Former Fulham and Middlesbrough stopper wants to carry on playing.
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Experienced Chelsea goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer does not want this season to be his last as a professional footballer.
The former Australia international is second only to Tottenham Hotspur’s Brad Friedel on the list of the oldest players to feature in the Premier League this term.
Despite being just sixth months short of his 42nd birthday, Schwarzer insists that he is still working hard and learning new things in training.
He told The Sun: “Hopefully, I can continue playing beyond this season. That is certainly the plan and I am still excited about the future.
“I always had aspirations to leave Australia and play at the highest level. When you first break into football the big question is how long can you sustain it?
“That is all part of the unknown and all part of the experience.
“At the right times in my career I was able to identify certain aspects of football that were very important in terms of longevity.
“I have been reasonably fortunate with regards to injury. But it’s also down to a lot of work I do on and off the pitch. That helps prevent injuries as well.
“I realised early on in my career that there is always something to learn. I’ve always felt like I’m learning something pretty much every day, so things have been going well with Chelsea since the day I signed.
“It’s really good to work for Jose [Mourinho]. It’s intense but there are some fun times. It’s an unbelievable experience.”
Schwarzer has been plying his trade in Europe since 1994 when he signed for Dynamo Dresden from semi-professional Sydney-based side Marconi Stallions.
In 1997, he joined Middlesbrough, via brief spells at Kaiserslautern and Bradford City.
After making over 400 appearances for Boro during 11 years on Teesside, he moved to Fulham in 2008, making 220 starts for the Cottagers before leaving to join local rivals Chelsea on a free transfer in July.
Schwarzer has featured in nine first-team games for Chelsea, including Sunday’s 2-0 win at Liverpool and last Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Atletico Madrid, which ended 0-0.
In total, he has kept seven clean sheets for the Stamford Bridge club.
His current contract is due to expire in June.
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