Alex Jason Brosque (/bɹɒsk(e)/ BROSK or bros-KEH; Spanish: [ˈaleɣs ˈβɾoske]; born 12 October 1983) is an Australian former professional soccer player who was the captain of A-League club Sydney FC. He played primarily as a striker but played predominantly as a midfielder in central midfield during his time in Japan.
Brosque was born in Sydney, to Uruguayan parents, who migrated to Australia in the 70s.
In 2001 Brosque, aged 18, began his career playing for Marconi Stallions in the now-defunct National Soccer League. In three seasons at the club he made over 50 appearances and was considered one of Australia's best prospects having been voted NSL Under-21 Player of the Year for consecutive seasons in 2003 and 2004.
His form at club and international level attracted international attention, and after the conclusion of the 03-04 NSL season Brosque signed for Dutch club Feyenoord Rotterdam. He was immediately loaned out to Belgian club Westerlo where he struggled due to an ankle injury, making only sixteen appearances and scoring two goals.
With the creation of the new A-League Brosque returned to Australia, signing for Brisbane Roar. Brosque, along with his team, struggled in front of goal for much of the 2005–06 season (at one point Brisbane led the league in total shots but was second last in goals scored) before scoring four times in the last three games of the season to nearly take his team to the A-League semi finals. Brosque won the inaugural Reebok Golden Boot along with Stewart Petrie, Archie Thompson and Bobby Despotovski with 8 goals.
On 11 February 2006 Alex Brosque announced his move to then champions Sydney FC. He joined the club for the A-League 2006-07 season on a three-year contract. Brosque played his first game for Sydney against his former club Queensland Roar in the Pre-season cup on 15 July 2006, setting up the first goal before scoring the match-winner in Sydney's 2–1 victory. He scored his first A-League goal for Sydney FC against Perth Glory in round 17. Brosque scored in the 1–1 draw that got Sydney FC into the 2006–2007 finals series against his old club the Roar which knocked them out in the process.
After a disappointing first year at Sydney FC, Brosque discovered some of his best form and was the leading goal scorer for Sydney FC with 8 in the regular season. He scored two crucial braces against Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners which gained Sydney some valuable points during the season. His partnership with Juninho Paulista was evident during the season, with 5 of his goals coming from the Brazilian's killer passes.
Brosque also scored 2 of the 5 goals scored by Sydney against Los Angeles Galaxy at Telstra Stadium in November 2007. At the end of the 2007/2008 season he became Sydney's highest goalscorer, with 11 goals (including the games against Los Angeles Galaxy) for the season.
Brosque continued to be a regular for Sydney FC entering into his third season with the club. He scored his first goal of the 08/09 season in Sydney's 5–2 demolition of Perth Glory, taking his tally to 13 – making him Sydney's 2nd highest goalscorer behind former captain Steve Corica on 15. He scored his next goal a fortnight later against Adelaide United in Sydney's 3–0 win, taking him to within a goal of being Sydney's highest goalscorer. Brosque led the Hyundai A-League with 7 assists in the 08/09 season.
Brosque started the 09/10 season impressively forming a strong partnership with Mark Bridge in the forward line. These performances saw Brosque rewarded with a recall to the Socceroos for the first time in over four years. On 22 July 2010, Brosque signed a three-year contract extension with Sydney FC, keeping him at the club until the end of the 2013–14 season.
Brosque was capped in his 100th game for Sydney FC during the Round 14 game against Perth Glory at Parramatta Stadium. Sydney would go on to win 2–0, with Brosque scoring his 29th goal to seal the victory for the Sky Blues.
On 31 January 2011, Sydney FC agreed to release Brosque for $400,000 to join Shimizu S-Pulse, however Sydney FC vice chairman Scott Barlow announced Sydney was considering its options as to filing a complaint with FIFA, for the club believed Shimizu S-Pulse approached Brosque without the club's permission. Alex made his debut for his new club on 5 March 2011, playing a full game in the 3–0 loss to Kashiwa Reysol, the club's first match of the 2011 J-league Season Brosque scored his first goal for the club on 7 May 2011, scoring in the 18th minute to help his side claim a one-all draw against Nagoya Grampus.
On 26 September 2012, Brosque joined UAE Pro-League side Al Ain on a two-year contract. He made 39 appearances for the Emirates side and scored 14 goals.
On 26 June 2014, Brosque rejoined his former club Sydney FC on a two-year contract, after being released from Al Ain. On 8 October 2014, Brosque was announced as the captain of Sydney FC for the 2014–15 A-League season, alongside vice-captains Saša Ognenovski and Nikola Petković.
On 18 October 2014, Brosque played in his first Sydney Derby and scored the winning goal in the 79th minute.
Brosque reached double digits for the first time in his career during the 2016/17 season, scoring the opener against Melbourne City in a comprehensive 3–0 win. Brosque captained his side to the A-League double – winning both the regular season premiership and the A-League grand final. The premiership was won with four games to go, as the Sky Blues broke records and were heralded one of the A-League's greatest ever teams.
Brosque made his 200th appearance for Sydney FC in all competitions in the 2017 A-League Grand Final, which Sydney won 4–2 on penalties against Melbourne Victory.
On 14 September 2017, Brosque scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season, in a 2–0 win against Melbourne City in the 2017 FFA Cup. His first league goal came in Round 10 against Western Sydney Wanderers in a 5–0 drubbing from the Sky Blues. The game was also a milestone match for the captain, equalling club legend Terry McFlynn's appearances stat in all competitions – 214. This record was eventually broken the following round in a 3–1 win against Melbourne City, scoring the third goal of the match to top off the win.