Mark Bresciano was born in Melbourne on February 11, 1980.
He started his career in the youth teams of Bulleen Lions in the Victoria Premier League. He debuted at just 15 years of age and slowly gained a positive reputation. In his third year he scored 4 goals in 4 games and helped Bulleen to the Victoria League grand finale. In 1997 he played in a tour of the UK with the Australian Under 17s. In 1997 he signed for Carlton, a new team in the Australian National Soccer League. The club managed to reach the finals but were beaten. He stayed for another year and appeared also in the Under 20 and Under 23 national teams. He played in the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship where Australia were knocked out in the first round.
In 1999 he moved to Italy and together with his teammate and friend Vincenzo Grella, signed for Empoli in Serie B. He stayed in Tuscany for three years appearing in 88 games and scoring 19 goals.
In 2002 he moved to Parma in Serie A. He became an important player in Serie A and in four years made 145 appearances with 18 goals. With Parma, in his first two years, he obtained two 5th places and also a UEFA Cup semi-final in 2004-05 losing to CSKA Moscow. In 2006 he was bought by Palermo. He is the first and only Australian to have played for the Islanders. In his first year the Rosanero reached 5th place and a UEFA Cup qualification despite four manager changes. The same position was achieved in his last year too, even though due to injury he did not play much.
In 2010 he signed for Lazio. There was great curiosity and expectation but Bresciano did not really fit in. He played just 23 games with one goal in Coppa Italia. There were lots of players at midfield and the Australian was never able to find playing continuity. In 2011 he signed for UAE side Al-Nasr Dubai and a year after with Al-Gharafa in Qatar, breaching the contract he had with Al-Nasr. He was fined and suspended for four months.
Bresciano played 84 games for Australia. He participated in the 2006 World Cup when Australia were beaten by a controversial penalty against Italy in the round of 16, in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where the Aussies were eliminated in the group phase on goal difference, and in the Brazilian World Cup of 2014.
Since he stopped playing football Bresciano has become a successful entrepreneur, growing medical cannabis.
Bresciano’s stay at Lazio was not memorable and it was a pity because he was a great player. Perhaps he arrived just slightly too late in his career.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
2010-11 | 23 (1) | 20 | 3 (1) |
Sources
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