Mark Schwarzer (born October 6, 1972) is an Australian association football player. Schwarzer is an Australian international goalkeeper, who currently plays for English Premiership football team Middlesbrough. He is of German descent.
After spells at Dynamo Dresden, FC Kaiserslautern and Bradford City, Schwarzer joined Middlesbrough in April 1997. He is considered a large contributor to the recent success of Middlesbrough and an important part of Steve McClaren’s team.
Schwarzer made his debut for Middlesbrough against Stockport County in the League Cup semi-finals. He played in the final against Leicester City, a 1-1 draw, but injury kept him out of the replay, which Middlesbrough lost. That injury also ruled him out of the F.A. Cup Final which Boro also reached, and lost, that year. However, he was part of the side who beat Bolton Wanderers to win the 2004 League Cup final, producing a superb display having recovered after his mistake in letting in a soft shot.
Perhaps his most important save for Boro came in the last match of the 2004-05 season against Manchester City, saving a Robbie Fowler penalty in stoppage time to preserve a 1-1 draw. The draw was sufficient to put Boro in seventh in the final league table and ensure qualification for the UEFA Cup. Had Fowler converted the penalty, Man City would have qualified for the UEFA Cup at Boro’s expense. The save made him a local hero for Middlesbrough: as one local commentator excitedly declared, “he’s done it, the big Aussie has done it, the greatest hero to come out of Australia since Ned Kelly!” (a famous Australian highwayman).
As of 2005, Schwarzer has been capped 22 times for Australia. He was instrumental in Australia’s qualification for the 2006 World Cup, in the play-off against Uruguay. After Uruguay won the first leg 1-0 in Montevideo, Australia won 1-0 in Sydney. In the penalty shootout, Schwarzer saved two penalties to see Australia victorious 4-2.
Mark Schwarzer was granted a transfer request by Middlesbrough late in 2005 and sought to join a new club, but he withdrew his request on January 20, 2006, and rejoined the team. However, a fractured cheekbone sustained against West Ham looked like it cost Schwarzer the season, but returned for the UEFA Cup final against Sevilla FC, albeit playing with a protective mask. However, he recovered to take part in Australia’s World Cup Finals campaign.