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Socceroos coach Graham Arnold has named Hibernian defender Mark Milligan the new captain of the Australian senior men's team.
Milligan, 33, steps into the role after Mile Jedinak announced his retirement from international football in October.
The experienced defender has represented Australia at the last four World Cups and said it would be an honour to lead his country ahead of the 2019 Asian Cup.
"I am extremely humbled by the opportunity," Milligan said on the day of Australia's clash with Korea Republic in Brisbane.
"I acknowledge it is a significant responsibility and it is one which I look forward to.
"We have had many great leaders over the years, who I both played alongside and admired as I grew up watching the national team.
"It is a huge honour to be joining them and I look forward to fulfilling the role with the support of our leadership group."
Arnold said Milligan was a natural choice as the Socceroos looked towards their defence of the Asian Cup title in the United Arab Emirates in January.
"I have known Mark for a long time. I worked with him when he was the youngest member of our 2006 World Cup squad, and he has grown as a player and person over the years," Arnold said.
"Mark has been a part of the national team for 12 years now.
"The experience gained over that period is invaluable to our squad and his leadership on and off the park shines through every day."
A two-time A-League champion with Sydney and Melbourne Victory, Milligan has since moved to Scottish Premier League side Hibernian, where he is part of an ever-growing contingent of Socceroos including Jamie Maclaren and potential debutant Martin Boyle.
Milligan has donned the captain's armband 11 times for the Socceroos in the course of his 72-cap career, the first of which came in 2013 against Korea Republic, the same opponents the Socceroos face at Lang Park.
"We have a great challenge ahead of us at the Asian Cup but we will travel to the UAE in the knowledge that we are well prepared," Milligan said.
"We have some exciting new players in the squad as well as some players who have been around the national team for a long time, which provides a good balance.
"We have a great culture within this squad and with the support of the leadership team we will continue to build on a new era for the Socceroos."
Topics: sport, soccer, socceroos, australia, qld, brisbane-4000