Mark Bresciano vs Mathew Ryan
Australia against Australia. The almanac states its case, the crowd votes, you decide.
Mark Bresciano
Australia · 2004–15 · CM
- Almanac rating
- 84
- Rank in Australia
- #8 of 33
- Caps
- 84 · 13 goals
- Clubs
- Empoli, Parma Calcio 1913, Palermo
Thirty-five minutes into the Uruguay playoff in Sydney on 16 November 2005, the ball dropped to Bresciano six yards out and he put it into the roof of the net, then stood dead still with his fists clenched while Telstra Stadium came apart. The 2015 Asian Cup came a decade later, along with the 2004 OFC Nations Cup, a runners-up medal from the 2011 final, and 84 caps with 13 goals, sixth on Australia's all-time list. Career record: 84 caps and 13 goals for Australia; club career at Empoli, Parma Calcio 1913, Palermo.
Mathew Ryan
Australia · 2013–25 · GK
- Almanac rating
- 84
- Rank in Australia
- #9 of 33
- Caps
- 101 · 0 goals
- Clubs
- Central Coast Mariners, Club Brugge K.V., Brighton & Hove Albion
Ryan was winning his hundredth cap in Jeddah on 10 June 2025 when he beat out Salem Al-Dawsari's penalty in the 84th minute, and Australia held on to win 2-1 and reach a sixth straight World Cup. He won the 2015 Asian Cup at home and its Golden Glove, the Belgian Cup with Club Brugge, the A-League double with Central Coast in 2013, and kept two clean sheets in Qatar, a Socceroos record at a World Cup. Career record: 101 caps and 0 goals for Australia; club career at Central Coast Mariners, Club Brugge K.V., Brighton & Hove Albion.
The verdict
The almanac cannot separate them: both are rated 84.
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