Marco ("Mark") Bresciano (born on February 11, 1980 in Melbourne) is an Australian football midfielder, who currently plays for Parma in Italy's Serie A. Previous clubs include Carlton (1998-99) in Australia and Empoli (1999-2002) in Italy, from which he joined Parma in the summer of 2002 for around 7 million Euro. In 2003/2004, Bresciano scored the most goals of any mid-fielder in the Italian Serie A. Marco Bresciano is one of Australia's most talented footballers and has a renowned eye for goal. He usually plays his football on the left side slotted in the midfield but can also play as a forward and in the central midfeild role. Bresciano is a very versatile player who often assists in both attack and defence and is also a set-pice specialtist. Many regard him as the unsung hero of Australia's recent World Cup qualification victory. His correct first name is Mark and not, as is often reported, "Marco".
He has played for the Australian national team and has also represented Australia at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Bresciano and fellow Parma midfielder Vincenzo Grella were excused from the 2005 Confederations Cup by the then Australian manager Frank Farina to allow them to take part in a relegation playoff between Parma and Bologna. Bresciano has also played with Grella at Carlton and Empoli prior to the pair being reunited in 2004 when Grella joined Parma from Empoli.
On November 16, 2005, Bresciano scored the only goal in the Socceroos' home (second) leg of their 2006 World Cup qualification playoff against Uruguay. The playoff would end 1-1 on aggregate after extra time, and the Socceroos won the ensuing penalty shootout to advance to the World Cup, which will be held in Germany in mid-2006.
