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In 2012 Harry Kewell was voted as the greatest ever Australian football player by his fellow players, the media and more importantly the fans. So why is it that he has divided a nation between the adoring and the doubtful?
His roller coaster ride of a career holds the answers.
Harry Kewell was picked up by Premier League side Leeds United after a successful tour with his junior team Marconi Stallions.
This meant, that at the tender age of 15, Kewell was off halfway around the world to begin his football career.
He was plucked from the Leeds youth team for his first international cap for Australia at the age of 17 years and seven months, still the record for the youngest debutant for the Socceroos.
Just seven months after his international debut, Australia’s love affair with Kewell began as he netted his first goal in an incredibly difficult away tie to Iran for the 1998 World Cup qualifiers. He then repeated the effort in the return tie at the MCG, but unfortunately for Australia the two draws were not enough to secure a spot due to the away goals rule.
This exposure at the highest level seemed to boost Harry Kewell, as he was part of the Leeds youth team that won the Youth FA Cup which led to him cracking the first team.
He had fellow Australian Mark Viduka by his side at Leeds as they set about forming a deadly partnership at both club and international level.
In the 1999-2000 season, Kewell went on to win the PFA Young Player Award and was selected in the PFA Team of the Year on the back of his most successful season for Leeds. However, after scoring 45 goals in 181 appearances for Leeds, the club found itself in financial trouble. They had sold most of their star players the season before, but in the summer of 2003, Kewell left for Liverpool.
After the highs of his Leeds days, his career was about to take that infamous dip on your favourite roller coaster ride.
Unfortunately for Kewell, injuries were starting to eat away at his career during his final season at Leeds but they were to get even worse at Liverpool.
He showed some absolute moments of brilliance in the red of Liverpool, and more importantly showed why he deserved to wear the famous number seven jersey that legends such as Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish had worn before him. Unfortunately they were only moments, glimpses if you will, at what Kewell could do.
This is when people throughout the football world questioned his desire, attitude and consistency as his injury toll mounted.
It must be said that Harry Kewell was only the second ever Australian, after Craig Johnston, to play for Liverpool. But of course Johnston never represented Australia due to his club commitments and was also actually born in South Africa.
So for a young generation, Harry Kewell is the reason why Liverpool has such a strong supporter base in Australia. He was someone the kids of Australia could dream of being and so they supported the club.
He will be remembered for his time at Liverpool by most for his withdrawal due to injury during the first half of the epic 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan in Istanbul. He was booed off the pitch by Liverpool fans at the time – they even suggested he had faked the injury. Liverpool went on to win on penalties after coming from 3-0 down.
Kewell became the first and only ever Australian player to win the Champions League.
However, it took Kewell until November to fully recover from this injury, just in time for Australia’s crucial two-legged play off against Uruguay to qualify for the 2006 World Cup. After tasting defeat to the same foe four years previous, Australia made up for it with two brilliant performances.
Kewell was a second half substitute – due to his fitness – in the second leg, but provided the impetus his nation so desperately needed. He slotted home the first penalty in the shootout win that took Australia to their first World Cup appearance in 32 years.
A year later in the 2006 FA Cup final, his cup final curse seemed to continue as he was again forced from the field due to injury – this time in the second half. The fans did not boo him this time, as they understood just how injury-prone Kewell had become. Liverpool did the business again beating West Ham on penalties.
This latest injury put Kewell in doubt for Australia’s World Cup campaign. However, he started their first match against Japan before making a substitute appearance against Brazil. He then scored the goal against Croatia that would see Australia through to the Round of 16, Australia’s best ever performance at the World Cup. They would eventually bow out to Italy in unfortunate circumstances – a late penalty – with Kewell again crippled by injury.
Harry went on to play a key role in Australia’s first Asian Cup campaign in 2007. Australia bowed out to Japan in the quarter-finals.
He returned to Liverpool under an injury cloud, but gained form and fitness in time to come off the bench in the 2007 Champions League final against old foes AC Milan. This time Milan won, however, and Kewell left a season later after another injury-hit campaign.
He joined Turkish giants Galatasaray the following summer and reignited his career. Kewell enjoyed a fruitful spell here, making 63 appearances with a return of 22 goals.
During his time at Gala, Australia qualified for a second consecutive World Cup and a third in total. Kewell even captained the side for a match against Iraq in the qualification phase.
The 2010 World Cup was a disaster for Kewell, his campaign only lasting 24 minutes as he did not play against Germany and was sent off for the ball striking his arm on the goal-line while defending a corner. He was therefore suspended for their final group match against Serbia, which they won but still failed to make the Round of 16.
After this tournament, Kewell played a major part in what Australians hoped would be the crowning glory of the ‘golden generation’ by winning the 2011 edition of the Asian Cup. He scored three times in the tournament, but the Socceroos were unable to overcome main rivals Japan in the final.
Kewell finished up his season with Galatasaray, but would not be offered a new contract. He returned home to the A-League with Melbourne Victory pulling the coup of signing the Socceroo.
It was a slow start to his Victory career, as his team struggled to gel. Kewell however, was a shining light, making 25 appearances and scoring eight goals. Unfortunately he did not stay on for a second season and returned to England due to his wife Sheree Murphy’s mother battling cancer.
He made an ill-fated switch to Al Gharafa in 2013 after being unable to secure club football while in England. He played three games and scored one goal.
Shortly after he announced he would sign for Melbourne Victory’s cross town rivals Melbourne Heart, where he would play under former teammate John Aloisi.
The Heart struggled with marquee man Orlando Engelaar breaking his leg in pre season and Kewell battling injuries himself. Aloisi was eventually sacked after the longest winless run in A-League history and Harry Kewell decided to call it a day. He made his last appearance, quite fittingly, against the Western Sydney Wanderers – a team he fought hard for to get into the A-League.
Throughout his career the Australian public and media have written him off for being too flash, talking with an English accent, being overpaid and overrated – all of which can be attributed to tall poppy syndrome of course. But if you look at his achievements throughout his career, there’s little doubt that Kewell was world class.
Also, at every time of asking Harry Kewell was there for his country and put his body on the line for that Green and Gold jumper. You couldn’t get a prouder Australian than Harry Kewell.
He may not be the greatest footballer to every Australian, but certainly the Australian public and media should thank him for his wonderful service to the game. He made it ‘cool’ to play football.
Thanks Harry.
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