Lucas Neill is an international football defender who was born on March 9, 1978 in Sydney, Australia. His father, Eddie, was also a professional footballer who played for the Linfield Swifts, Cliftonville and Brantwood football clubs. Lucas Neill grew up in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and did his schooling at the Wakehurst Primary School, Belrose. He graduated from St. Augustine’s College, Brookvale and attended the Australian Institute of Sport on a football scholarship in 1994-95.
In October 1996, when Lucas Neill was just 18 years and 7 months old, he became the second youngest player to debut for the Australia national team in a friendly game against Saudi Arabia. He played for the Australia Under-23 team in the 2000 Summer Olympics held in Sydney. On November 16, 2005, Lucas Neill helped the national team qualify for the 2006 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup by playing in the game against Uruguay and scoring in the penalty shootout. He was named Man of the Match for his impressive performance throughout that game. Lucas Neill played in all four games for his country in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and on October 6, 2006, he was named the 50th player to captain the Australia national team. The next day, he captained his side for the first time in a friendly game against Paraguay, which ended in a 1-1 draw. On October 11, 2006, Lucas Neill led his side to a 2-0 victory over Bahrain in the 2007 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup qualification match. On June 2, 2007, he captained his team in another friendly match against Uruguay at Sydney’s Telstra Stadium. As of August 20, 2008, he has represented his national senior side in 44 games.
In November 1995, he joined Millwall on a free transfer, and in 1996, he made his debut for the club against the Luton Town Football Club. In September 2001, Millwall’s longest serving player, Lucas Neill, ended his spell with the club, after making 174 appearances and scoring 13 goals, by joining Blackburn Rovers. He played his first game for the Rovers in September 2001 against Sunderland and scored his first goal for the club against Bolton Wanderers in the same month. Lucas Neill played 35 games in the 2001-02 season for Blackburn Rovers and 45 games during the 2002-03 season. He proved to be one of the most consistent performers with the Rovers, and he was well-regarded as a player with a determined attitude. He continued to play the right-back position during his tenure of 5 years, and on the whole, he represented the Rovers in 188 matches.
In January 2007, Lucas Neill signed with West Ham United (the Hammers), and on February 10, 2007, he played his first Premiership match for the club against Watford. On March 4, 2007, he captained the Hammers side for the first time in the game against Tottenham Hotspur, and on July 27, 2007, he was selected to be the team’s permanent captain. Lucas Neill scored his first goal for the club against West Bromich Albion on September 14, 2007. As of August 2008, he has played in 49 games for the Hammers side.
