The Socceroos class of the 2006 World Cup: Where are they now?
GERMANY 2006 remains the high-water mark for the Socceroos’ World Cup appearances in every which way. The players have all pursued their various paths since, within and outside of football.
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GERMANY 2006 remains the high-water mark for the Socceroos’ World Cup appearances in every which way. The players have all pursued their various paths since, within and outside of football. So where are they now?
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GOALKEEPERS
MARK SCHWARZER
2006 STATS
Age: 33
Club: Middlesbrough
WC games: 3 (270 minutes)
Schwarzer has rejected coaching offers to focus on a media career, fronting Optus’ World Cup coverage. London-based, he’ll be in Australia during Russia 2018.
ZELJKO KALAC
2006 STATS:
Age: 33
Club: AC Milan
WC games: 1 (90)
The former AC Milan keeper was Tony Popovic’s trusted goalkeeper coach at Western Sydney and Karabukspor, but is now available after the latter moved to Perth Glory.
ANTE COVIC
2006 STATS:
Age: 30
Club: Hammarby, Sweden
WC games: 0
Drawing on the spirit of veteran keepers such as Dino Zoff and World Cup teammate Schwarzer, Covic is still playing with NSW state league side Rockdale having just turned 43. A local rep for long-time glove sponsor Uhlsport, but is keen to pursue the keeper coaching path.
DEFENDERS
CRAIG MOORE
2006 STATS:
Age: 30
Club: Newcastle United
WC games: 4 (310), 1 goal
The hard-nosed but underrated defender is moving into the player agency business after quitting his post as Brisbane Roar’s football manager.
LUCAS NEILL
2006 STATS:
Age: 25
Club: Blackburn Rovers
WC games: 4 (360)
Vanished in recent years since fighting tooth and nail to make the 2014 World Cup squad only to miss out after playing his last game in November 2013. Positively, he was ‘sighted’ appearing happy and healthy in pictures posted on the Facebook page of his son’s Under 9s cricket team — Lowerhouse Fagan and Whalley Hornets — near their Lancashire home in England’s northwest, after he was declared bankrupt by a UK court in 2016.
TONY POPOVIC
Age: 32
Club: Crystal Palace
WC games: 1 (41)
A no-nonsense defender, unsurprisingly Popovic has become the coaching trailblazer of the golden generation, headlined by the 2014 Asian Champions League win with Western Sydney. Just accepted the Perth Glory job, though he’s destined to return to Europe after a brief stint in Turkey.
LUKE WILKSHIRE
Age: 24
Club: Bristol City
WC games: 2 (165)
The 2006 World Cup changed Wilkshire’s career after Guus Hiddink’s plucked him as a bolter. Just joined NPL club and A-League hopefuls Wollongong Wolves after a season with Sydney FC.
STAN LAZARIDIS
Age: 33
Club: Birmingham City
WC games: 0
WA-based Lazaridis is looking to get back into football, possibly as an assistant coach or football manager, and prepared to relocate having focused and succeeded in property development since retiring.
MARK MILLIGAN
Age: 20
Club: Sydney FC
WC games: 0
Picked for experience in 2006, Milligan is the great survivor behind Tim Cahill, making every World Cup squad since. Extraordinarily has played only once however, but that’s set to change when he lines up in defence against France on Saturday.
MICHAEL BEAUCHAMP
Age: 25
Club: Central Coast Mariners
WC games: 0
The stopper became a victim of A-League clubs’ tendency to churn through players and his last professional stint was in Thailand. With limited jobs in Australian football, Beauchamp is believed to be entering the PT industry and still kicking around for his old NSL club Marconi.
MIDFIELDERS
MARK BRESCIANO
Age: 26
Club: Parma
WC games: 4 (211)
Bresciano has launched himself at the business world with the same gusto that saw him have one of the most celebrated careers of any Australian, headlined by a prestigious Serie A career. Based in Melbourne, he dabbles in property development and maintains a variety of high-level business interests, while having no formal involvement in football despite having had many approaches.
VINCE GRELLA
Age: 26
Club: Parma
WC games: 4 (333)
An intermediary with globally renowned agency Base Soccer, Grella is one of Australia’s most respected player agents and has come full circle and will have a number of his players featuring at the 2018 World Cup, headlined by Daniel Arzani and Jackson Irvine. Also an ambassador for A-League hopefuls Team 11, which is based in Melbourne’s southeast where Grella was born and bred.
JASON CULINA
Age: 25
Club: PSV Eindhoven
WC games: 4 (360)
Culina recently stepped down as senior coach of Sydney United coach, and it’s unclear whether he will continue following in his father Branko’s footsteps, who is one of Australia’s most celebrated club coaches. Invested well.
BRETT EMERTON
Age: 27
Club: Blackburn Rovers
WC games: 3 (267)
A quiet achiever on the field with a massive tank, Emerton now successfully invests and manages his property portfolio and — like Bresciano — isn’t scared to don the toolkit, helping his dad with maintenance and renovations. Also coaching his son at Macurthar Rams and has become an ambassador of the local A-League bid.
JOSIP SKOKO
Age: 30
Club: Wigan Athletic
WC games: 0
Skoko is one of Australia’s shrewdest football minds and many are waiting to see where and when he enters the fray, be it coaching or board level. Developing an impressive business portfolio, headlined by his distribution of Austrian coffee label Julius Meinl. Passionate about youth development, coaches younger son Noah, while he’s heavily involved in the Futboltec Academy run by the Trifiro brothers.
SCOTT CHIPPERFIELD
Age: 30
Club: Basel, Switzerland
WC games: 4 (345)
Ex bus driver Chipperfield is based in Switzerland, and is entering the player agency game. Retains an interest in the horses, having been a part-owner in Buffering.
FORWARDS
MARK VIDUKA
Age: 30
Club: Middlesbrough
WC games: 4 (360)
The much-loved 2006 World Cup captain has opted for a low-profile existence after the hustle and bustle of the professional playing career. Based the family in Zagreb, where he played for several years with Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb in the late ‘90s, after living in Melbourne and London. Began his coaching badges in the UK, but has no direct involvement in football. If he decides to get into coaching, there will be no shortage of takers for the revered Viduka, who is regarded by many as one of the world’s most talented strikers of the last few decades. Believed to be doing the occasional odd jobs to stay occupied, otherwise a family man.
HARRY KEWELL
Age: 27
Club: Liverpool
WC games: 3 (214), 1
Having cut his teeth as Watford’s youth team coach, Kewell has just finished his first season as a senior manager, finishing a highly respectable mid-table with fourth-tier Crawley Town. Armed with the lowest budget in League Two, it remains to be seen whether his owners back him in the 2018-19 season. Australia’s former golden boy, who remains in tip-top shape, has other commercial interests, he is fully immersed in coaching and is tipped to go all the way to the top by many good judges.
TIM CAHILL
Age: 26
Club: Everton
WC games: 4 (273), 2
The Benjamin Button of the Socceroos, who could cap off a fairytale international career after scoring Australia’s first ever FIFA World Cup goal four years ago and netting in every tournament since. His club future is in limbo after his Millwall contract expired, and everyone is waiting to hear what the next chapter entails. Post career, Cahill has any number of options, from coaching to youth development projects to the business world, having dabbled in many different business ventures.
MILE STERJOVSKI
Age: 27
Club: Basel, Switzerland
WC games: 3 (242)
Part of the staff in Russia, as player mentor. The unassuming Sterjovski has been an important sounding board, particularly for the younger players. Otherwise runs his MSFC junior academy in Sydney and via schools.
JOHN ALOISI
Age: 30
Club: Alaves
WC games: 4 (72), 1
Another who’s entered the coaching ranks, leading Brisbane Roar after stints with Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory’s youth team. A regular Fox Sports pundit for Socceroos games while he’ll be part of Optus’ World Cup coverage.
JOSH KENNEDY
Age: 23
Club: Dynamo Dresden
WC games: 2 (44)
The former beanpole striker has current World Cup commitments with Croc Media and has dabbled in coaching, mainly with high schools, while working on sports projects in the background. Turned spectator from pro footballer and supported wife, ex-Opal Jacinta Kennedy (nee Hamilton) as she made a comeback in recent years, now enjoying watching the kids play junior sports.
ARCHIE THOMPSON
Age: 27
Club: Melbourne Victory (on loan to PSV Eindhoven)
WC games: 0
One of the most recently retired of the 2006 generation, Thompson has taken to his media and ambassadorial commitments (Fox Sports among them) with the same positivity and energy with which he played. Still kicking around in the state leagues
Originally published as The Socceroos class of the 2006 World Cup: Where are they now?
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