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The Career of Tim Cahill

The Career of Tim Cahill

There are very few scenes as iconic in the Premier League as the leap from Tim Cahill to score a header for his beloved Everton.

The Everton legend had an exceptional impact for the Merseyside club always turning up when they needed him the most.

But his career did not start or end at the Toffees. So let us find out how his whole career unfolded to truly understand how he became the Australian legend we know of today.

Early Career

Born to Australian and Samoan parents, Tim Cahill was surrounded by a family of sportsmen. Three members of his family were involved in rugby while his brother played for the Samoan National team, a favourite for the best australian pokies.

But Cahill wanted to play his football in England. So after starting out with local team's he moved to Millwall from Sydney FC and made his name there.

At Millwall, he played for more than five years and scored more than 50 goals for the club.

In his last season, he helped the club reach the FA Cup Final which they lost to Manchester United. Cahill then moved to Everton for the defining chapter of his career.

Exploits at Everton

After moving to Everton for around £1.5m in 2004/05, Cahill wasted no time in becoming a household name at the club finishing as the top scorer and the player of the year in his first season.

As an Everton Player, Cahill was named in the Top 50 for the 2006 Ballon D'or which showed the worldwide appreciation he attained.

Throughout his time at the Toffees, Cahill always played according to the need of the teak, often slotting in as the striker in case of major injuries.

His strongest position remained behind the striker from where he could launch his devastating runs into the box.

At the end of his Everton spell in 2012, he had scored 56 goals for the club in over 200 appearances.

But more than the number of goals, what made him special was the time at which they came.

He was a regular scorer in the Merseyside derby and was a major reason why Goodison Park was such a tough place to visit back in the day.

The great thing about his Everton career was that he remained pivotal for the side from start to finish and it never felt like he was finished or washed up.

This speaks volumes about the impact of his spell at Everton that they have not since found someone with the unique qualities of the Australian stalwart.

Spells Around the World

If there ever was the longing to travel the world for Cahill, he fulfilled it after moving from Everton.

The first spell came at New York Red Bulls in America, home of some of the best online slots. He played for the New York club for three seasons after his £1m move, scoring 14 goals for them in 62 games.

He traveled next to China where a spell at Shanghai Shenhua was followed by a brief cameo at Hangzhou Greentown. He scored 15 goals in around 45 appearances for the two clubs.

After playing for one year in his native Australia and reaching double figures in one season, Cahill also had another spell at Millwall, the club that help shape him into the superstar we know.

His playing career reached its twilight in India with Jamshedpur FC in the ISL as he now works as a pundit for English broadcasters.

Exploits with the National Team

Aside from the magnificent volley against the Netherlands in the World Cup scored 49 other goals for the Socceroos as he finished as the top scorer of all time for his country.

The interesting thing about Cahill was that after FIFA's new eligibility rule change in 2004, Cahill could have picked between Ireland, Samoa, England or his country of birth Australia. And Australia was his choice.

With Australia, he won the OFC Nations Cup in 2004 as well as the 2015 Asian Cup.

Cahill also played in four World Cups from 2006 to 2018 scoring in the first three including his inspiring three goals in the 2014 edition.

Bottom Line

Overall, Tim Cahill had an extremely fulfilling career where he won hearts of people across several continents.

And who knows, he may continue to do so in the managers' chair at Everton or the Australian National Team.




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