Vital statistics
Born: 9 March, 1978, Sydney, Australia
Height: 183 cms
Weight: 77 kgs
Debut: v Saudi Arabia (D0-0),
Riyadh, October 1996
Last Match: v Italy (L1-0),
Kaiserslautern (GER), June 2006

No Australian will ever forget the Socceroos’ four heart-wrenching matches in Germany. As one of the most inexperienced sides in the World Cup, international critics did not expect the Socceroos to reach the knockout stage. Of course, everyone involved in the team had other ideas and worked feverishly to create their own destiny. By seeing off Japan and Croatia to reach the Round of 16, the team made their mark.

Amongst it all was Lucas Neill. Now a household name, it was Lucas’ brilliant performances in defence, as well as in attacking phases that earned him so much attention and heaped praise. Even Tim Cahill is a fan of his teammate. “I was definitely not surprised by the way Lucas performed in the World Cup. It was a big stage, he’s a big player and he stood up to the plate every game. He was by far the best player in our team and I think one of the best defenders in the tournament. Anyone who watched our games could see that.”

With the infamous end to Australia’s match against Italy, Lucas’ passion and competitive drive will be etched in our minds forever. Now Lucas says his attention is well and truly entrenched in winning next year’s Asian Cup, despite the fact that his club commitments in Blackburn prevented him from playing in tonight’s qualifier.

“Any player wants to hold up trophies and the next cup to look forward to is the Asian Cup. We’ll go into it as one of the favourites and what better way to celebrate being part of Asia than to be standing on the podium with the trophy at the end,” says Neill.

With Australia’s move to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the team’s recent performances and their increased attention on the home front, Neill is relishing his time in the green and gold and says it’s a prime time for football to take hold in Australia.