http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/football/tim-cahill-is-the-greatest-contributor-to-any-australian-football-code-robbie-slater-says/story-fnp0lxay-1227195703870
There's a bit of ambiguity about the story.
The online headline calls him the greatest 'contributor' to their code and there's no doubt he has given a boost to the profile of "international" football in recent times. You could probably mount an argument for that claim.
But the greatest "Australian" footballer ever.
That's how the headline appeared in the printed addition.
"Tim beats AFL & NRL best" was how it read...
RUGBY league has its eight Immortals, the AFL has the two Gary Abletts, Wayne Carey, Buddy Franklin and Leigh Matthews, rugby union has David Campese, John Eales and Israel Folau.
They are all great champions of their respective sports.
For me, though, none of them would tie up Tim Cahill’s bootlaces as Australia’s greatest-ever footballer.
The online poll in the story also loses a bit of credibility by omitting Ablett senior....and the greatest "Australian" footballer ever doesn't even get a mention? ;D ;)
Who's your pick?
I think Cahill is probably now Australia's best representative in terms of the Socceroos and his achievements but personally I think Viduka was a better player. Viduka could never really get it done for the Socceroos however but he as a class above in terms of Club football. As for best footballer ever, no.
I think Cahill is probably now Australia's best representative in terms of the Socceroos and his achievements but personally I think Viduka was a better player. Viduka could never really get it done for the Socceroos however but he as a class above in terms of Club football. As for best footballer ever, no.
Its funny you mention Viduka. When I was watching the first game where they won 4-1 I think? I thought to myself at the time imagine Viduka playing his number 9 role that night, he would have scored 4 or 5 on his own. He was special the old Viduks.
^^
Easily our best soccer player IMO. And yes, we never got to beat up on the easier Asian sides when he was around.
I see where he is coming from in the article but its a stupid argument. like comparing apples and oranges. Gary Ablett, Leigh Matthews and Wayne Carey weren't able to match it with the best in the world because our game doesn't reach that far. Can you even compare how good Gary Ablett Jnr is an AFL player to how good Cristiano Ronaldo is a soccer player.
You can in the way that they are both the best at what they do but once you get by them I agree how do you compare?
Ablett jr is the best in the world at his sport, Cahill is a very good soccer player but not in that class.
Best Aussie player for you MBB?
Best sportsman since Don Bradman.
Tim Cahill is the best soccer player to represent Australia IMO......Craig Johnston has been the best Australian soccer player for me given his record at Liverpool...was part of a successful Liverpool team that won a lot of silver in the 80's and he just pips Cahill for me....
Cahill has always done well for his country and placed high regard on wearing the yellow and I admire him for that....his games/goals record etc is probably better than Johnston but I think the latter was part of a team that was way more successful than any Cahill played in so I placed importance on his contribution to Liverpools success in the 80's..
I would have had Mark Schwarzer as my third best player given his longtime in the EPL.......
Mark Viduka...talented but always gave me the impression he had more to give but didnt exert himself to the max and get the best from
his talent and that his attiude at times wasnt right...
Best sportsman since Don Bradman.
Tennis fans would argue Rod Laver....
Those comments are so stupid it's not funny. Slater has no idea what he is talking about half the time. Cahill isn't even in the best 2-3 socceroos of all time let alone whatever he is suggesting.
Craig Johnston is before my time, but Kewell and Viduka at their peak walk all over Cahill every day of the week. Cahill while having a great record and I'll credit with being able to step up for crunch goals, is no where near the likes of Viduks or Harry. He has made a career on having a good vertical leap and he has benfited from this particularly for Australia against Asian teams.
Anyone I know that knows anything about football agrees, he has also benefited from being the best player post our golden generation hence his over inflated status. Kewell is the best player we have ever seen pull on a socceroo top. End of story really imo.
Best Aussie player for you MBB?
I agree with you on Viduka, Kewell was the most talented but injuries cut him down.
re: Kewell...overated and overhyped IMO........probably more technically gifted than Cahill but I know who I would pick first in my team and it
wouldnt be Harry..
re: Kewell...overated and overhyped IMO........probably more technically gifted than Cahill but I know who I would pick first in my team and it
wouldnt be Harry..
Agree totally. He played some great games for Leeds from memory, went to Liverpool, had injuries and never played well again. Overhyped in the extreme..he was never one of the elite in the premiership..he was "pretty good". Compared to someone like, hell say, David Ginola...pack your bags and go home. Ginola did more at Newcastle that Kewell ever did at Liverpool.
Cahill will be better remembered.
I'll go with Cahill.
Viduka was a gem but played most of his international career with arguably a "better" team around him. Internationally (i.e. playing for his country), Viduka never lived up to the hype. He was a much better club footballer.
Much the same arguments can be said for Kewell. Harry had all the tools but injury and a massively inflated ego got the better of him and he never reached anywhere near his potential. his good was sublime but he was never consistent.
Cahill has got every inch out of himself from club level to national teams. He was a young kid when he 1st got into the national squad and has outlasted all his peers. He's still, after all these years, playing at his peak.
For mine, he has to be the best ever player from these shores "to play soccer".
I agree for Australia Cahill has no peer, has scored all the big goals, had all the big moments in all the biggest tournaments, with possibly more to come. He's definitely not the most talented nor has achieved the most at club level. IMO.
Cahill is an Aussies soccer player. Technically he is no where near as good as our better players, but he is a competitive beast and a workhorse.
bresciano is a better player than cahil.
I'll go with Cahill.
Viduka was a gem but played most of his international career with arguably a "better" team around him. Internationally (i.e. playing for his country), Viduka never lived up to the hype. He was a much better club footballer.
Much the same arguments can be said for Kewell. Harry had all the tools but injury and a massively inflated ego got the better of him and he never reached anywhere near his potential. his good was sublime but he was never consistent.
I'd disagree to a certain extent, he was extremely consistent in his time at Leeds, when he played some of the best football ever seen & probably played to his potential. Before his chronic injuries. In case anyone needs reminding how good he was:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI-O--Qy-dg
Some of those finishes were just pinpoint.
It was a huge shame his injuries co-incided with his move to Liverpool....and his legacy at Leeds (at least for their supporters) was trashed with his decision to go to Galatasaray.
Still, on pure talent, the best to come out of this country.
^^
I somewhat agree Kewell's best was so remarkable that despite what we Aussie's think he would be the firstperson a foreigner would think of in relation to an Aussie Footballer.
Bresciano is probably Australia's most underated export. He plied his trade in Italy for years having gone a very non conventional route to get to where he got, and is technically very skillful, and a good dead ball specialist.
People forget him, because his last few years have been pretty ordinary, but he turns 35 next month and was never the bull in the china shop type like Cahill.
Kewell comes on and completely changes the game against Uruaguay in 05 thus leading to Bresc's goal and ultimately the World Cup. That for me is the biggest moment in socceroos history and is THE moment and the big turning point for Australia and football here.
It's really a non argument if you understand the technicalities of the game and not just goals, if you ask me anyway.
Kewell comes on and completely changes the game against Uruaguay in 05 thus leading to Bresc's goal and ultimately the World Cup. That for me is the biggest moment in socceroos history and is THE moment and the big turning point for Australia and football here.
Tim Cahill in the World Cup coming on and scoring twice vs Japan, that would have to be the biggest moment and turning point IMO. And I do understand the technicalities of the game. :P
re: Kewell...overated and overhyped IMO........probably more technically gifted than Cahill but I know who I would pick first in my team and it
wouldnt be Harry..
Kewell had a nasty streak about him, in crude terms he had a fair bit of c@#$ in him. Cahill is a competitive beast but is a very nice guy and comes across that way. I'm led to believe Harry gave fans very little time in the early days.
Kewell comes on and completely changes the game against Uruaguay in 05 thus leading to Bresc's goal and ultimately the World Cup. That for me is the biggest moment in socceroos history and is THE moment and the big turning point for Australia and football here.
Tim Cahill in the World Cup coming on and scoring twice vs Japan, that would have to be the biggest moment and turning point IMO. And I do understand the technicalities of the game. :P
That's true Carrots but we don't even make that World Cup without Kewell against Uruaguy.
It is strange debate because each person has a different view on what makes whoever our greatest player. Some will say record, consistancy, longevity, goals for Australia others will say talent and ability etc and playing for big clubs. For me it's the latter.
It depends what the question is though. Is it 'who has been the best for Australia'? Or 'who has been the best that Australia has produced'? Which one are you answering? Or does Kewell cover both for you.
On 12 July 2012, Harry Kewell was named Australia's greatest football player in voting by Australian fans, players and media, at a gala ceremony in Sydney....
I'd be interested to know what success Harry teams have had with him and what silverware they have won, a player like Craig Johnston didnt have Kewells ability but
Liverpool loved him for his ability to contribute something special when it mattered and they won plenty of big games and titles with him in the team....
It depends what the question is though. Is it 'who has been the best for Australia'? Or 'who has been the best that Australia has produced'? Which one are you answering? Or does Kewell cover both for you.
Exactly. I would say Kewell is definitely the best we have produced but where it gets a bit more difficult is who has been the best for Australia. I would say its too hard to split for the best for Australia question, but overall I just think Kewell just simply being a better player puts him over the top. I am a purest and just can't put someone with Cahill's technical ability ahead of someone like Kewell's. Just my opinion.
Did any team that Harry played for achieve any major silverware or championships etc.......?..you look at Craig Johnston and he was part of a successful Liverpool era that won everything...sure he didnt have the skills that Harry had but played his role better IMO.
^^
That Liverpool side is incomparable to the one that Harry played in. Liverpool were a force back in the 80's. It's not a fair comparison. They won 6 out of 7 championships during his time there. Fair to say he was part of a lineup that was dominating the game at the time but as an example of why this might be an unfair comparison, he would rival Steven Gerrard as a contributer to silverware, yet somehow I think Gerrard would be a far superior player to him.
In any case, Harry played in the Champions League final in 2005 when Liverpool came back from 3-0 down to win against AC Milan.
He also played in the final in 2007 when AC Milan got their revenge and won 2-1 against Liverpool.
FA Cup winner in 2005 and got a guernsey there.
So, when all is said and done he has probably won as much silverware with Liverpool as they have seen over the last 10 to 15 years, with the only other season in memory standing out being the one in the early 2000's when they won the FA Cup, League cup, and UEFA Europa League in one season.
Unfortunate, Liverpool have mirrored Carlton. Were once a good side, and are now nothing but mediocre and tend to live in the past. They cant seem to grasp the fact that they are no longer what they were.
Kewell was subbed off due to injury early in the CL final wasn't he? Story of his life....or the second part of it anyway.
Unfortunate, Liverpool have mirrored Carlton. Were once a good side, and are now nothing but mediocre and tend to live in the past. They cant seem to grasp the fact that they are no longer what they were.
I follow both. >:(
Unfortunate, Liverpool have mirrored Carlton. Were once a good side, and are now nothing but mediocre and tend to live in the past. They cant seem to grasp the fact that they are no longer what they were.
I follow both. >:(
Perhaps we'll go okay now you've cancelled your membership :))
Unfortunate, Liverpool have mirrored Carlton. Were once a good side, and are now nothing but mediocre and tend to live in the past. They cant seem to grasp the fact that they are no longer what they were.
I follow both. >:(
Me too. It's frustrating. Lucky for me I have Olympiacos as well, but there is no competition I'm Greece.
Unfortunate, Liverpool have mirrored Carlton. Were once a good side, and are now nothing but mediocre and tend to live in the past. They cant seem to grasp the fact that they are no longer what they were.
I follow both. >:(
Likewise. >:( >:(