James Birrell Mackay (19 December 1943 – 11 December 1998) was an Australian soccer player.

He was a member of the Australian 1974 World Cup squad in West Germany.

In late 1973, he scored the decisive goal against South Korea which sent Australia to its first-ever World Cup. Socceroos defender Doug Utjesenovic described the goal emphatically, "that was one of the freakiest goals. You could try a million times to score the exact goal (and never do it). There was a free kick, the ball was knocked back and he ran onto the ball. It was a real thunderbolt."

Mackay died of a heart attack in 1998.

Honours

Melbourne Croatia

• Victorian Premier League: 1968

• Victorian Ampol Cup: 1968, 1971, 1972

South Melbourne Hellas

• Victorian Premier League: 1976

Individual

• FFA Hall of Fame: 1999

• FFA Team of the Decade: 1971–1980

• FFA Team of the Century (Honourable mention)

References