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ut this modest and down-to-earth man is unaffected by his global achievements and wealth, putting his success down to simple hard work and passion. “I’ve always asked myself, ‘What do you want from your life – do you want to go through life just being a passenger or do you want to maximise the game and every training session?’” he says. “I am driven and can never do anything half-heartedly. It upsets me when I see someone do something just for the sake of doing it; you might as well not bother at all. “Training and playing, that’s my life. People like football – I love football – and I maximise my potential as a footballer and as a human being. I soak up everything to be the best I can be. I don’t need the limelight; I just want to play and when you play consistently and when you constantly strive to do better, then you are always going to be relevant.” Tim says he’s always had a long-term vision about his career. “I’ve made decisions and sometimes people have said, ‘Why didn’t you go to that bigger club?’ or ‘Why didn’t you sign that new commercial deal or contract?’. I don’t look short-term and I don’t take the money and run. It’s not my style, it’s not the way this machine works …” The Tim Cahill machine also works best when his family and a handful of close friends from way back are close by. Key moments in his career have been shared with the people who mean most to him – his high-school sweetheart and now wife, Rebekah, their four children and Tim’s parents, siblings and cousins. “Every tournament I’ve played in I’ve always taken a minimum of 15 to 30 people with me. They’ve been to all three World Cups and Asian Cups and to my FA Cup games, regardless of how much it costs,” Tim says.
12 THE WEEKLY REVIEW \ JUNE 1, 2016
WORLD CUP \ 2014
“If my family aren’t there to share it then it doesn’t feel the same. Before a big game I have to speak to my mum or someone from my family in Australia and definitely my kids and my missus. It’s hard for me to play without blessings from my family,” he adds. “The togetherness with my brothers and sister especially is important – we are constantly in each other’s pocket and it’s always been that way. They are my best mates. When I’m in Australia I’m pretty much at my brothers’ homes and mum’s house – they back on to each other in Sydney. “I don’t have a massive group of friends – only three or four close friends – and when I am not there they go round and have coffee with my parents and take them out to dinner. I grew up with them, played football with them or they were neighbours. It’s stayed that way my whole life.” Tim was born in Sydney to a Samoan mother and British father. His parents were hard workers who scrimped to provide for Tim, his two brothers and sister. There wasn’t a lot of money but there was always plenty of love and happy memories – and football. He recalls his football-mad father watching Premier League matches live from the UK in the early hours of the morning. Tim would sneak out of bed to watch the games, and the next day he’d practise the skills he’d seen on TV in the backyard and at the local park. He remembers his older brother, Sean, tackling and taking him on, and urging him to not let fear hold him back. “Even today, no matter where I’m playing – in England or New York or Shanghai – I’ll get a text from Sean before a game with those same words – ‘Don’t let fear hold you back, bro’,” says Tim. Despite his smaller stature, Tim impressed local coaches with his technique, passion and fearlessness. An early milestone was playing for Sydney’s Metropolitan East and then for the NSW state team. His fortunes changed once and for all midway through year 11 when his father suggested he go to England to try to secure a spot with a major English team. He was 16 when he moved to London to stay with relatives. “My parents made a huge sacrifice to get a loan to send me there
WATCH TIM CA CAH HILL’ ILLS 5 GREATEST MOMENTS MOM ENTS O ON THE FIELD (GETTY IMAGES \ ISTOCK)
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im Cahill’s home is his castle and his very private playground. Whether he is in Shanghai or at one of his luxury houses in New York or Sydney, home is where the real Tim Cahill emerges. “At home I am a whole different person,” says the softly spoken striker who is arguably Australia’s greatest soccer player. “I think people see me as someone who is quiet and not always out-and-about – a bit of a monk,” he says. “Well, at home I reckon I’m funny, a bit of a comedian. I’ll be up to no good and playing tricks. If there is a karaoke machine I’ll be holding the mic and my kids will be fighting with me to get it back. “We’ve got an indoor soccer court at our home in America and my family, my closest friends and I play a mini World Cup there. I’m just a big kid at heart who’s enjoying life.” The Cahill family’s karaoke machine is currently set up in China, where Tim is relishing the latest stage of his career. In February, he signed with Chinese Super League side Hangzhou Greentown after being dropped by Shanghai Shenhua FC. He joined the Chinese league in 2015 after two years at New York Red Bulls and a decade playing in the UK’s prestigious Premier League with Everton FC before that. He joined Everton in 2004, the same year he donned the green and gold to become a stalwart of Australia’s international team. Since then he has represented Australia in the 2004 Olympic Games, three FIFA World Cups and three AFC Asian Cups. He was part of the team that won the Asian Cup in 2015. Last year Business Review Weekly reported that he earned $5.5 million a year and had amassed a $28 million fortune.
and so did my brothers and sister,” says Tim. Sean left school to work as a mechanic to help cover the cost of the move. “So I said I’d go and try and, if I didn’t make it, I could at least come back knowing I’d tried. But I had such a strong drive that I knew, given half a chance, I’d be successful,” he says. He ended up signing with tough working-class club Millwall and says his “Samoan warrior” spirit got him through. That spirit has continued to sustain him through the tough times and the injuries that are part of the professional footballer’s life. “The Samoan warrior is a mentality and it means I can play through injuries and pain. I’ve played three games a week for my whole career and I can train and be tired but switch off mentally. It gives me drive,” he says. “I’ve seen the way they live in Samoa and how hard they work. I saw mum go to work and do two jobs from 6am to 6pm to pay the rent each month. I call those memories a beautiful scar because they’re a great reminder as to why I get up in the morning. “I’m never nervous at the thought of playing a team like Brazil, for example. I’ve always been that type of person who rises to the occasion and thinks, ‘Imagine if I can get a moment in the game and help Australia win against a top team’ or ‘Imagine if I can pick a
“i had such a strong drive that I knew, given half a chance, i’d be successful”
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he world to t n a e m s g in h Two t l – family & il h a C im T o o r Socce r ah Marinos a S s e it r w , ll a b foot