Man Utd's 'worst ever signing' was fined for Nazi salute and had £4k-a-week cocaine habit
Mark Bosnich's nightmare spell at Manchester United was short-lived after failing to impress his team-mates, before his debilitating cocaine habit took over.
Goalkeeper Mark Bosnich was crowned Man Utd's 'worst ever signing' (Image: Getty)
From drug-fuelled binges to offensive anti-Semitic gestures, Mark Bosnich's football career is remembered more for incidents away from the pitch rather than what achieved on it. Bosnich was signed by Manchester United in 1999 as a replacement for Peter Schmeichel.
It was a move legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson later claimed he had tried to veto in his autobiography. And it quickly became clear to the rest of the squad he wasn't up to the standard required for the Red Devills.
His former team-mate and United icon Paul Scholes recalled how Bosnich struck him as "unprofessional" during training and labelled him their "worst ever signing", which led to his downfall after a nightmare two-year spell at Old Trafford.
"I thought he was a good keeper at Villa, Mark. But he came to us and he was so unprofessional, honestly it was ridiculous," Scholes said, speaking on The Overlap.
"His shooting practice, you normally have like 15 out of 20 shots... after three shots, he's knackered. And I never realised, he couldn't kick a football, I'd never seen anything like it.
"We actually played Everton away the first game of the season and none of us picked up on it, he couldn't reach the halfway line [with his goal kicks]. There was no wind. You look at his feet, size 14s. He was just kicking the floor all the time like a big flipper. But honestly, it was a bit disappointing."
Mark Bosnich struggled to save shots in training, according to Paul Scholes (Image: Getty)
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After United signed Fabien Barthez, Bosnich joined Chelsea in January 2001 and made only seven appearances for the Blues before he failed a drugs test in September 2002.
Bosnich was banned by the Football Association for nine months after testing positive for cocaine and Chelsea decided to sack him. The goalkeeper cited his sacking from his £42,000-a-week contract as an unfair dismissal, but his appeal was denied.
After serving his ban, he opened up about addiction to the A-class drug, spending around £4,000 a week to fuel his habit, which he claimed started after he allegedly tried to deter his girlfriend Sophie Anderton from taking it.
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Mark Bosnich claimed he took cocaine to allegedly deter girlfriend Sophie Anderton from doing so. (Image: Getty)
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"I wasn't taking any drugs when I was found guilty by the FA. In 15 years of football I never touched them," Bosnich said in 2003, as per the Sydney Morning Herald. "But everybody believed that I was into drugs, especially because of my relationship with Sophie [Anderton, his girlfriend].
"So one day I thought, 'f*** it, I'm going to do it'. I went to a club, bought a £50 wrap of coke, and brought it home to try. Basically, I cracked. I was angry and bitter and I succumbed to what everyone said I was, a coke fiend."
Bosnich revealed he reached a stage where he was taking "six grams of cocaine a day" and experienced insomnia after staying up all night playing video games for four nights in a row.
Mark Bosnich played only seven times for Chelsea before his sacking (Image: Getty)
The turning point came when his father, Mark Snr, arrived in the UK for an impromptu visit from their native Austria. But Bosnich mistook him for a burglar and nearly shot him with an airgun.
"I heard a noise downstairs and I thought it was a burglar, so I raced down with my pistol," he added. "As he [his dad] came around the corner I grabbed him and put the gun to his head. I was so high I didn't know what I was doing.
"My father was shocked ... he said he wouldn't leave until I had kicked drugs. It was that moment that I realised I couldn't do this to my family and the people I loved. I had to take control of my drug problem."
Of course, this wasn't Bosnich's only controversial moment in his career. Back in 1996, he was forced to publicly apologise for making a Nazi salute while playing for Aston Villa against Tottenham and fined £1,000 by the FA.
Mark Bosnich now works for Australian TV analysing football (Image: Getty)
"To be honest I'm a bit distraught ... I'd just like to say that it was something done out of ignorance," Bosnich said at the time.
"For me it was a real joke, but it's been taken so much out of proportion and I'm so, so sorry. I know the Spurs fans have lost people in the war, but I also lost people in the war.
"I thought the crowd were laughing with me. Obviously I was mistaken. It's been taken out of context and I'm really sorry. I was being taunted all game. I'm so sad. I'll stand up in front of everyone and state my case."
Now 52, Bosnich has rehabilitated himself and lives in his native Australia. He works as an analyst for Fox Sports Australia and Stan Sports, in addition to representing players as an agent.
