Tim Cahill has thanked the fans and spoken about the “special” memories he has forged during his time in the Hyundai A-League with Melbourne City.
Cahill sent a shock through the Hyundai A-League on Wednesday when it was revealed he was leaving City and he broke his silence on the matter in a post on his Instagram account today.
While he didn’t reveal what the next phase of his career would be, the 38-year-old said he wanted to ensure he was in the best physical condition he could be ahead of next year’s FIFA World Cup in Russia.
“It’s been a pretty full on couple of days - but I wanted to also say thank you to the FFA, the A-League, David Gallop, Steven Lowy and all the fans across the country for the opportunity to come home and play in Australia,” Cahill wrote.
“It was a hell of a challenge that I haven’t taken lightly, and I wanted to make sure I was in the best physical condition for both my club and country so that I could contribute on and off the park.
"Meeting and being with fans from other clubs was fantastic, and even the banter with the fans from the Sydney clubs and cross-town rivals Victory always brought a smile to my face.
“Some of my priceless memories will be my first ever goal in the A-League against Victory, being sent off before I got on the pitch also against Victory, the Mariner’s ball boy moving the corner flag so I couldn’t do my celebration, and most importantly being able to help win the FFA Cup with my team.”
While his immediate future may no longer be in the Hyundai A-League, Cahill insisted he wanted to continue being a positive role model for the local game.
“I’ll always do everything I can to try and make the game better,” he said.
“Travelling across Australia interacting with fans, photos, signing autographs has been really special as well. I will be doing all that I can to grow and care for our game and to be a good role model for the future of our game, whether I happen to be playing in Australia or overseas.”