Lucas Neill

Soccer Player

Lucas Neill was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on March 9th, 1978 and is the Soccer Player. At the age of 46, Lucas Neill biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.

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Date of Birth
March 9, 1978
Nationality
Australia
Place of Birth
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Age
46 years old
Zodiac Sign
Pisces
Profession
Association Football Player
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Lucas Neill Height, Weight, Eye Color and Hair Color

At 46 years old, Lucas Neill has this physical status:

Height
185cm
Weight
Not Available
Hair Color
Not Available
Eye Color
Not Available
Build
Not Available
Measurements
Not Available
Lucas Neill Religion, Education, and Hobbies
Religion
Not Available
Hobbies
Not Available
Education
Not Available
Lucas Neill Spouse(s), Children, Affair, Parents, and Family
Spouse(s)
Not Available
Children
Not Available
Dating / Affair
Not Available
Parents
Not Available
Lucas Neill Life

Lucas Edward Neill (born 9 March 1978) is an Australian former footballer.

Neill played as a defender, often playing as a centre back as well as a full back.

Neill spent almost 15 years of his career playing in England.

He represented Australia at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and also the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

On 6 October 2006 he was named the 50th captain of the Australian national team, and by the time of his retirement, had amassed a record 61 caps as captain.

He played for Millwall, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United, Everton, Galatasaray, Al Jazira, Al Wasl, Sydney FC, Omiya Ardija, Watford FC and Doncaster Rovers.

Early life

Neill's father moved to Australia from Northern Ireland, where he had played for local football clubs Brantwood F.C., Linfield F.C., and Cliftonville F.C. Neill grew up in Manly, Sydney and was a student at Wakehurst Public School in Belrose and St Augustine's College in Brookvale, before attending the Australian Institute of Sport on a football scholarship in 1994–95.

Personal life

Neill's son, Marcus, currently plays at the Liverpool F.C. Academy, having previously played at the Blackburn Rovers Academy. On 2 May 2016, Neill was declared bankrupt in the United Kingdom.

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Lucas Neill Career

Club career

Neill made his Millwall debut against Luton Town in 1996 on a free transfer in November 1995. He made 174 appearances in all competitions over the past six years at The Den, scoring 13 goals. Neill, the club's longest serving player, made a transfer request and immediately thereafter, he signed for Blackburn Rovers for £600,000 plus, up to £400,000 more depending on appearances.

Neill played his first Blackburn game against Sunderland in September 2001, scoring his first Blackburn goal against Bolton Wanderers later this month. Neill was regarded by Blackburn Rovers followers and was in a long line with the Blackburn Rovers. Blackburn won the 2001–02 Football League Cup, but Neill was cup-tied.

In 2003–04, Neill's hardworking and committed style of play in the Premier League attracted backlash, particularly when Blackburn had been chastised for their aggressive play. In a tackle at Ewood Park on Wednesday, he broke Jamie Carragher's leg when his trailing leg caught that of the Liverpool player. Carragher, a popular home-grown Liverpool player, was sidelined for six months, and the incident resulted in a war of words between Gérard Houllier and Graeme Souness after Neill and his boss did not apologise for 48 hours.

Neill "could play for any of the best clubs," Johan Neeskens, who was assistant to Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard during the 2006–07 season. He did not sign a new four-year deal for Blackburn Rovers on August 4, 2006. "He has enjoyed his time [at Blackburn], he loves the club and the fans, but he thinks it is time for a change," Peter Harrison, the player's agent, said. Liverpool is believed to have made a £2 million bid for Neill on August 30th; however, Blackburn denied this bid. Stephen Warnock wanted him to be in part exchange for Neill, but Liverpool was not ready to allow the left back to go. Chelsea rumors that they were also interested in his signature in late November. Neill, a Blackburn cult hero, was left under a lot of hysteria and became extremely unpopular among Blackburn followers. On his return to Ewood Park in March 2007, he was booed and barracked.

Following Liverpool's lucrative transfer of Stephen Warnock from Liverpool to Blackburn in January 2007, Neill turned down an unconfirmed bid from West Ham United. Neill was accused of having money as the primary motivator, but he later denied these allegations, claiming that the change was motivated solely for footballing reasons. Neill later told the world that Liverpool had not made him feel secure, and that he had not even talked to boss Rafael Bentez. In February 2007, Neill made his Hammers debut against Watford, where he sustained a knee injury. For the first time since losing 3–4 to Tottenham Hotspur the next month, he captained the team for the first time. He went on to play every remaining game of the season. Following Nigel Reo-Coker's transfer to Aston Villa, he became the permanent team captain. In the 1-1 draw against Wigan Athletic on August 25, Neill made his first appearance as team captain. In a 3–2 away loss to West Brom in September 2008, Neill scored his only goal for the West Ham. Neill turned down a one-year deal with West Ham and became a free agent at the end of the 2008–09 season.

On September 17, 2009, Neill joined Tim Cahill at Everton on a free transfer, making a one-year contract. During Everton's 4–0 Europa League victory over AEK Athens, he was unveiled to the fans at halftime.

In Everton's 4–0 win over Hull City, Neill played his first game in the League Cup on September 23, 2009, as a second half substitute for Leighton Baines. Neill made his Premier League debut against Bolton Wanderers on October 25, 2009. He scored two goals in a full match against Bolton Wanderers.

Neill decided to join Galatasaray, Turkey's largest Turkish side, on January 13, 2010. Neill joined Galatasaray for one-and-a-half years, teaming up with Socceroo teammate Harry Kewell. On January 24, 2010, Neill made his Turkish Super Lig debut for Galatasaray over a 1–0 home win over Gaziantepspor at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium. At the end of the 2010-2011 season, Neill, Kewell, and several others were among others who were released.

On August 19, 2011, it was revealed that he had signed a one-year deal with UAE Pro League Club Al Jazira. He had been released by the club on June 2, 2012.

He started a one-year deal with Al Wasl in August 2012. Neill was released from Al Wasl after the club signed Ahmad Khalaf, effectively replacing Neill as an import player.

Neill joined Sydney FC in February 2013. On February 24, 2013, he made his A-League debut for Sydney FC against Melbourne Heart. During his ten-game guest stint at Sydney FC, Neill appeared in just four games.

On August 18, Neill joined the Japanese team Omiya Ardija. For the remainder of the Japanese season, he has signed a four-month contract. Neill was not granted a contract extension in November 2013 and had to start looking for another club. He offered his services to all the A-League clubs, but no one responded, but no one invited him.

On February 24, 2014, Neill signed for Watford's remainder of the 2013-14 season, but he made just one appearance as an 84th-minute substitute in a 3–0 home win over Barnsley on March 15th, effectively ending his career as a player.

As Watford's injury worries faded, Neill joined Doncaster Rovers on a loan until March 22, 2014, which was then extended for the remainder of the 2013–14 season. Neill made four appearances for the club. Neill was close to joining Hakoah City East FC in the National Premier Leagues NSW, with Neill named as a potential head coach of the club, who are brimming with talented youth, as on September 8, 2015.

International career

Neill made his Australian national team debut in October 1996, after Duncan Cummings and Harry Kewell, when he played in a friendly match against Saudi Arabia aged 18 years and 7 months. He represented the Australian men's team, the Olyroos, at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Following extra time, Neill helped Australia qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup by playing the entire game and scoring the Socceroos' second goal in a shoot-out against Uruguay on November 16, 2005. For this game, he was named Man of the Match.

At the 2006 World Cup, Neill was involved in all four of Australia's games. He was involved in a volatile situation in Australia's Round of 16 game against Italy, when referee Luis Medina Cantalejo found Neill to have fouled Italian full back Fabio Grosso in the penalty area. Francesco Totti converted the ensuing penalty kick to score and win by 11-0, knocking Australia out of the competition.

Following the World Cup, Mark Hunter was crowned the 50th player to captain Australia on October 6th. In a 1–1 friendly against Paraguay in Brisbane on October 7, he made his debut as the Socceroos' captain. He captained Australia again in an Asian Cup qualifying game against Bahrain, which Australia defeated 21-0. In a friendly match against Uruguay that saw Australia lose 2–1. Neill captained the Socceroos again on June 2nd, 2007.

Neill verbally insulted the referee in the dying seconds of the Socceroos 3–1 loss to Iraq on July 13, 2007. He was issued his second yellow card and was sent home, caping a disappointing show by the Australian side. Neill failed a crucial penalty in a shootout against Japan that resulted in Australia's expulsion from the cup. In a World Cup qualifier against Japan, Neill played his 50th game for Australia against Japan, a game in which Australia defeated Japan 2–1 with Tim Cahill scoring both goals. In a World Cup qualifier against Jordan that finished 4–0, Neill scored his first international goal with a header in June 2013. It was his 91st appearance for Australia and he had 16 years and 245 days since his debut.

Neill came under a lot of flak in the media and from fans in the last part of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification (AFC). Since struggling to gain a new club job after not attempting to obtain a new club contract, Neill was unable to find a new club deal during this period. Neill continued to be named as the Socceroos captain after being ruled out of two Middle Eastern clubs, Al Jazira Club and Al Wasl FC, and having had minimal effect in his brief stint in Australia's domestic A-League. With these rumors hanging over his head, the Socceroos' age-related lack of energy was highlighted when the Socceroos were defeated 6–0 in a friendly against Brazil on September 7, 2013 and then beat France 6–0 against France on October 11, 2013. In the two friendlies, Fox Sports (Australia) produced a video recap of the 12 goals scored against the Socceroos and Brazil, recognizing Neill's involvement in the absence of defence for the bulk of those goals.

With commentator Robbie Slater's suggestion that Neill should stand down as Socceroos captain, sections of the press and social media demanded for him to leave. Given Neill's lack of speed in defence, another media commentator Mark Bosnich called Neill "part of the problem" for the upcoming 6–0 losses. Neill retaliated, refusing to discuss retirement but instead pointing to the squad's younger players. "I add value to the team and I have a ton of desirable attributes, but I am the perpetrator," Neill was quoted in the media interview.

It was announced on May 6, 2014, that Socceroos team boss Ange Postecoglou had warned Neill that he would not be a member of Australia's squad at the 2014 World Cup.

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Lucas Neill, a socceroos legend, went from $76,000 per week to being homeless and facing three years in prison

www.dailymail.co.uk, November 26, 2023
Neill, a member of the Socceroos' 2006 World Cup campaign, earned more than $40 million during his long and fruitful career, but was left with 'nothing to show for it.' The 45-year-old earned a fortune during big-money stints with clubs like Premier League champions West Ham (pictured, right), but he was left bankrupt just two years after he resigned, but just two years after he retired.

Since fired AFL coach Stuart Dew joined England, Australian soccer royalty Pat Cummins is seen hanging out with under-fire skipper Pat Cummins before their fifth Ashes Test

www.dailymail.co.uk, July 25, 2023
Following a fifth Ashes match at Old Trafford, former Socceroos captain and English Premier League defender Lucas Neill was spotted with Test captain Pat Cummins. The reclusive ex-skipper was caught with Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald just a week after fired former Suns coach Stuart Dew made a strange move to join the Australian Ashes squad. The reclusive, 45-year-old former Everton, West Ham, and Blackburn defender, who played 96 times for his country, has reportedly severed ties with the Australian football community after being booted from the top job by Ange Postecoglou on the eve of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Writes MIKE COLMAN explains the World Cup: The Australian spirit has pushed the Socceroos to new heights

www.dailymail.co.uk, December 1, 2022
'Australian fighting spirit has boosted.' We hear those words so often that they've become a cliché. Not to be confused with Queensland's spirit, Outback spirit, or Anzac spirit (which, it must be said, honors a loss), the Australian fighting spirit has risen to its highest level since Don Bradman was wearing short pants. Politicians, television presenters, and athletic coaches are all criticized. Wherever there is a flood, bushfire, or victory over the odds, there is always the effect of an advertisement jingle.
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