Peerless Schwarzer leads by example

Schwarzer, 39, has kept goal for the Socceroos 98 times and is expected to notch his 'century' in Australia's next 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Jordan in Amman in September.

Before that, the Socceroos will play Scotland in a friendly international in Edinburgh in August.

Schwarzer, who was named as Australia's best ever goalkeeper in Sydney this week, said that a healthy lifestyle and good fortune with injuries had much to do with his successful career that seems to be getting better and better.

"It's all to do with the way you look after yourself, the way you train and live your life," he said from Leipzig where he is undergoing pre-season training with his Premier League club Fulham.

"I've also been fortunate with injuries over the years but by the same token I do a lot of work to prevent injuries.

"I also do a lot of good old hard work because I still have the desire to keep on playing as long as possible at the highest level."

Schwarzer, who felt "honoured, humbled and surprised" to be named in Australia's greatest ever team, said he was still as enthusiastic about the game he loves as when he started his magnificent career with Marconi in the National Soccer League in 1990.

"It's not difficult at all to keep my motivation going," he said.

"For me if I find it difficult to get motivated to get up and go to football every day then I would definitely consider retiring.

"I still get very excited about playing games and going to training.

"I like training because I enjoy working out to feel fit.

"And if I'm doing that then it makes it easy."

Schwarzer made his Socceroos debut in July 1993 when he came on for Robert Zabica after the Adelaide City goalkeeper was sent off 17 minutes into a World Cup qualifier against Canada in Edmonton.

He admitted that in that period when he used to sit on the bench waiting for his chance to become a full international he never imagined he would go on to play close to 100 matches for his country and still be playing at the highest level two decades later.

"Not in my wildest dreams did I ever believe that I would be playing almost 20 years later and nudging 100 caps for my country," he said.

"I don't suppose anyone would imagine playing for that long. I think these things evolve as times goes by.

"A lot of things have to fall in your favour along the way and you need a lot of hard work and dedication.

"You get a lot of ups and downs in your career and there are a lot of factors that dictate if you play that long or get that many caps.

"So I feel very privileged to have reached this stage of my career and I'm enjoying every moment of it.

"The last two years have been the most enjoyable in my life in football terms."

Schwarzer, who is widely regarded as one of the true gentlemen of Australian sport, has established himself as a role model for the game due to his impeccable behaviour on and off the pitch.

He would be an idol to many aspiring goalkeepers in Australia and England.

So who were his idols when he was a child?

"When I was growing up I used to watch many World Cups and European championships and because of my German heritage I was always supporting West Germany," he said.

"Unfortunately I was not even two when Australia played in its first World Cup in 1974.

"I used to look up to European goalkeepers like Harald Schumacher to a degree and particularly Jean-Marie Pfaff (who was Belgian but played six seasons for Bayern Munich) and later Germany's Bodo Illgner."

Schwarzer has firm views on sporting stars' responsibility to behave themselves properly and be ambassadors of the game they play.

"Behaviour is definitely an aspect of one's career," he said.

"But you get that (mix) in all walks of life.

"There are those who believe that they should act responsibly on and off the pitch while others choose to live their own lifestyle.

"But it is true that there are always repercussions to your actions.

"As far as I'm concerned I've always set a standard that I've tried to follow on and off the field.

"And when you become a father it becomes even more important to you because you want to lead by example."

Schwarzer's Socceroos career is crammed with many great memories but he said he will never forget two of the 98 matches he played for the green and gold.

"There are two games that stand out for me," he said.

"The return leg against Canada at the Sydney Football Stadium in the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup effectively started my career.

"The other was the match against Uruguay at Telstra Stadium that gave us the ticket to the 2006 World Cup."

This is hardly surprising because his favourite matches happened to be crucial World Cup qualifiers that both went to a shootout and he became the hero by saving two penalties in each of them.

"That Uruguay result pushed football to the forefront of most people's minds in Australia and gave the game's profile a big lift," he said.

"The game in Australia changed overnight."

Schwarzer's career can be aptly described as glamorous, successful and rewarding.

However there were times especially in Schwarzer's early days as a professional when, believe it or not, he did not know where his next match was coming from.

"The most difficult time for any player is when you are not playing for your club," he said.

"And for me my hardest period was when I first went overseas in 1994 and for the first two and a half years at Dynamo Dresden and Kaiserslautern I never played.

"I had to find my feet and in the meantime I was excluded from the national team, which was understandable.

"But once I started playing again (with Bradford City) I tried to establish myself at club level and with the national team but it was very hard."

The big question now is when will Schwarzer call it a day and give somebody else a chance to keep goal for Australia.

"My goal is the 2014 World Cup and that is a very realistic target but beyond that is too far for me," he said.