Paul Wade
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| Paul Wade | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | March 20, 1962 | |
| Place of birth | Cheshire, England | |
| Position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | retired | |
| Professional clubs* | ||
| Years | Club | Apps (goals) |
| 1984 1985–86 1987–95 1995 1995–96 |
Green Gully Brunswick Juventus South Melbourne FC Heidelberg United Canberra Cosmos |
28 (4) 49 (11) 184 (27) 6 (0) 45 (11) |
| National team** | ||
| 1986–1996 | Australia | 84 (??) |
|
* Professional club appearances and goals |
||
Paul Wade (born 1962 in Cheshire, England) is a retired Australian football (soccer) player, who is most famous for his long-term role as captain of the Socceroos, Australia's national team.
Contents |
[edit] Club career
Born in England, Wade moved to Australia with his parents at age 11. By 1984, he had attained Australian citizenship and represented his adopted country for the first time, playing for Australia's "B" side against Tasmania. That same year, he made his debut in the National Soccer League with the Green Gully Cavaliers.
Wade played just one season with Green Gully before joining Brunswick Juventus the following season and helping them win the 1985 NSL Championship. He played two seasons with Brunswick before joining South Melbourne FC where he spent eight seasons, winning another NSL title in 1991, the NSL Cup in 1990 and a minor premiership (first overall at the end of the regular season) in 1993. Wade was also named NSL Player of the Year in 1988.
He joined the Canberra Cosmos in 1995 for what would be his final two seasons, but was unable to help the team from the bottom of the standings in either campaign. He announced his retirement from competitive football in 1997 at the end of the NSL season.
Wade's club career was spent entirely in Australia, a rarity for players from that country who often go to Europe on the lure of a better quality of football, more passionate fan support and higher salaries. Wade played a total of 345 games in the NSL.
[edit] International career
Wade's 84 "A" international appearances for Australia make him the second most capped player in the country's history (only Alex Tobin, with 87, had more). In total, Wade played 118 games for Australia between 1986 and 1996. He represented the Socceroos at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and in two FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns (1990 and 1994).
One of his most famous moments came in 1993, during qualifying for the 1994 World Cup when Australia faced Argentina. Faced with the dubious honour of marking star Diego Maradona, Wade was valiant in helping Australia stay in the two games, although they would eventually lose 2-1 on aggregate goals following a 1-0 defeat in Buenos Aires.
His final international game was on November 30, 1996 in Canberra against Tahiti.
[edit] Post-retirement
Wade's experience and popularity as an Australian international allowed for an easy transition to a career as a sports presenter. Wade has worked as a commentator and analyst with both the Nine Network and SBS, the latter of which has a strong ethnic demographic and thus makes football a healthy part of its programming lineup. He has also appeared on cable television channels TVN and Fox Sports 1 as a soccer analyst.
He also began the Paul Wade Soccer Schools program, which visits primary schools in various locations around Australia developing the game of football. They have quickly risen to become the leading football development program in the country, aiming to help kids "play like a Socceroo legend."
[edit] Quotes
- "You're never too old... I didn't represent anyone 'til I was 22."
[edit] Miscellanea
- In 1995 Wade released his autobiography, Captain Socceroo the Paul Wade story.
- Wade has epilepsy and often makes appearances at functions dedicated to promoting awareness of the condition.
