Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has joined English Premier League giants Chelsea on a one-year contract.
The 40-year-old former Fulham and Middlesbrough player signed on a free transfer after leaving Fulham at the end of last season after five years.
“It’s a phenomenal club. It’s one of the biggest and best clubs in the world, and it’s an honor to sign for Chelsea. I didn’t take much convincing to come here,” Schwarzer told chelseafc.com.
Schwarzer moved to England in 1996 to join Bradford before making 367 league appearances in 11 years with Middlesbrough. He won the League Cup with ’Boro in 2003 and appeared in the 2006 UEFA Cup final against Sevilla.
During his time at Fulham he became the first overseas player to make more than 500 Premier League appearances and reached another European cup final as the Cottagers lost out to Atletico Madrid in 2010.
Schwarzer’s contract with Jose Mourinho’s Blues runs until next year’s World Cup in Brazil, where the veteran keeper will hope to add to his 108 caps given Australia’s qualification for the tournament.
The signing appears to have solved Chelsea’s goalkeeping dilemma.
The Europa League winners were on the lookout for a support ’keeper to Petr Cech following the release of Ross Turnbull and Hilario at the end of the season, and Premier League rivals Norwich this week confirmed rejecting two formal offers for England stopper John Ruddy.
Schwarzer revealed returning Blues boss Mourinho had helped persuade him to join “one of the best clubs in the country” after speaking to the Portuguese about his future options.
“I’ve spoken to the manager at Chelsea and it was very easy to make the decision that Chelsea was the right club for me,” he told Sky Sports News. “The size and ambition of the club, and the opportunities at the club, ticked all the boxes. It was an amazing opportunity to join a fantastic club. It’s one of the best clubs in the country, if not one of the best clubs in the world, so it was very easy to make the decision after speaking to the manager.”
Brazil has four teams, more than any other country, in the expanded Club World Cup that kicked off yesterday in the US, but for SE Palmeiras, the competition holds a special meaning: winning it would provide some redemption. Under coach Abel Ferreira since 2020, Palmeiras lifted two Copa Libertadores titles, plus Brazilian league, cup and state championships. Even before Ferreira, it boasted another South American crown and 11 league titles. The only major trophy missing is a world champions’ title. Other Brazilian clubs like Fluminense FC and Botafogo FR, also in the tournament, have never won it either, but the problem for Palmeiras
Lionel Messi drew vast crowds and showed flashes of his brilliance when his Inter Miami side were held to a goalless draw by African giants Al-Ahly as the revamped FIFA Club World Cup got off to a festive start on Saturday. Fans showed up en masse for the Group A clash at the Hard Rock Stadium, home to the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, but Messi could not fully deliver, his best chance coming through a last-second attempt that was deflected onto the crossbar. Inter Miami next face FC Porto on Thursday in Atlanta, while Al-Ahly, who benefited from raucous, massive support, are to
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
Sergio Ramos on Tuesday outfoxed two Inter players and artfully headed home the first goal for Monterrey at the FIFA Club World Cup. The 39-year-old Ramos slipped through the penalty area for the score just as he did for so many years in the shirts of Real Madrid and Spain’s national team, with whom he combined smarts, timing and physicality. Ramos’ clever goal and his overall defensive play at the Rose Bowl were major factors in Monterrey’s impressive 1-1 draw against the UEFA Champions League finalists in the clubs’ first match of the tournament. “There is always a joy to contribute to the
RSS