This was published 7 years ago
A-League: Tim Cahill gears up for long-term Melbourne City future
Tim Cahill has made many debuts since his professional career took him to the four corners of the world to play at the highest levels in Europe, North America and Asia.
Fans of Millwall, Everton, New York Red Bulls, Shanghai Shenhua and Hangzhou Greentown have watched and waited – in various stages of expectation – for the Australian striker to pull on their team's shirt and show them what he can do.
Tim Cahill's A-League debut for City has been highly anticipated.Credit: Eddie Jim
But it's doubtful, even at Premier League club Everton, whom he joined as a relative unknown in 2004, whether there has been such an eagerly anticipated debut as the one Cahill will make on Saturday evening in the Melbourne derby at Etihad Stadium.
Melbourne City verses Melbourne Victory clashes are always memorable occasions. This time it has added spice as it will mark Cahill's A-League debut for his new club, City, in the first league match he has played in his home country since travelling to south London to join Millwall as a teenager nearly 20 years ago.
Cahill with Melbourne City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.Credit: Melbourne City
Cahill has been around too long, knows too much and is all too aware of what can go wrong in football to be overwhelmed by the occasion – this is, after all, a man who has played and scored in three different World Cups.
But there is genuine enthusiasm as he approaches what will be a significant footnote in his playing career for a new employer – the City Football Group – that could well shape the future of his life in the game.
Cahill is 37 in December so even a Peter Pan figure such as he has been forced to confront his footballing mortality. It's not unknown for goalkeepers or top-flight defenders to carry on into their fifth decade but almost unheard of for men who make their living scoring goals.
The Socceroo legend has signed a three-year deal with the Bundoora-based club, the first two years as a player, the third with a coaching role in mind.
It's a prudent approach, one that prepares for a future that, says Cahill, could see him stay with the CFG as he seeks to find a role in the game beyond the pitch.
"I see myself transitioning, working on my coaching badges over the next two years, trying to help win something for Mebourne City, trying to build a strong relationship with the fans, really trying to embrace the Melbourne culture," he said.
Cahill compares his new club to the city's powerhouse, Melbourne Victory, and says he wants to help City replicate not just Victory's on-field success (they have won three championships) but its off-field dominance. On the eve of Saturday night's derby, Victory's membership total stood at 23,728 compared to City's (much improved, it must be stated) 9870.
"That doesn't happen by accident, and it's the power of longevity, it's the power of what they have earned, they have won stuff," Cahill said. "But over time, regardless of trophies, we can really build, slowly and progressively."
For Cahill the immediate future is what happens on the pitch in the next two years as he hopes to fire City to a title and retain a place in the Socceroos squad as they try to qualify for the World Cup in Russia. But the long-term role he envisages is not unlike that followed by New York City coach Patrick Vieira.
After establishing his reputation as an Arsenal legend and then winding down his career in Italy with Inter Milan, Vieira finished up with Manchester City. He played for the club for 18 months, finishing with an FA Cup winner's medal in his final appearance after City's 1-0 win over Stoke at Wembley.
Since then Vieira has worked for the CFG, first in Manchester, where he worked in junior and youth development roles before becoming coach of the club's under-21 team. The former France World Cup winner was then appointed coach of its New York franchise in America's MLS.
His career trajectory is something Cahill has monitored closely.
"Transitioning after football, I couldn't be with a better group," he said.
"There is nowhere like the City Football Group, working with Brian Marwood [the organisation's football administration officer], Patrick Vieira, knowing I can go and watch training at Manchester City whenever I want with Mikel Arteta (the former Everton and Arsenal midfielder), my best mate, on the coaching staff. I can learn a lot from them. For me everything is education.
"But it's not only that. If I don't want to go into coaching I can go and learn the commercial side, talk to the people that run one of the biggest clubs in the world.
"There is more to football that interests me than just the game. There are so many elements that I can work on along the same lines that Patrick Vieira did," Cahill said.
"When I spend time with Patrick he told me, 'I have spent time with the backroom staff, I have spent time coaching the youth team, being an ambassador, doing a lot of things, and that's exactly what will happen to you'.
"They will take care of me like they have taken care of him. They look for players who can give something back to the game."
Cahill believes that his playing experience makes him a unique figure within the City group. The organisation might have plenty of stars who have played at several World Cups, like him, but there is no one who has played in England, the US, China and now Australia – four different continents in four very different leagues and football cultures.
"I am probably the only player that's played in four continents of the world where they have business interests and own clubs," Cahill said.
"If you ask me to write a case study on each league I have played in it would be very easy.
"Not many people can say that they have played and learned about on and off the park activities and situations as much as me ... whether its MLS and commercial, talking about marketing rights, contracts, imaging rights to playing in the A-League, China, MLs and Premier League.
"I am lucky that I have learned so many different styles and different ways of doing things on and off the park because it's important for where I want to be after football."
For Cahill, after a life in the game, the message is simple. It's what he is telling his new teammates in Melbourne, and something he will be happy to pass on to any others in the City group given the chance.
"There are three big things for me.
"The first is hard work. Hard work, hard work, 100 per cent. I am 37 in December, but I have never worked as hard in my life as I am now, I am talking on and off the park.
"The second is loyalty ... I learned that early with Millwall, through my family and then with Everton. I learned that with the Socceroos.
"The last one is being fearless. Now I am at a stage where I enjoy life. There is not much you can take away from me, write about me or whatever. It's important to believe in yourself and have no fear."
THE TIMMY EFFECT
Cahill has only been with Melbourne City for a few months, but already his impact has been telling.
City's membership is up to 9870, making it fourth on the league table of season ticket-holders. It is barely 400 behind Sydney, a league founder member and two-time champion, and well ahead of current title-holder, Adelaide United.
Clearly Cahill's signing focused attention on the club and persuaded some to join up.
City signed a $500,000 marketing and sponsorship deal with Japanese carmaker Nissan, the only other auto company to be allowed to partner a club aside from league sponsor Hyundai. A major attraction for the carmaker was that Cahill would be there to promote the brand; he was seen as the one A-League player with total cut-through to the mainstream population, not just soccer lovers.
City's social media and traditional media metrics have had a significant boost since Cahill's arrival.
According to City officials, the club's marquee man was on the front cover of the October and November editions of FourFourTwo magazine – including a 13-page feature in the November edition.
On the day he was announced as a City player in August, "Tim was on the front cover of both Melbourne metropolitan daily newspapers – in the middle of the Rio Olympics and the day after Usain Bolt won gold", a spokesman said.
"From August to October there have been over 1600 mentions of Tim in mainstream Australian press," he added.
"In the past three months City's Facebook account has seen a 4 per cent growth in followers. During this period 6000 more people have liked the page. The next biggest growth percentage was Western Sydney with 2 per cent (+1800 likes during this period).
"Twitter has seen a 5 per cent growth in followers during this period, with 2300 more people following the account.
"Instagram has seen a 10 per cent increase in followers during this period (Tim's most prevalent account), while 4000 more people have liked the page. The next biggest growth percentage is Adelaide with 5 per cent (+1400 followers during this period)."