Mark Bridge
Mark Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 7, 1985 Sydney, Australia |
| Occupation | Professional soccer player (former) |
| Years active | 2003–2020 (professional) |
| Known for | Scoring inaugural goal for Western Sydney Wanderers; first player to score in two separate A-League Grand Finals |
Mark Robert Bridge (born 7 November 1985) is a former Australian professional soccer player.
Bridge is recognized for scoring the inaugural goal for Western Sydney Wanderers, earning him the fan-given nickname King Bridge. On 18 April 2015, during the 26th round fixture against Adelaide United, he became the ninth individual to participate in 200 A-League matches.
Newcastle Jets
In 2005, Bridge transferred from Parramatta Power to Newcastle Jets as part of the first-ever A-League season. Although his initial period was slow, he emerged as the Jets' standout player in his sophomore season (2006/07), netting eight goals. The following season, he scored four times, including the match-winning goal in the 2008 A-League Grand Final.
Sydney FC
Following the conclusion of his contract with Newcastle, Bridge signed with Sydney FC on 3 March 2008 alongside teammates Simon Colosimo and John Aloisi. He opened his scoring account for Sydney with a goal in a 5–2 victory against Perth Glory at the Sydney Football Stadium.
During Sydney FC’s offseason in February 2009, Bridge was loaned to Chinese Super League side Tianjin Teda for a four-month stint. However, due to Tianjin’s early exit from the 2009 AFC Champions League, he returned to Sydney FC by May of that year.
Bridge made history as the first player to score in two separate A-League Grand Finals, delivering a headed goal against Melbourne Victory in the 09-10 final, which Sydney secured via penalties. Additionally, he scored in Sydney’s 3–2 triumph over Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua during the 2011 AFC Champions League, aiding their advancement prospects.
Early in the 2011–12 A-League season opener versus Melbourne Victory, Bridge received a red card following an altercation with Rodrigo Vargas; the match concluded in a goalless draw.
On 1 June 2012, Bridge and Sydney FC mutually agreed to part ways and terminate his contract.
Western Sydney Wanderers
Bridge joined the newly established Western Sydney Wanderers on 30 June 2012.
He made history on 27 October 2012 by scoring the Wanderers’ first-ever A-League goal during their fourth match against Brisbane Roar. Bridge also achieved the club’s inaugural hat-trick in a commanding 6–1 victory over Adelaide United within their maiden season and concluded as top scorer with eleven goals. He remains Western Sydney Wanderers’ all-time leading scorer.
On 25 October 2014, Bridge was part of the squad that clinched the Asian Champions League title by defeating Al Hilal 1–0 on aggregate, marking Western Sydney Wanderers as the first Australian team to win this prestigious competition. This triumph secured their qualification for the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup held in Morocco.
Chiangrai United
After four seasons at Western Sydney Wanderers, Bridge signed with Thai Premier League outfit Chiangrai United on 27 May 2016. He ended his contract with Chiangrai United on 6 July 2017.
Return to Western Sydney Wanderers
In July 2017, Bridge secured a two-year deal to return to Western Sydney Wanderers.
Mounties Wanderers FC
Bridge joined Mounties Wanderers FC, a National Premier Leagues NSW 2 club, on 12 March 2019 following the conclusion of the 2018–19 A-League season.
Blacktown Premier Spurs and Camden Tigers
Following his retirement from semi-professional NPL competition in 2020, Mark Bridge continued playing local football within the Blacktown & District Soccer Football Association. In 2024, he committed to Camden Tigers competing in the Macarthur District Soccer Football Association.
International career
Bridge represented Australia at the under-20 level, achieving 9 goals in as many matches, and also featured for the under-23 national team. Although called up for the senior squad during the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, he did not make the final tournament roster. He debuted for the senior national team in a friendly against Singapore in March 2008 and was named in Australia's squad for the 2008 Olympics.
A-League statistics
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Parramatta Power | 2003–04 | National Soccer League | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| Newcastle Jets | 2005–06 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2006–07 | 24 | 8 | — | — | 6 | 1 | 30 | 9 | ||||
| 2007–08 | 20 | 5 | — | — | 4 | 0 | 24 | 5 | ||||
| Total !50 | 13 | — | — | 10 | 1 | 60 | 14 | |||||
| Sydney FC | 2008–09 | 21 | 4 | — | — | — | 21 | 4 | ||||
| 2009–10 | 23 | 9 | — | — | — | 23 | 9 | |||||
| 2010–11 | 18 | 1 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 23 | 2 | ||||
| 2011–12 | 18 | 3 | — | — | — | 18 | 3 | |||||
| Total !80 | 17 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 85 | 18 | |||||
| Tianjin Teda (loan) | 2009 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 2012–13 | 27 | 11 | — | — | — | 27 | 11 | ||||
| 2013–14 | 26 | 5 | — | 9 | 2 | — | 35 | 7 | ||||
| 2014–15 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 5 | ||
| 2015–16 | 24 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 9 | ||||
| 2017–18 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 24 | 5 | ||||
| Total !116 | 32 | 6 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 136 | 37 | |||
| Career total !248 | 62 | 6 | 1 | 23 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 288 | 69 | |||
Honours
- A-League Championship title secured in the 2007–08 season
- A-League Premiership winner during the 2009–10 campaign
- A-League Championship achieved in the 2009–10 season
- A-League Premiership earned in the 2012–13 season
- Champions of the AFC Champions League in 2014
Australia U20
- Victors of the OFC U-20 Championship in 2005
Individual
- Awarded Western Sydney Wanderers Player of the Year for the 2012–13 and 2015–16 seasons
- Selected for the A-League All Star squad in 2013
External links
- Pages with script errors
- Articles with short description
- Articles with hCards
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- 1985 births
- Living people
- Australia men's international soccer players
- Australia men's under-20 international soccer players
- Olympic soccer players for Australia
- Footballers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- A-League Men players
- A-League Men All-Stars
- Parramatta Power SC players
- Newcastle Jets FC players
- Sydney FC players
- Western Sydney Wanderers FC players
- Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C. players
- Chiangrai United F.C. players
- National Soccer League (Australia) players
- Parramatta FC players
- Australian expatriate men's soccer players
- Expatriate men's footballers in China
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in China
- Expatriate men's footballers in Thailand
- Australian expatriate sportspeople in Thailand
- Soccer players from Sydney
- Men's association football midfielders
- Men's association football forwards
- Mounties Wanderers FC players
- AFC Champions League Elite–winning players
- Australian men's soccer players
- 21st-century Australian sportsmen
- A-League Men championship–winning players