Mark Bosnich

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Mark Bosnich
Personal information
Full name	Mark Bosnich
Date of birth	January 13, 1972 (1972-01-13) (age 36)
Place of birth	Fairfield, Australia
Height	1.85m
Playing position	Goalkeeper (retired)
Youth clubs
1988-1989	Sydney Croatia
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1988-1989 1989-1992 1992-1999 1999-2001 2001-2003	Sydney Croatia Manchester United Aston Villa Manchester United Chelsea Total	005 (0) 003 (0) 179 (0) 023 (0) 005 (0) 215 (0)
National team2
1993-2000	Australia	017 (1)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 August 2007. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of 26 August 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Mark Bosnich (born January 13, 1972 in Fairfield, New South Wales), was an Australian football player. He represented his country on many occasions and played for English Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United, and Chelsea.

Contents 1 Professional career 2 International career 3 Life after Aston Villa 4 Personal life 5 Career Revival? 6 Career Statistics 7 External links 8 Footnotes

[edit] Professional career

Bosnich grew up in a suburb of Sydney, and played briefly for Sydney Croatia (a team in the Australian National Soccer League). At the age of 16, he moved to England to join Manchester United. After two seasons and only three appearances there, he signed with Aston Villa manager Ron Atkinson to Villa Park. During the 1994 League Cup semi final against Tranmere Rovers he dramatically stopped three shots in a penalty shoot-out. Villa would go on to win the final, against his former club, Manchester United. At Villa he would go on to win another League Cup in 1996 and develop a reputation as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, also establishing himself as the number one keeper for the Australian national team.

[edit] International career

Although his international appearances with the Socceroos were quite rare, they were memorable. Keeping for Australia in the away leg of its home-and-away qualifier with Iran in a failed attempt to enter the 1998 World Cup, he also competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics for his native country. Bosnich also scored a goal for his national team (a late penalty) in a 13-0 win over the Solomon Islands.

[edit] Life after Aston Villa

After 227 appearances for Villa, in 1999 he moved back to Manchester United on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling and immediately established himself as Peter Schmeichel's successor as the first team keeper. During the season he picked up a championship medal as United won the 1999-00 Premier League season. He also played a key role in Manchester United becoming the first English team to win the Toyota World Club Championship in keeping a clean sheet against Palmeiras of Brazil, in Tokyo, during the 1999-00 season. However, following a dip in form in the next season, he was soon relegated to third-choice keeper. Choosing to stay at the club, he tried to regain his spot rather than accept being loaned to Celtic F.C. Following disciplinary problems off the field and a fall-out with manager Alex Ferguson (under less than two seasons at United) during 2001 he was transferred to Chelsea F.C. Bosnich has claimed that Ferguson got rid of him because of his (Bosnich's) "right-wing" politics.^[1] Bosnich once publicly gave a Nazi salute at White Hart Lane against Tottenham, a club who have a large Jewish following.^[2]

His first-team chances were still limited there, even though he was earning more than £30,000 a week. He had also long fallen out of favour with the national side, losing his spot to Mark Schwarzer.

[edit] Personal life

Bosnich went through an apparently bitter marriage breakup around this period, and in September 2002 his football career reached rock-bottom when he failed a drugs test and was subsequently sacked by Chelsea and banned from football for nine months - the longest suspension given to a player in English football at the time.^[3]

This suspension was to scupper a move to Premiership side Bolton Wanderers in the winter transfer window of that year. Bosnich was keen on the idea of moving to the Reebok Stadium and the player's agent admitted that dialogue had taken place but Sam Allardyce remained coy about his interest.

In the autumn of 2004, he spurned an opportunity to return to football with League One side, Wallsall, who were then managed by ex-England, Arsenal player and former Villa team mate, Paul Merson. Later speculation linked him with a return to football with Conference side Grays Athletic.

Bosnich has admitted that much of his cocaine problem was due to his relationship with British model Sophie Anderton. He does not regret his actions however, crediting them with being able to help someone in need. "All I did was fall in love with someone and care about them deeply and I put them ahead of everything and so be it... As Martin Luther King said, 'life is not worth living unless you find something worth dying for ... And at that time, for me, that person was more important than football." ^[4]. His addiction soon worsened; he later said "There was a stage where I got up to 10 grams (of cocaine) a day when I was really down in the dumps."

[edit] Career Revival?

In early 2007, former Chelsea Team-mate and then QPR goalkeeping coach Ed de Goey gave him inspiration to come out of retirement. By July 2007, Bosnich started training at QPR's training ground in an attempt to initially get fit, with the view to play professionally again.^[5] During the summer he lost 15kg and claimed to have regained most of his reflexes. In September he kept a clean sheet in goal during a friendly behind closed doors against Barnet which QPR won 2-0.^[6]

He admitted that he is hopeful of selection for Australia (the Socceroos) to make up for the times he shunned it in favour of his club commitments. "If I ever get the chance to play for Australia again, I will never make the mistake of saying 'no'." He has only represented them 17 times. ^[7] With the prospect of selections for the Socceroos, his name has come up again with John Boultbee, Football Federation Australia's high performance manager hinting that he may have a chance of selection. ^[8] "He's got himself back in to a good place from all reports and we're keen to have a chat to see what he might have in mind – and what might be possible for him", Boultbee suggests.

Meanwhile, news of Bosnich's returning form has sparked rumours and hints of interest from many clubs around the world, including Australia's own A-League.

Bosnich provided special comments for the Socceroo's friendly with Nigeria on November 17 alongside Simon Hill on Australia's Fox Sports and subsequently on SBS' coverage of the 2008 FA Cup final.

[edit] Career Statistics

Club Performance			League		Cup		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
England			League		FA Cup		Total
1989-90	Manchester United	First Division	1	0
1990-91			2	0
Australia			League		Cup		Total
1991-92	Sydney Croatia		5	0
England			League		FA Cup		Total
1991-92	Aston Villa	First Division	1	0
1992-93		Premier League	17	0
1993-94			28	0
1994-95			30	0
1995-96			38	0
1996-97			20	0
1997-98			30	0
1998-99			15	0
1999-00	Manchester United	Premier League	23	0
2000-01			0	0
2000-01	Chelsea	Premier League	0	0
2001-02			5	0
2002-03			0	0
Total	England		210	0
	Australia		5	0
Career Total			215	0

[edit] External links

• Mark Bosnich FIFA competition record
• Mark Bosnich at the Internet Movie Database
• Mark Bosnich career stats at Soccerbase
• Information on player
• Mark Bosnich career stats at OZFootball.net

[edit] Footnotes

Awards
Preceded by Paul Okon	Oceania Player of the Year 1997	Succeeded by Christian Karembeu