian Cup after they switched confederations, and have qualified for every World Cup since 2006.

Participation rates have gone through the roof, with football now the most popular outdoor sport in the country. The A-League, Australia’s top division in domestic football, initially began with just eight teams in 2004. That figure is now 13. Youth development has been a huge focus, with under-23 players accounting for over a third of total minutes played, which has resulted in a wave of player sales that’s seen some club’s transfer income overtake their broadcasting revenue.

Overseas, Australia’s influence has mainly been felt in the Premier League, where more than 50 players from Down Under have featured since 1992. While the league has often been dominated by players from traditional European and South American nations, Australian internationals have steadily carved out their place in English football.

There have been a number of top-quality Australian players over the years, and below are the very best of them.

15

Luke Wilkshire

Career Span: 1998-2018

Wolfgang Rattay via Reuters

Luke Wilkshire enjoyed a long and varied career, earning 78 caps for Australia and representing the Socceroos at two World Cups. It would have been three had then-manager Ange Postecoglou not dropped him on the eve of the tournament.

Wilkshire was a versatile defender, comfortable at right-back or in midfield. He started out in the Premier League with Middlesbrough, before moving to League One with Bristol City. From there, he moved to the Netherlands with FC Twente, before spending six seasons with Dinamo Moscow. It wouldn’t be until his twilight years as a professional that he’d play in Australia, but capped off his career by winning the A-League title with Sydney FC in 2018.

14

Stan Lazaridis

Career Span: 1995-2008

Andy Couldridge via Reuters

A reliable and consistent performer for Australia during the late 1990s and early 2000s, Stan Lazaridis earned 60 caps across a decade-long international career. He was comfortable playing in any position on the left side of the pitch and spent the majority of his club career in England, most notably with West Ham and then Birmingham City, where he became a fan favourite for his work rate and whipped crosses.

One of Lazaridis’ best moments of his career came as a Hammer, when his 35-yard screamer against Newcastle was nominated for Premier League Goal of the Season.

13

Mathew Ryan

Career Span: 2009-Present

Most Australian fans would have thought they’d have to spend a long time scratching around for a top-level goalkeeper after the retirement of Mark Schwartzer, but up stepped Mat Ryan, who’s earned over 100 international caps. He became a mainstay of the national team, taking the captain’s armband and representing his country at multiple World Cups in the process.

After beginning his professional career in the A-League with Central Coast Mariners, he became quite the nomad, playing for 11 teams in seven different European leagues. Most of his time at club level was spent playing for Club Brugge and Brighton, but he’s had time at Arsenal, Valencia and Roma.

12

John Aloisi

Career Span: 1992-2011

Tony O’Brien via Reuters

John Aloisi will forever be remembered for scoring the penalty that sent Australia to the World Cup for the first time in 32 years. It’s a moment that remains one of the most iconic in the country’s sporting history. Across a career spent largely in Europe, he played the bulk of his matches in Spain with Osasuna and Alaves, as well as spells in Serie A and the Premier League, proving himself a capable forward at a solid top-flight level.

In his second to last season as a professional, he won his first trophy, capturing the A-League with Sydney FC in a season where he finished as the league’s fourth top scorer with Liverpool legend Robbie Fowler.

11

Lucas Neill

Career Span: 1995-2014

Lucas Neill was one of Australia’s most dependable defenders during a long international career that saw him earn 97 caps and captain the Socceroos at two World Cups. After starting out at Millwall, he went on to play in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers and West Ham.

Neill was a key part of the Australia side that made history at the 2006 World Cup, helping them reach the knockout stages for the first time, finishing second in a tough group that included Brazil, Croatia and Japan. Sadly for Neill, it was his foul in the 93rd minute that led to their exit from the tournament at the hands of the eventual champions, Italy. The foul was hardly clear-cut, and former FIFA President Sepp Blatter even apologised to Neill and Australia in the months following the tournament.

10

Johnny Warren

Career Span: 1959-1974

Johnny Warren was a true trailblazer for football in Australia. Known as “Captain Socceroo”, he was a key player in the Australia team which qualified for the 1974 World Cup in Germany. An attacking midfielder, Warren was capped 43 times, 24 of which were as captain.

After his playing career ended, Warren embarked on a coaching career and continued to promote the sport as a journalist and commentator, until he passed away in 2004. Much of the success the national side have achieved in recent times can be traced back to Warren, who was inducted into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.

9

Mile Jedinak

Career Span: 2001-2019

Defensive midfielder Mile Jedinak won 79 international caps, scoring 20 goals. He played in three World Cups, captaining the side in 2014 and the Socceroos’ victory in the 2015 Asian Cup. Jeninak was a competitive player with leadership qualities, adept at breaking up the play and protecting the back four. He was also an accomplished penalty taker, scoring all 16 spot kicks during his professional career.

Jedinak spent five years at Crystal Palace, becoming a fan favourite at Selhurst Park. At Palace, he was part of the side which was promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs in 2013. He then went on to establish himself in the English top flight. Jedinak moved to Aston Villa and played for three seasons in the Championship, helping them to win the promotion play-offs in 2019.

8

Brett Emerton

Career Span: 1996-2014

Reliable and durable, Brett Emerton was a key man in the Australian National Team from his initial call-up in 1998 until 2012. He captained the Australian side at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney and played in the 2006 World Cup, helping the Socceroos to the knockout stages.

Emerton could play as a full-back or a wide midfielder. After starting his career with Sydney Olympic, he made a move to Europe, where he won a UEFA Cup winners medal in 2002 with Feyenoord, though he missed the final through suspension. After being linked with several clubs, including Newcastle United, Emerton moved to the Premier League, joining Blackburn Rovers in 2003. Emerton clocked up 247 appearances for Blackburn over eight years before returning to Australia with Sydney FC.

7

Craig Johnston

Career Span: 1977-1988

Unlike the other players on this list, Craig Johnston never represented Australia at international level. During the peak years of Johnston’s career in the 1980s, the standard of football in the country was not what it is today. Based in England, Johnston was unwilling to compromise his club career with regular trips to the Southern Hemisphere, and he once described playing football for Australia as to surfing in the UK.

Johnston was born in South Africa to Australian parents and lived in Australia for most of his formative years, before moving to England to join Middlesbrough. Johnston earned a transfer to Liverpool, winning nine major trophies in seven years at the club, including five league titles and the European Cup. He was highly valued at Anfield for his athleticism, work-rate, trickery and creativity.

6

Mark Bresciano

Career Span: 1995-2015

Melbourne-born Mark Breciano was a creative midfielder who represented Parma, Palermo and Lazio in Serie A. Bresciano made 84 appearances for the Australian National Team, scoring 13 goals. He played in three FIFA World Cups and was part of the winning squads at the AFC Asian Cup in 2015 and the OFC Nations Cup in 2004.

Though not a prolific goalscorer, he had a knack for notching important strikes. His goal against Uruguay in the 2006 World Cup qualification play-off sent the match to a penalty shootout. Australia claimed victory to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time since 1974.