The 20 Best Australian Soccer Players of All Time

Australia may be better known for cricket, rugby, swimming or Aussie Rules, but the Socceroos have produced some truly brilliant soccer players over the years.

From trailblazers who helped bring the world’s most popular sport Down Under to stars who established Australia as a regular presence on the global stage, the country has delivered gnarly goalkeepers, mint midfielders, wowzer wingers and silky strikers.

Here, Sports Illustrated ranks the 20 most-ripper Australian soccer players of all time.

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20. Archie Thompson

Archie Thompson with his 13 match balls after scoring 13 against American Samoa. — Archie Thompson holds a unique soccer record. | Getty/Darren England

Archie Thompson scored an impressive 28 goals in 54 games for the Socceroos, placing him third on Australia’s all-time scoring list. It’s worth noting, however, that a remarkable 13 of those goals came in a single match—a 31–0 victory over American Samoa in 2001.

That performance still stands as the record for the most goals scored in a single international match, a feat that alone cements his place on this list.

19. Stan Lazaridis

Stan Lazaridis, Australia — Stan Lazaridis was a pocket rocket. | Getty

A pocket rocket at either left wing or left back, Stan Lazaridis made 60 appearances for Australia and was part of their 2006 World Cup squad that reached the Round of 16.

Domestically, he spent 11 seasons in England with both West Ham United and Birmingham City. It was with the latter that he cemented his status as a cult hero—scoring one of the penalties in the 2002-03 playoff final shootout to help secure promotion to the Premier League, and later netting a famous winner against rivals Aston Villa in the top division.

18. Jackson Irvine

Jackson Irvine has aged like a fine wine.

Now in his thirties, the midfielder has transformed himself from a relatively unknown figure in Scottish soccer—and a Celtic reject—into the captain of Bundesliga side FC St. Pauli, helping them win promotion in 2023–24, as well as becoming one of the key players for the Australia national team.

Thanks to his tenacity and knack for scoring vital goals for both St. Pauli and the Socceroos—including five in World Cup qualifying campaigns—Irvine, who is among the country’s most-capped players, has become indispensable.

17. Tom Rogic

The Australian PFA Player of the Year in 2021–22, Tom Rogic was a star player for Celtic for a decade between 2012 and 2022, scoring 46 goals in 273 games and helping the club lift six league titles.

An elegant, fluid playmaker, Rogic was also a key figure for the Socceroos, scoring 10 goals in 53 appearances. Still, there remains an element of “what if” about his career, with many keen to have seen him ply his trade outside of Scotland.

16. Damian Mori

Damian Mori Australia — Damian Mori was a top striker in his heyday. | IMAGO

Only Tim Cahill has scored more goals for Australia than Damian Mori, who found the net 29 times for his country in just 45 games between 1992 and 2002—a strike rate that remains unmatched for the Socceroos.

A pacy goalscorer, Mori—bar a brief and frustrating spell in Germany with Borussia Mönchengladbach—spent the entirety of his career in his home country, where he represented the likes of Adelaide City, Perth Glory and Melbourne Croatia, finishing as the now-defunct National Soccer League’s (NSL) top scorer on five occasions.

15. Tony Vidmar

Tony Vidmar had been representing Australia since 1991, but it was 15 years later that his crowning moment arrived.

Following the appointment of Guus Hiddink as Socceroos boss, Vidmar—then nearing the end of his career and soon to retire due to health issues—enjoyed a late resurgence in form, most notably scoring in the famous penalty shootout win against Uruguay in 2005 that sent Australia to the World Cup the following year.

That proved to be his final, and most significant, contribution in the gold shirt.

Vidmar is also fondly remembered by Rangers fans. A two-time league champion with the Scottish club, he scored a crucial goal against Parma in Champions League qualifying in 1999—beating none other than Gianluigi Buffon—to help eliminate the Italians.

14. Matthew Leckie

Mathew Leckie used to captain Australia. | IMAGO/UK Sports Pics Ltd

Former Australia captain Matthew Leckie has played in three World Cups—most notably scoring the winner against Denmark in the final group game in 2022, helping the Socceroos reach the knockout stages for only the second time in their history.

Extremely versatile—capable of playing anywhere from the wing to central midfield or even in defence—Leckie has split his club career between Australia and Germany, winning titles with Melbourne City and Ingolstadt 04.

13. Mathew Ryan

The first of two great goalkeepers on this list, Mathew Ryan will almost certainly retire as Australia’s record-holder for clean sheets.

With over 100 appearances for his country, he has been the main man between the sticks since 2012, featuring at three (soon to be four) World Cups, winning the 2015 Asian Cup and being named the Australian PFA Player of the Year three times.

Domestically, he has enjoyed a stellar—if unconventional—career, representing European heavyweights such as Arsenal, AS Roma, Valencia, Club Brugge and Lens.

12. John Aloisi

Fans of Portsmouth may remember John Aloisi well. As might those of Cremonese. And Osasuna. And Antwerp. And Sydney FC ...

A well-travelled and highly experienced striker, Aloisi played all over Europe during his career and generally made a habit of finding the net wherever he went, finishing with 143 goals in just shy of 500 games for his various clubs.

Fans of the Socceroos, however, will remember him best. With 27 goals in 55 games for Australia—as well as the decisive penalty against Uruguay in 2005 that sealed qualification for the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974—he secured a lasting place in the hearts of Australian fans.

11. Aaron Mooy

The only outfield player to win the Australian PFA Player of the Year three times, Aaron Mooy enjoyed a hugely successful career both domestically and abroad.

After arriving in English soccer from Melbourne City, the midfielder became a standout performer at Championship level, playing a key role in Huddersfield Town’s remarkable promotion to the Premier League and then their survival in the top flight.

He later spent time with Brighton & Hove Albion, before finishing his career in Scotland, where he helped Celtic secure a domestic treble prior to retiring in 2023.

At international level, Mooy earned 57 caps for Australia, scoring seven goals and representing the Socceroos at two World Cups.

10. Mark Bresciano

Mark Bresciano enjoyed a long and successful club career spent largely in Italy, representing Empoli, Parma, Palermo and finally Lazio—where he regularly held his own alongside some of the best players in the world at the time, including Antonio Di Natale, Edinson Cavani, Andrea Barzagli and Alberto Gilardino.

While major domestic honors eluded him, the versatile midfielder—famed for his “Spartacus” goal celebration—did enjoy success with Australia, helping the Socceroos win the OFC Nations Cup in 2004 and the AFC Asian Cup in 2015.

He finished his international career with 84 caps and 13 goals.

9. Mile Jedinak

Bonus points for having perhaps the sternest beard in soccer history, Mile Jedinak was a talisman for the Socceroos for many years. He captained the side from 2014 until his retirement from international soccer in 2018, finishing his career with an impressive 20 goals from defensive midfield.

A battle-hardened and fiercely competitive player, Jedinak also starred in both the Championship and Premier League for Crystal Palace and Aston Villa for the best part of a decade.

8. Brett Emerton

Brett Emerton Australia — Emerton was underrated. | Getty/Richard Sellers

Where Harry Kewell (more on him soon) was the majestic but sometimes inconsistent and often injury-plagued winger on Australia’s left, Brett Emerton was the dependable, versatile and reliable—yet still very talented—figure on the right.

He often went underappreciated, perhaps because he operated in the shadow of his more flamboyant teammate.

Emerton’s résumé speaks for itself: a UEFA Cup winner with Feyenoord, nearly a decade in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, and a two-time OFC Nations Cup winner with Australia. He finished his international career with 20 goals—three more than Kewell—in 95 appearances, underlining just how influential he was for the Socceroos.

7. Johnny Warren

“Captain Socceroo” is perhaps the most important player in Australian soccer history.

Widely credited with helping popularise the sport down under thanks to his displays on the field and his revolutionary work off it, Johnny Warren was part of the national side that qualified for the World Cup in 1974. He went on to earn 42 caps for his country, 24 of which came as captain.

After retiring, he continued to promote the game as a journalist, author and commentator until his passing in 2004.

6. Lucas Neill

Lucas Neill racked up close to 300 Premier League appearances during spells with Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and Everton, winning the League Cup (now the EFL Cup) with Blackburn in 2001–02.

A reliable and composed right back, Neill also made 95 appearances for Australia and featured at two World Cups, captaining the side at the 2010 tournament in South Africa.

His international career ended on a sour note, with heavy media criticism and eventually being dropped by Ange Postecoglou, but Neill remains the greatest defender in Australian soccer history.

5. Craig Johnston

Craig Johnston Australia — Craig Johnston was known as "Skippy." | IMAGO/Bildbyran

You don’t become a fan favourite at Liverpool without being a top player, and that’s exactly what Craig Johnston was.

Known as “Skippy,” the midfielder won nine major honors in seven years at Anfield, including five league titles and the European Cup in 1984, scoring 40 goals in 271 appearances for the Reds.

Though not related to his playing ability, Johnston also co-wrote the team’s 1988 FA Cup final song “Anfield Rap” and designed the prototype for one of the world’s best-selling football boots, the adidas Predator—achievements worth noting in their own right.

Strangely, despite his success with Liverpool, Johnston—who was born in England—never played international soccer for Australia, with the Australian FA reportedly rejecting his request for financial support to travel home for matches.

4. Mark Viduka

There was a time when the sight of Mark Viduka would have scared Premier League defenders witless.

At his peak in the early noughties with Leeds United, the big Australian striker scored for fun, racking up 60 Premier League goals in 130 games for the Whites. He played a key role in their run to the Champions League semifinals in 2000–01 and remained a fierce goalscorer even during the club’s decline—which ultimately ended in relegation—in the years that followed.

Having also enjoyed successful spells with Celtic and Middlesbrough either side of his Leeds career, Viduka was perhaps unfortunate to play much of his international soccer during a difficult period for the Socceroos, with the national team’s rise and improved form coming towards the latter stages of his career.

3. Mark Schwarzer

Australia’s all-time most capped player, Mark Schwarzer is also the country’s most-capped Premier League player, and one of only 13 players (and the only non-Briton) to make over 500 appearances in England’s top flight.

A towering and commanding presence, Schwarzer spent the bulk of his career at Middlesbrough and Fulham, where his heroics helped both clubs reach unlikely European finals. He also provided vital veteran cover during spells with Chelsea and Leicester City.

For Australia, Schwarzer featured at two World Cups.

2. Harry Kewell

It’s difficult not to reflect on Harry Kewell’s career and wonder just how good he might have become had it not been blighted by injuries.

First a superstar at Leeds United alongside Mark Viduka—where he racked up an impressive 63 goals in six full seasons—the pacy and tricky winger later earned a move to Liverpool. There, he won the Champions League in 2004–05, becoming the first Australian to ever lift the trophy.

In truth, it was at Anfield where his career began to decline due to persistent injury problems. Still, he etched his name into Socceroos history in 2006, scoring a vital equaliser against Croatia that sent Australia through to the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup for the first-ever time.

1. Tim Cahill

Tim Cahill stands alone in Australian soccer history.

The Socceroos’ most-capped outfield player is also their all-time leading scorer, netting 50 goals for his country—an astonishing tally that leaves him 21 clear of second-placed Damian Mori. Five of those strikes came on the biggest stage of all, across three different World Cups, cementing his status as Australia’s ultimate big-game player.

Renowned for his extraordinary aerial ability and his iconic shadowboxing celebration with the corner flag, the midfielder-turned-forward’s influence stretched beyond the international stage too.

A Millwall and Everton icon, Cahill scored 171 goals at club level before retiring in 2019, but it was his habit of delivering when Australia needed him most that truly defined his career.

The 20 Best Australian Soccer Players of All Time—Ranked