FROM a nine-year-old who was initially rejected by his local under 12s team because he was "too small and needed to go home and eat more porridge" to leading the Socceroos from 1964 to 1974 through three World Cup campaigns as captain and vice-captain, Johnny Warren was by far Australia's greatest soccer player.
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Warren was extremely talented and extremely tough, especially after being raised in the Sydney suburb of Botany.
He attended the Cleveland Street University, an area that is still owned by the famous South Sydney Rabbitohs, where of all sports, he chose soccer.
The game was looked upon as a "girly sport" in those rough and tumble times of the 1960s.
Unbeknownst to most, the first recorded international soccer match in the world was played at the Sydney Showground in 1880 between Australia and China, and, believe it or not, in those times, Australia was one of only six countries that was part of a world governing body.
Amazingly, some of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia are actually soccer clubs, like Wallsend and Adamstown in Newcastle and Balgownie and Corrimal in Wollongong that were established in the 19th century.
After his father took young John to a soccer match in 1949 to see the visiting Yugoslavian team defeat Australia 3-2 at the Sydney Showground, Warren began his career with Earlwood juniors before rocketing up the ranks with St George Budapest.
Warren quickly learnt further skills by watching and playing with and against the migrant mix of Italian, Hungarian, Greek and South American refugees who came to Australia and blended with Australian players, passing, heading and flicking the ball with the outside of the boot and other techniques not seen before in Australia.
Warren, who later gained the nickname "Captain Socceroo", won selection in the first Australian squad chosen to try and qualify for the World Cup in England in 1966. Scotland visited Australia in 1967 and won 1-0 in Sydney.
The Scottish goal was scored by a youngster named Alex Ferguson who would later find fame and fortune and a knighthood for services to Manchester United.
An attacking forward, Warren captained Australia a record 24 times from 42 appearances in Australia's colours from 1964 till 1974. He scored the winning goal for St George in the 1974 NSW Premier League grand final before retiring to his farm at Jamberoo which he named Maracana after the famous Rio De Janeiro Stadium.
His career blossomed into the media as a broadcaster of renown. Sadly, he died aged 61 from lung cancer in 2014 and was buried in Jamberoo Cemetery as the most decorated player of any sport in Australia.
His honours included Member of British Empire, Order of Australia Medal, FIFA Hall of Champions Medal, Australian Sports Medal, Centenary Medal and the FIFA Order of Merit Medal.
He was inducted into the Australian Sports Hall of Fame, has a Street in Sydney's suburb of Glenwood named in his honour and was the first Australian footballer with a statue erected at the Sydney Cricket Ground in his name.
