By Alex Trickett BBC Sport Online

Goalkeepers are accustomed to the ups and downs of football.

But, even by their standards, the rise and fall of Mark Bosnich has been spectacular.

The future looked so bright for the Australian keeper in the summer of 1999.

Bosnich's roller-coaster career

1972: Born in Fairfield, Australia 1989: Makes debut for Man Utd 1992: Free transfer to Villa 1996: Wins Coca-Cola Cup but fined for infamous Hitler salute 1999: Rejoins Man Utd but arrested after spat at a lap-dance club 2001: Joins Chelsea but gets injured and loses place 2002: Suffers clinical depression and fails test for cocaine Bosnich profile

He had just completed a dream transfer to Manchester United and was a regular choice for his country.

Little more than three years later, however, his career is in tatters following a positive drugs test for cocaine.

The 30-year-old's lucrative Chelsea contract is now being terminated.

So what went wrong?

Born in Fairfield, Australia in 1972, Bosnich has courted controversy from early in his career.

Having made his debut for Manchester United on free transfer from Sydney Croatia, he moved to Aston Villa in 1992 and the Midlands club were fined �20,000 for irregularities surrounding the move.

Bosnich won two Coca-Cola Cups with Villa but found himself in trouble with the football authorities after making a Hitler salute during a game at Tottenham's White Hart Lane.

Other off-field incidents heightened tensions between Bosnich and then-manager John Gregory.

Bosnich (left) and Ferguson became distant

But the keeper's form in goal was good enough to earn him the approval of Old Trafford boss Alex Ferguson and a dream return to United followed.

The immediate omens were not good.

Within weeks of moving back to Manchester, Bosnich was arrested after an incident at a lap-dancing club.

On the field, meanwhile, an unfortunate injury robbed him of his starting place.

Things never quite got back on track for Bosnich after that.

Having lost the keeper's shirt to France custodian Fabien Barthez, the Australian went to Chelsea in search of first-team football.

He found that at Stamford Bridge at first, but - after another injury setback - lost out to Carlo Cudicini, and started to make headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Following a scathing attack on former-boss Ferguson, Bosnich was admitted to medical care diagnosed as "suffering from severe clinical depression".

Then, in December 2002, came the bombshell that threatens to destroy his Premiership career for good.

A failed cocaine test has plunged his Chelsea tenure into real jeopardy and the demise of a talented goalkeeper looks complete.