Mark Bresciano

Mark Bresciano (born 11 February 1980) is an Australian former professional soccer player who played as a midfielder.

Born in Melbourne, Bresciano played youth football for Bulleen Lions, before moving into the National Soccer League with Carlton.

He began playing football locally and later progressed to the first team of Victorian Premier League side Bulleen Lions in 1995 at the age of 15.

Bresciano's reputation began to grow and he was selected in an Australian Schoolboys squad that toured the United Kingdom in 1996.

He made little impact until his third year in the first team, scoring four goals in four league games and helping Bulleen to the 1997 VPL grand final.

In 1997, he featured prominently in Australia's unsuccessful U17 World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring five goals.

At the end of the 1997 season and upon completing high school at Marcellin College, he was offered a place at the Australian Institute of Sport, where he reunited with childhood pal Vince Grella.

The players' careers would mirror in the coming years as the two supported their footballing endeavours on and off the field.

He and Vince Grella signed with new National Soccer League (NSL) club Carlton for the 1997–98 season, but Bresciano was forced to wait until Round 17 to make his NSL debut.

He then played every game for the rest of the year, as Carlton finished second with a place in the finals.

Bresciano scored in injury time to win the elimination semi-final and put the club into its first grand final, which they lost 2–1.

He stayed with the Blues for the 1998–99 season, scoring four goals in 18 games, but the club finished well outside the top six.

In 1998 and 1999, Bresciano made a number of appearances for Australia in various matches at Under-20 and Under-23 level, including the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship, where the Young Socceroos were eliminated in the first round.

As for many Australian players, a career in Europe beckoned for Bresciano as he sought to develop his game and further his career.

Bresciano and Grella had sights set on a move to Italy, spurred in part by their Italian heritage.

In 1999, he moved to Italian Serie B side Empoli, beginning a twelve-year stay in the country.

The pair joined Empoli in 1999, who had been relegated to Serie B the previous season, and became regular selections in the first team.

In Bresciano's third year at the club, he scored 10 goals and helped Empoli to a fourth position and promotion back to the top-flight Serie A.

He previously represented Australia frequently at youth levels, including the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia and the 1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Bresciano grew up in Rosanna, Melbourne.

The pair also appeared several times in the Australian Under-23 team in the lead-up to the 2000 Olympics, particularly in friendlies held in Europe.

They were both included in the team for the Sydney Olympics, although Bresciano only saw limited action as a substitute.

The following year, his efforts with the Olympic squad were rewarded with a call-up to the "Socceroos."

On 1 June 2001, Bresciano received his first cap for Australia in a Confederations Cup match against France, coming on as a substitute in the 78th minute for Josip Skoko.

He made a further five appearances that year for the "Socceroos," including another match against France in a friendly at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), again replacing Skoko as a substitute.

In 2002, he moved to the Serie A with Parma, later playing for Palermo and S.S. Lazio.

In the summer of 2002, he joined Parma for €7 million, at the time a record transfer fee for an Australian player.

"Moving to Parma was a big change in every way, not just money-wise but it is a big club. The structure of the club, the facilities, its popularity means you are under a lot more pressure to get a result," he said following the close of the season, well aware of his profile.

Though he was hampered by a series of injuries, his 24 appearances in 2002–03 helped Parma to fifth and a UEFA Cup place.

With Empoli being relegated again, he was reunited with Grella who stayed in Serie A with a transfer to Parma.

Setting himself a target for the 2003–04 season of five goals, Bresciano surpassed that with eight goals from 33 appearances, the most of any midfielder in the Serie A, as Parma finished fifth in the league again.

Bresciano had also claimed a regular spot in the Socceroos line-up, justifying his selection with a string of goals, including a match-winning free-kick against New Zealand and the only goal in a one-nil victory against South Africa.

Parma's fifth place qualified them for the UEFA Cup, where the club advanced through to the semi-finals before being eliminated by eventual winners CSKA Moscow.

He played in three FIFA World Cups, two AFC Asian Cups (one victorious) and the 2004 OFC Nations Cup winning team.

Bresciano and Grella were excused from the 2005 Confederations Cup by then-Australian manager Frank Farina to allow them to take part in the play-off against Bologna — Parma went on to win the tie and remained in Serie A for the following season.

Both players returned to the Australian squad in September 2005, now under the direction of Guus Hiddink, for World Cup qualification playoff against the Solomon Islands, followed by a friendly against Jamaica where Bresciano scored the first of Australia's five goals.

His goal against Uruguay in the 2006 World Cup qualification play-off sent the match to a penalty shootout which Australia won to qualify for the first time in 32 years.

From 2011, he spent the final four years of his career in the Middle East, first with UAE Pro-League side Al Nasr and then Qatar Stars League club Al-Gharafa where he last played in 2015.

Bresciano had a long career for Australia, making 84 appearances and scoring 13 goals.

Their league performance that year was in stark contrast to their UEFA Cup form, as they were forced in to a play-off to retain their Serie A status by finishing 18th in the league.