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| Mat Ryan, the Socceroos' ball-playing goalkeeper with the world at his feet | Mat Ryan, the Socceroos' ball-playing goalkeeper with the world at his feet |
| (1 day later) | |
| Australia has long had a history of producing quality goalkeepers. Mark Bosnich was between the sticks for Aston Villa and Manchester United for eight years, and picked up an English Premier League title and two League Cups. Zeljko Kalac spent 11 years with clubs in Holland and Italy, winning a Dutch Cup, the Intertoto Cup and claiming a hat-trick of trophies in the Uefa Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup with AC Milan in 2007. Mark Schwarzer has starred in England for nearly two decades and is still going strong in the Premier League, now with Leicester City at the age of 42. | Australia has long had a history of producing quality goalkeepers. Mark Bosnich was between the sticks for Aston Villa and Manchester United for eight years, and picked up an English Premier League title and two League Cups. Zeljko Kalac spent 11 years with clubs in Holland and Italy, winning a Dutch Cup, the Intertoto Cup and claiming a hat-trick of trophies in the Uefa Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup with AC Milan in 2007. Mark Schwarzer has starred in England for nearly two decades and is still going strong in the Premier League, now with Leicester City at the age of 42. |
| Like Bosnich, Kalac and Schwarzer, Mat Ryan is also from western Sydney and has worn the Socceroos’ number one jersey. But the youngster from Plumpton, in only his fifth year of professional football, could one day surpass them all. Already an Asian Cup winner and an established shot-stopper in European football, with 19 international caps and the experience of a World Cup under his belt, the best years of Ryan’s career are still to come. | Like Bosnich, Kalac and Schwarzer, Mat Ryan is also from western Sydney and has worn the Socceroos’ number one jersey. But the youngster from Plumpton, in only his fifth year of professional football, could one day surpass them all. Already an Asian Cup winner and an established shot-stopper in European football, with 19 international caps and the experience of a World Cup under his belt, the best years of Ryan’s career are still to come. |
| At the weekend, Ryan and his Belgian side Club Brugge claimed the Belgian Cup, beating arch rivals Anderlecht 2-1. On Thursday morning Australian time the keeper and his Socceroo team-mates will face Germany in Kaiserslautern in a friendly. In three weeks Club Brugge will pit themselves against Ukraine’s Dnipro for a Europa League semi-final berth. | At the weekend, Ryan and his Belgian side Club Brugge claimed the Belgian Cup, beating arch rivals Anderlecht 2-1. On Thursday morning Australian time the keeper and his Socceroo team-mates will face Germany in Kaiserslautern in a friendly. In three weeks Club Brugge will pit themselves against Ukraine’s Dnipro for a Europa League semi-final berth. |
| Speaking before Australia tackle Die Mannschaft, Ryan admits it has been a whirlwind journey for him: “Sometimes before I go to bed or something, I sit there and gather my thoughts and think of what I’m doing. I’m actually playing for the Socceroos, the national team I grew up idolising as a little kid and all you wanted to do and dream about. You probably hear a lot of cliches but for it to be the reality and to do what I do for a living, for everything I’ve achieved along the way, it’s hard to sort of gather your thoughts and take it all in. Life goes on so quickly and with all these games you hardly have time to take it all in.” | Speaking before Australia tackle Die Mannschaft, Ryan admits it has been a whirlwind journey for him: “Sometimes before I go to bed or something, I sit there and gather my thoughts and think of what I’m doing. I’m actually playing for the Socceroos, the national team I grew up idolising as a little kid and all you wanted to do and dream about. You probably hear a lot of cliches but for it to be the reality and to do what I do for a living, for everything I’ve achieved along the way, it’s hard to sort of gather your thoughts and take it all in. Life goes on so quickly and with all these games you hardly have time to take it all in.” |
| Competing against the world’s best is a long way from Ryan’s roots, on the outskirts of Sydney. He took up a number of sports as a kid, from tennis to touch football, but found his niche with football and started off as a junior with Marconi and then Blacktown City. It’s been a fair slog for the shot-stopper and his family has played a key role. | Competing against the world’s best is a long way from Ryan’s roots, on the outskirts of Sydney. He took up a number of sports as a kid, from tennis to touch football, but found his niche with football and started off as a junior with Marconi and then Blacktown City. It’s been a fair slog for the shot-stopper and his family has played a key role. |
| “It’s an extra special journey I’ve gone through with my mum as a single parent from when I was the age of 10 and my sister was 12,” Ryan reflects. “A single mother working a nine to five job and she’s got to organise to take me to school, my sister to school, and all those sorts of things. Fees and all that for my football weren’t easy. You take all of that from not earning a lot of money, she battled through it, she found ways to provide for the family. I’m obviously very thankful for that.” | “It’s an extra special journey I’ve gone through with my mum as a single parent from when I was the age of 10 and my sister was 12,” Ryan reflects. “A single mother working a nine to five job and she’s got to organise to take me to school, my sister to school, and all those sorts of things. Fees and all that for my football weren’t easy. You take all of that from not earning a lot of money, she battled through it, she found ways to provide for the family. I’m obviously very thankful for that.” |
| At Blacktown City Ryan was taken under the wing of John Crawley and made his way to the Central Coast Mariners. Thrown into the A-League fray at the tender age of 18, after first-choice keeper Jess Vanstrattan went down with an injury, Ryan struggled in his debut match. But Mariners coach Graham Arnold showed faith in the teenager, and was repaid, as Ryan recorded 12 clean sheets in his first season and was named A-League Young Footballer of the Year. | At Blacktown City Ryan was taken under the wing of John Crawley and made his way to the Central Coast Mariners. Thrown into the A-League fray at the tender age of 18, after first-choice keeper Jess Vanstrattan went down with an injury, Ryan struggled in his debut match. But Mariners coach Graham Arnold showed faith in the teenager, and was repaid, as Ryan recorded 12 clean sheets in his first season and was named A-League Young Footballer of the Year. |
| He went from strength to strength in Australia’s domestic competition, earned his first Socceroos cap in 2012, and won the A-League grand final with the Mariners in 2013. The Central Coast has been a great breeding ground in recent years for some of Australia’s best talent, and Ryan was no different. For three years he and forward Bernie Ibini, now with Sydney FC, even lived in a caravan together as they learnt their trade. | He went from strength to strength in Australia’s domestic competition, earned his first Socceroos cap in 2012, and won the A-League grand final with the Mariners in 2013. The Central Coast has been a great breeding ground in recent years for some of Australia’s best talent, and Ryan was no different. For three years he and forward Bernie Ibini, now with Sydney FC, even lived in a caravan together as they learnt their trade. |
| “As young boys at the Mariners on minimum wage, it worked out fairly well with the location. Me and him would travel up there and stay there during the week. It proved good for me coming to live over here [Europe]. I already had developed some skills to fend for myself and cook and all those sorts of things. I had to grow up and mature a lot faster to survive.” | “As young boys at the Mariners on minimum wage, it worked out fairly well with the location. Me and him would travel up there and stay there during the week. It proved good for me coming to live over here [Europe]. I already had developed some skills to fend for myself and cook and all those sorts of things. I had to grow up and mature a lot faster to survive.” |
| Then Ryan was off to Club Brugge where again, with a mixture of luck and injury, he was thrown quickly in the deep end. He didn’t sink, claiming the Belgium Pro League Goalkeeper of the Year award last season and helping Club Brugge to a third-place league finish. | Then Ryan was off to Club Brugge where again, with a mixture of luck and injury, he was thrown quickly in the deep end. He didn’t sink, claiming the Belgium Pro League Goalkeeper of the Year award last season and helping Club Brugge to a third-place league finish. |
| With the Socceroos restructuring under Ange Postecoglou and Schwarzer stepping down, the number one shirt was handed to Ryan. While last year’s World Cup proved a testing experience, with nine goals in three games leaked by a rookie Australian defence, Ryan has bounced back. His form has gone to another level with Club Brugge unbeaten in the Europa League and currently top of the Belgian Pro League. | With the Socceroos restructuring under Ange Postecoglou and Schwarzer stepping down, the number one shirt was handed to Ryan. While last year’s World Cup proved a testing experience, with nine goals in three games leaked by a rookie Australian defence, Ryan has bounced back. His form has gone to another level with Club Brugge unbeaten in the Europa League and currently top of the Belgian Pro League. |
| Throw in an Asian Cup trophy and the medal for the tournament’s best goalkeeper, and the biggest clubs in the world have been put on notice. Ryan was linked to Real Madrid in 2014 while in January Liverpool signaled their interest. Ryan, who grew up worshipping Thierry Henry and Arsenal’s “Invincibles”, is wise enough not to lose his focus at this important stage. | Throw in an Asian Cup trophy and the medal for the tournament’s best goalkeeper, and the biggest clubs in the world have been put on notice. Ryan was linked to Real Madrid in 2014 while in January Liverpool signaled their interest. Ryan, who grew up worshipping Thierry Henry and Arsenal’s “Invincibles”, is wise enough not to lose his focus at this important stage. |
| “I’ve been around the game a bit now to realise when you’re doing well this sort of interest comes around. The way I like to deal with it is to just keep my head down and let my agent sort out all of that stuff. Until something comes through it’s all just speculation. Nothing’s ever concrete. When my agent has something he’ll contact me and it’s coming to this time of the year and it’s important I’m playing well.” | “I’ve been around the game a bit now to realise when you’re doing well this sort of interest comes around. The way I like to deal with it is to just keep my head down and let my agent sort out all of that stuff. Until something comes through it’s all just speculation. Nothing’s ever concrete. When my agent has something he’ll contact me and it’s coming to this time of the year and it’s important I’m playing well.” |
| In November last year Ryan extended his contract with Club Brugge until the end of 2016-2017. He has established a strong rapport with the Blauw-Zwart fans, but wants to push himself further in one of Europe’s top leagues one day. | In November last year Ryan extended his contract with Club Brugge until the end of 2016-2017. He has established a strong rapport with the Blauw-Zwart fans, but wants to push himself further in one of Europe’s top leagues one day. |
| “Hopefully I can be successful here with Club Brugge and at the end of the season if something comes up we’ll sit down and discuss it. I want to challenge myself at the highest level I can, but in the meantime I want to be successful where I am.” | “Hopefully I can be successful here with Club Brugge and at the end of the season if something comes up we’ll sit down and discuss it. I want to challenge myself at the highest level I can, but in the meantime I want to be successful where I am.” |
| For now Germany, the top goalkeeper in the world Manuel Neuer and the world champions await. Ryan freely admits his own game is based on that of the Bayern Munich custodian, who he says is the benchmark. “For me he’s the best in the world…We are a similar style, we’re comfortable with the ball at our feet. We play a high sweeping role there at the back to help out the defence. The opportunity to come up against him is one I’m really looking forward to.” | For now Germany, the top goalkeeper in the world Manuel Neuer and the world champions await. Ryan freely admits his own game is based on that of the Bayern Munich custodian, who he says is the benchmark. “For me he’s the best in the world…We are a similar style, we’re comfortable with the ball at our feet. We play a high sweeping role there at the back to help out the defence. The opportunity to come up against him is one I’m really looking forward to.” |
| The milestones keep racking up for Ryan and there is little time for reflection. Whether his future lies in the Premier League, La Liga or the Bundesliga, the young keeper is keeping his feet on the ground. “I guess maybe one day when my career comes to an end you can sit back and soak it all up. But everything’s coming so thick and fast and you don’t really have time to realise what you’re achieving and what you’re doing. I’m just taking it day by day.” | The milestones keep racking up for Ryan and there is little time for reflection. Whether his future lies in the Premier League, La Liga or the Bundesliga, the young keeper is keeping his feet on the ground. “I guess maybe one day when my career comes to an end you can sit back and soak it all up. But everything’s coming so thick and fast and you don’t really have time to realise what you’re achieving and what you’re doing. I’m just taking it day by day.” |
| Germany v Australia – international friendly, Thursday 26 March, kick-off 6:30am AEDT. Join Richard Parkin for his minute-by-minute report from 6am |
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