Tim Cahill is our greatest Socceroo, and he deserves a fitting farewell

18th November, 2018

Our greatest ever Socceroo deserves a decent send-off, so here’s hoping plenty of fans turn out at ANZ Stadium for Tim Cahill’s final game tomorrow night.

We can debate all we want about who was the most talented player to ever pull on a Socceroos jersey, but no one has had a greater impact than Cahill.

But because he has at times been outspoken, and given that many fans believe he prioritised money over his various clubs, Cahill is the latest in a long line of tall poppies Australians are only too willing to cut down.

There’s rarely an acknowledgement of the fact that after leaving English Premier League outfit Everton, he made it clear he wanted to live in big cities like New York and Shanghai to help launch a fashion label.

Nor is there much acknowledgement that his cultural background – Cahill’s mother is Samoan and his brother Chris once captained Samoa’s national team – meant he was expected to contribute to the well-being of his entire family.

So be it.

Cahill is a polarising figure, and his penchant for talking about himself – and remaining oblivious to how much it annoyed others – makes him an easy target for anyone with a wi-fi connection and a couple of minutes to spare online.

Tim Cahill of Australia celebrates. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

We Aussies tend to prefer our heroes to be stoic and stolid rather than flashy and flushed with cash – that’s why we venerated Steve Waugh but bagged Michael Clarke – and Cahill was always going to be cut down to size by his critics.

But if there’s one thing we’ve been terrible at during the Football Federation Australia era, it’s acknowledging our history.

For that reason alone, Cahill deserves a standing ovation in tomorrow night’s friendly against Lebanon.

He will forever be the scorer of Australia’s first ever goal in the World Cup finals, he’ll always be the first Australian to score in three successive tournaments, he scored the finest Socceroos goal of all time against the Netherlands in 2014, and he helped his nation win an Asian Cup a year later.

And – just as importantly – he helped bring mainstream Australia along for the ride.

It may come as a shock to the boo brigade, but there will be people in the stands tomorrow night who aren’t necessarily rusted-on football fans.

There’s long been a tendency to think that being a contrarian automatically equates to being an educated football fan, but judging by the healthy turn-out in Brisbane on Saturday night, most people aren’t interested in making snarky remarks about individual players and simply want to watch some live sport.

Plenty of them will show up on Tuesday night to pay their respects to Australia’s departing star, and we shouldn’t dismiss their experience just because it’s now seen as cool to bag Cahill.

It’s just a shame the new Western Sydney Stadium is still five months away from completion, because the cavernous ANZ Stadium isn’t an ideal venue for a midweek friendly.

Tim Cahill (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

You can understand what the FFA was trying to do – they have a contract to stage a certain number of Socceroos fixtures in Sydney, and the city is home to a sizeable Lebanese diaspora – but all indications suggest tickets aren’t exactly flying out the door.

They should ask Korean fans for some tips, since they filled almost three bays amid raucous scenes at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

But the Lebanese national team has never been particularly well-supported – they rarely draw big crowds in Beirut – and, ironically, most Lebanese-Australians are far bigger fans of rugby league.

That shouldn’t take away from what is an important clash for both teams, even if some of it will be given over to Tim Cahill’s swan-song.

He’s Australia’s greatest ever Socceroo and deserves to be recognised as such.

Let’s just hope Graham Arnold’s side serves up some football to suit the occasion.

The Crowd Says:

2018-11-21T11:01:09+00:00

chris

Guest

Terry not sure if you are aware but the Asian Cup is just around the corner. With limited warm up games available the (new) coach needs every minute to see who can do what. Tim is obviously not part of his plans. I thought it was the right thing to do as many players don't get the luxury of a farewell game at all. Thanks for the memories Tim.

2018-11-21T01:12:16+00:00

terrykidd

Roar Pro

Well Tim Cahill did not get a fitting farewell. The game was a friendly with nothing riding on it. Why did Cahill not start in his final game? That would have been fitting and a grand acknowledgement of his service to Aussie football. Instead he came off the bench with 9 minutes left. That was an insult, not a salute. Well done Tim. You maybe a polarizing figure but you served your country well. Thank you.

2018-11-20T01:21:40+00:00

chris

Guest

Are you going to the game?

2018-11-19T23:09:55+00:00

Hermes

Guest

Almost a complete waste of time and actually quite cringe worthy. The Asian Cup is only a few months away and Australia should be playing the strongest opposition possible and fielding the best team possible. Lebanon and playing Tim Cahill do not satisfy either of those requirements. It is difficult to understand why Australia football feels the needs to pander to our lowest infantile sentiments. We should remind them that grown ups do watch football too. One positive is that we will not have to read the dreadful name "Timmy" so often after this game. His name is Tim.

2018-11-19T14:39:27+00:00

Muttley

Roar Rookie

Has anyone given us more joy than TC? Has anyone tried harder? I doubt it. Deserves the best of respect and a wonderful send off. Thanks Tim.

AUTHOR

2018-11-19T11:32:39+00:00

Mike Tuckerman

Expert

I'd say I disagree with much of your comment, but I think Simon Hill probably said it best today. https://bit.ly/2FugZsd

2018-11-19T10:24:08+00:00

Roar Rookie

The shame with Cahill is that he didn't retire 2 or 3 years ago at the top of his game. He's being farewelled against Lebanon because that's where he's put himself. There is quite a bit of gilding a tarnished lily in these posts. He was a relentless self promoter and chaser of dollars, and those with longer memories will recall how he disdained the A League openly and damagingly, before recanting when there was nowhere else to go, then going back to the negativity when he failed to make the grade here. For that egoistic selfishness I cannot forgive him. He was, obviously, a valuable player for Australia, but on the world stage he was barely a blip on the game's global radar, if a blip at all. I've never liked his public persona, nor his antics as a player, which were often hard to stomach. He may be very different privately. He was never in Kewell's class, nor Viduka's. He excelled against smaller nations but disappeared against teams of serious quality, as one would expect - he was neither tall, nor quick nor particularly skilled. He could shoot and head a ball, but as a player he was a determined trier. He never played at striker for a decent club side, which says much. In the end, his talismanic status here is more a reflection of the degree to which our playing cupboard has been bare than anything else.

2018-11-19T09:00:34+00:00

chris

Guest

Very true Punter - I still get goose bumps seeing Cahill score those 2 goals against Japan in 06. It's a shame that this country (as a collective) celebrates a lot of mediocre sportsmen (in fact immortalises them) at the expense of other sportsmen who have actually achieved much more.

2018-11-19T06:21:25+00:00

Kangas

Roar Rookie

Very true

2018-11-19T05:47:35+00:00

paul

Guest

It seems remarkable that given his stature in sport (in general), Tim has actually been relatively scandal-free and for the most part a decent role model for young children. He seems very family-orientated and this seems to sit well with much of the populace. His biggest criticisms seem to stem from his career choices, and who ever gets that right 100% of the time?

2018-11-19T05:23:55+00:00

Lionheart

Roar Rookie

2che Punter

2018-11-19T05:18:12+00:00

Mister Football

Roar Guru

I can picture the statue of Soper now, trademark windmill celebration, good thought.

2018-11-19T03:30:19+00:00

Punter

Roar Rookie

It would be worthy Chris, but he will forever be in our memory with Simon Hill's voice, 'Cahill'. LEGEND, the greatest in the Green & Gold.