WHILE Lucas Neill tucks into his cereal this morning and Brett Holman nibbles on a piece of toast the chef at the Socceroos hotel will be exiting the kitchen carrying a sizzling, scented tray for one player only.

While the sun has barely risen, underneath will be a succulent medium-rare sirloin accompanied by vegetables - probably a Chinese-style stir fried cabbage.

The meat-and-veg routine will be carried out for lunch and dinner, with pistachio snacks in between coupled with protein shakes and bars after gym sessions.

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Pasta, bread, rice, cheese and even yoghurt are never on the menu while black coffee is the only beverage aside from water.

For Mark Schwarzer, who turns 41 in October, a radical change to his eating habits now has him on the verge of creating history.

If he plays at next year's World Cup he will become the oldest keeper to do so, overtaking illustrious trio Pat Jennings, Peter Shilton and Dino Zoff, and the second oldest player after Camerunian Roger Milla.

Schwarzer's eating habits were turned on their head after approaching Fulham's nutritionist Steve Hines five months prior to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

"He said how much do you want it? I said I will do whatever I have to do. He came up with a weights program to shed more body fat and then we changed my diet," Schwarzer said.

"I've never had an issue of being overweight but body fat has become a big thing in the UK over the last five years and my body fat count was quite high for my shape.

"I did a Bootcamp type diet for two weeks and I shed loads of body fat and trimmed right down and off the back of that I got the bug and stuck to it and my whole diet has changed because of that and it's because a habit more than anything else.

"Now my daily routine is a plate full of vegetables and a piece of meat at each meal."

Schwarzer paused at length when asked whether he'd still be playing if he didn't take to his new regime.

But he knows Adam Federici, Eugege Galekovic or Mitch Langerak might have put a lot more pressure on him by now for the Socceroos no.1 shirt.

"I wouldn't be in the same position. It's revitalised me in a lot of ways and given me an incentive to push myself for as long as I can and see how far I can go," he said.

"It sounds extreme but it's not as extreme as it could be. It's part of my life and my career and highly beneficial, for me it's a small sacrifice.

"I'm sure beyond football I'll revert back to more of a normal life but it's not like I have to convince myself to do it it's become a habit.

"I've always wanted to play at the highest level for as long as possible and for the last five years I know the only chance I have of achieving it is by making sacrifices.

"I don't work 9-5, I'm in a very privileged situation but by the same token at the end of my career I can say to myself I've given it everything I possibly can."

While Schwarzer is looking for a new club after quitting Fulham, he may be best advised not moving to Italy.

"I loved bread and probably ate pasta twice a day and a lot of rice, I ate a lot of carbs and that's the worst thing to do at night," Schwarzer said.

"I might have a bowl of pasta once every three or four months. I used to make it religiously, at least once a day. It's always on offer and the outfield players will eat it and they need it, but I don't think people eat it as much as they used to.

"I get my carbohydrates through vegetables and you can overdose on vegetables and it's not an issue.

"I get up and some days I'm craving it (meat), so I get up and I'm really looking forward to having a big chunk of meat, there's never a day I get up and don't feel like it. On the odd day I'll have some porridge or have a vegetable omelette.

"And I don't drink anything other than water and black coffee. I don't have a lot of dairy at all, I loved milk and yoghurts but I just don't have it any more."

Schwarzer has at least a year of football left in him and while he looks sharper than ever on the field, off it his biggest challenge will be resisting the temptations his cheeky daughter Amaya offers up.

"My daughter actually teases me, she grabs a bar of chocolate and puts it in front of my face and asks if I want some," he said.

"Every now and then I will have one or two nights off a week where I change a bit. I treat myself, a couple of weeks ago I had fish and chips at home, or I might have a bit of dessert. But I'm really picky now about what I do treat myself to and whether it's worth the change.

"But generally I'm pretty disciplined.

"I feel good for it, I see the differences in my body, overall I feel so much better for it and when you see the rewards for the effort you put in it makes it all worthwhile."

Holger Osieck would perhaps be most appreciative of Schwarzer's extraordinary discipline.