Editor
Australian international Tim Cahill has announced his retirement from international football, with the veteran striker announcing his decision via Twitter and Instagram this morning.
The 38-year-old enjoyed an illustrious career with the Socceroos, making 107 appearances for his country over 15 years and scoring 50 goals in the green and gold.
Those tallies make him Australia’s highest ever international scorer, while also leaving him just two behind Mark Schwarzer as the caps record-holder.
He remained a fan favourite right up until the end, with many fans voicing their displeasure at him not being brought onto the field during the Socceroos’ first two World Cup matches in Russia.
He was brought on late in Australia’s final match, a loss to Peru, but was unable to add to his tally of strikes.
Today’s the day that I’m officially hanging up my boots on my international career with the Socceroos.
No words can describe what it has meant to represent my country. Massive thank you to everyone for the support throughout all my years wearing the Australian badge. pic.twitter.com/gqnM1HWA7S— TIM CAHILL (@Tim_Cahill) July 17, 2018
In a lengthy statement posted to Instagram, Cahill said he felt it was “the right time to call it a day”, thanking his parents, wife and kids for their support and sacrifices made so he could continue playing.
Calling the Socceroos jersey a “medal of honour”, Cahill claimed he’d treated every game like it would be his last, crediting that mentality for his ability to fight for a spot in the squad.
“We are so lucky to have such passionate supporters and there is no feeling like walking out on the pitch and seeing (and hearing!) so many in green and gold,” he said.
Making his debut in 2004, the then-24-year-old scored seven times in his first five matches for his country. He will forever be remembered as the man who scored Australia’s first ever World Cup goal, with his double against Japan securing a since-immortalised 3-1 victory.
He added to his World Cup tally with one goal in 2010 (in Australia’s lone 2-1 win over Serbia), before scoring twice in 2014 – including a famous strike against the Netherlands.
The best year of his career arguably came in 2015. He was Australia’s top scorer in the 2015 Asian Cup triumph with three goals, helping him finish with a career-high of nine that year.
The last goal he scored for the Socceroos was an extra-time winner against Syria – his second of the match – to secure a spot in the World Cup.
Cahill, while not currently signed to a club, still reportedly plans to play league football.