Born in Melbourne, Mark Bresciano made 84 appearances for the Australia national team, during which he scored 13 goals, and yet he spent most of his career in Italy.
Between 1999 and 2011, the now 41-year-old played in the European country for Empoli, Parma, Palermo and Lazio, before heading to the United Arab Emirates and Dubai in the latter years of his career.
Bresciano, however, could have made the jump to England, where Manchester City were keen to bring him to the Premier League in 2007.
One year after joining Palermo, the player was approached by two English sides, with a move to the north of England the closest he ever came to a transfer on this side of the Channel.
“But then, at the last moment, [Maurizio] Zamparini had decided not to let me leave. For me, it was a huge disappointment. I think it was the worst moment of my career”.
For those who don’t remember, that was the same year the likes of Rolando Bianchi, Vedran Corluka, Elano, Valeri Bojinov, Martin Petrov and Gelson Fernandes were bought, before Felipe Caicedo, Benjani and Nery Castillo all arrived in January for Manchester City.
As for Mark Bresciano these days, he builds houses to then rent or sell in Australia, where he has also specialised in the cannabis business.
