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When discussing the greatest athlete of all time, it all comes down to individual perspective.
Some believe code hoppers, such as Anthony Mundine, should be considered the greatest.
But crossing codes does not necessarily make someone a great sportsperson – Israel Folau in AFL, anyone?
While it’s hard to argue that Israel’s AFL journey was a bit of a gee up, the same cannot be said of his venture into rugby union – he has certainly done well there.
But for me, it’s about their impact on a sport: from notoriety and acclaim around the world, to how many kids you find emulating their feats.
When I was a kid, everyone wanted to be Allan Border, Wally Lewis or Gary Ablett, which speaks volumes about the esteem they were held in here in Australia, but did that translate across borders?
No doubt the Poms knew who AB was (1989 Ashes!) and a lot of them would have been familiar with ‘The King’ during the Kangaroo tours of the 1980s, but Ablett? It’s doubtful many outside of Victoria had heard of him in the 1980s.
So we then have to look at the bigger picture.
Tim Cahill will go down in history as one of our if not our greatest ever sportsperson.
For one, there would very few football supporters around the world who haven’t heard of him. His exploits over the past 15 years are the stuff of legend, both at club and international level.
Secondly, he has done for football in this country what very few others have (with the exception of maybe Harry Kewell) and that is to create a national conversation about the sport. He polarises people and everyone has an opinion.
Lastly, it has to be Cahill, because whether you’re a kid lacing up the boots for the first time or you’ve followed the game for decades, Tim is someone you can admire both as a professional athlete and role model. The amount of work he does off the pitch in assisting others makes him a true ambassador of the game and our amazing country. He is our greatest ever.
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