John Warren (soccer player)

John "Johnny" Warren (born May 17, 1943 in Randwick ( Sydney ), † November 6, 2004 ) was an Australian football player . Warren, also known as "Captain Socceroo", was the long-time captain of the Australian national team. He played 62 international matches.

Career

He took part in the 1974 World Cup in Germany with the Australian national soccer team. This participation was until 2006 the only participation of an Australian national soccer team in a soccer world championship. Warren then worked successfully as a trainer, TV commentator and book author.

Queen Elizabeth II honored Warren as a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 1973 . In 1988 he was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the 200 Most Important Australians.

In July 2004, he had by FIFA -President Sepp Blatter in Sydney the Order of Merit of the World Federation received. He was on a par with football greats like the Dutchman Johan Cruyff , Eusebio and Franz Beckenbauer . They too received this award. At the award ceremony in July, the traces of his illness were already clearly visible.

Warren died on November 6, 2004, at the age of 61, of lung cancer , which he had developed two years earlier. He was the only athlete in Australia to receive a state funeral.

The Johnny Warren Medal has been awarded to the best player in Australian club competitions every year since 1990 .