Schwarzer played 367 games for the Teeside club on his way to becoming the Premier League's highest foreign appearance holder among a host of other records.

The former Socceroos shot-stopper eventually retired after winning the Premier League with Leicester City in 2016, however he said that Middlesborough thought he was done eight years prior.

“They thought that I was past it and my legs were gone,” Schwarzer told Talksport. “They wanted to sign me on for another year, but they were kind of half-hearted about it.

“They weren’t really committed to it and kept giving a lot of excuses and reasons why they believed one year was all they were prepared to offer.

“I was like that’s fine I respect that, I know I can get longer elsewhere and it’s probably best for both of us to have a new challenge.

“I think everyone wanted a change, I’d been at the club for that long. I think the fans were happy for me to move on and I think I was ready to leave.”

Schwarzer was 35-years-old at the time but one of the finest periods of the goalkeeper's career soon followed at Fulham, where strong displays saw him consistently linked with big four clubs and eventually move to Chelsea at the age of 40.

Schwarzer said while Middlesborough were disappointing, then-manager Gareth Southgate was admirable.

“There’s absolutely zero animosity from me towards him, he’s someone I have the utmost respect for. It was very tough for him, too," Schwarzer continued.

“He was brilliant through it all. He wrote me a letter, even though he could have easily picked up the phone and spoken to me. But he wrote me a handwritten letter, more than I can say I received from the club.

“They sent me a letter, which was typed out, three or four months later, which was very disappointing.”