Lucas Neill turned aside advances from Liverpool to join West Ham United from Blackburn Rovers for an undisclosed fee in January 2007.

His immediate influence in the dressing room was widely regarded as one of the key factors in the club's successful battle for survival. It was no surprise when he was appointed captain for the 2007/08 campaign - a role he relishes and in which he has earned the unstinting support of his team-mates.

Born in Sydney, Neill was registered on a football scholarship with the Australian Institute of Sport after leaving college in 1994. Aged 17, he moved to London in November 1995 and spent six years at Millwall. Neill scored 13 goals during his 174 appearances at the New Den, where he helped the Lions roar to the old Second Division championship in 2001.

Months after leading Millwall back to the second-tier, though, Neill stepped up another level to the Premiership, signing for newly-promoted Blackburn in a £1m deal. Neill made his Rovers' debut in a 1-0 defeat at Sunderland in September 2001 and he scored the first of his eight goals for the club soon afterwards in a 1-1 draw against Bolton Wanderers.

Having established himself as a first-team regular, he played a pivotal role as Graeme Souness's men established themselves back in the top flight and ended the campaign in glorious fashion, securing the League Cup for the first time in Rovers' history with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

A reliable and versatile performer who, although recognised as a right-back, is equally comfortable in the centre of defence, Neill was a model of consistency under Mark Hughes and, in just over five seasons at Ewood Park, he made 227 league and cup appearances, enjoying two UEFA Cup campaigns and missing just a handful of matches during his spell with the club.

Neill became the second-youngest Australian international when he made his full debut at the age of just 18, against Saudi Arabia in October 1996 and, eleven years later, he then became the 50th player to captain Australia.

In November 2005, he was named man of the match as the Socceroos earned a penalty shoot-out victory over Uruguay in a World Cup qualifying play-off match to secure their place at the 2006 finals in Germany, and he then played a key role in the centre of defence as Guus Hiddink's team progressed through tough group matches against Brazil, Croatia and Japan to reach the second round, where they were unfortunate to lose to eventual winners Italy after conceding a controversial penalty in the final minute of extra-time.

After stating his intention not to sign a new contract at Ewood Park, Neill reportedly became a target for both Liverpool and Barcelona, before opting to sign for West Ham United during the January 2007 transfer window.  Despite picking up an ankle injury on his Hammers' debut in the FA Cup fourth round against Watford, he bravely battled his way back to fitness and played a dozen games as the club avoided the drop.

Going into the 2007/08 season, the Australia skipper was a key man for his country and he kicked off the season as West Ham United captain, too, after Alan Curbishley handed his respected leader the armband. Towards the end of the campaign, he underlined his versatility with some strong performances at centre-back, a position he has also become accustomed to at international level.