It seems fitting and proper that Aussie football legend Tim Cahill will be given one last opportunity to represent the country when he earns his 108th cap in a match with Lebanon at ANZ Stadium in his home city of Sydney.
That match will be played on November 20.
Cahill told reporters, “I don’t know exactly what my role is going to be but I don‘t expect anything, if it’s just saying thank you and waving to the fans. But if they put me on for five minutes, you know I’m going to go out there (trying) to score, it’s in my blood.”
Cahill will be playing club footy for Jamshedpur FC of the Indian Super League. It is one of the few places where he has yet to lace the boots, as he has had stints in England, China, Australia and even the United States.
Cahill has indicated that he would like to move on to coaching when he finishes up as a player. He reckoned that would be sometime after he turns 40.
Cahill is the Socceroos’ all-time leading goal scorer and he is contemplating a job with the A-League that does not entail being aligned with any one team.
The news of Cahill’s encore performance with the Socceroos was not welcome news to Craig Moore, a Socceroos teammate, who, as is the method of getting one’s opinion out there these days, took to Twitter to opine, “This will be a chance lost for the team to prepare for Asian Cup properly,” Moore tweeted.“The lead up to this game now will be a circus. I hope we find a better way to celebrate the great career of Tim.”
Swan songs are a touchy subject, apparently, with some. Cahill does not expect to see serious playing time in November against Lebanon, but the topic of whether or not he is deserving is one that takes on significance when the final lap for Cahill will be on home pitch.