Alex Tobin

Born in Adeliade in 1965, Alex Tobin made his senior debut for Adelaide City in the 1984 National Soccer League. He amassed 522 appearances, most with Adelaide City before joining Parramatta Power and ending his playing career with Northern Spirit. He helped Adelaide City to three NSL titles and two Australian Cups, and made the most appearances for any player in Australian national domestic competition. Alex Tobin gained 87 full 'A' caps for Australia and appeared for his country a total of 113 times. He captained the Socceroos from 1995 after Paul Wade retired. He broke through into the Adelaide City senior team in 1984 at the age of 18 and formed the heart of the defence alongside Milan Ivanovic from 1989. He won the championship with Adelaide City for the first time in 1986 and also in 1991/92 and 1993/94. Excellent in the air and very solid on the ground his reliability and resilience marked him out as an exceptional defender. After 436 games for Adelaide City he left the club in 2000 and had spells at Parramatta Power and Northern Spirit before retiring after playing 522 games at national league level. The Professional Footballers Association award for the player who demonstrates leadership, achievement, commitment and service to his fellow players and the game has been the Alex Tobin Medal since 2008.