Tim Cahill Bio Send To Friend  

Cahill completed his rise up the English leagues when Everton took a £2m punt on him. The Australian, who had carved out a reputation as one of the best players in lower tiers, was snapped up in the 2004-05 close season and has gone on to prove himself in the top flight.

Cahill's game has everything a central midfielder should - a natural eye for attacking options, coolness in front of goal, a willingness to work very hard and strength in the challenge.

The Sydney-born midfielder was an instant hit in the Premier League. His physical style and excellent heading ability has seen him consistently lead the club's top scorer charts and he has become one of Everton's most important players.

Playing for Sydney United in his youth career, he moved to England in 1997 and signed on a free transfer for Millwall. He helped propel his first professional club to the play-offs in 1999-2000 with 12 goals and the following season he continued his rapid progress as the Lions picked up the Second Division title.

Cahill soon adapted to life in the First Division and in 2003-04 he started to attract the attention of Premiership clubs, thanks to an FA Cup run that culminated in defeat against Manchester United in the final.

After a possible move to Crystal Palace fell through, because chairman Simon Jordan refused to pay a £125,000 fee to the player's agent, Cahill joined Everton, having scored 57 goals in 249 games for Millwall.

The midfielder had faced a real battle to represent Australia, as he had played for Western Samoa at Under-20 level, when he was just 14, even though he was told that would not affect his hopes of playing for his homeland.

He was barred from the Australia side until FIFA relaxed the laws surrounding dual citizenship or nationality for players who have not played international football above Under-21 level. And he was finally handed his debut in a 1-0 home win over South Africa in March 2004.

Finishing his first season as Everton's top goal scorer, he was also named the fans' player of the season and was, once again, a key figure for the side during the 2005-06 campaign. A knee injury sustained in April raised doubts about his availability for Australia in the World Cup but he was included in Guus Hiddink's squad for the tournament in Germany 2006, where he scored twice for the Socceroos.

He returned to Everton in sensational form, scoring seven goals before injury ruined his season. Having injured his knee in a collision with Lee Carsley, he returned in January but then broke his foot and missed the remainder of the season.

During the summer of 2007 Cahill was linked with moves to bigger clubs, but commited his future to Everton and helped to drive the Toffees to successive Europa League appearances.

He courted controversy in March 2008 when he celebrated his goal against Portsmouth by crossing his wrists as if he had been handcuffed - a reference to the recent jailing of his brother, Sean, for GBH - but apologised and led his side to another FA Cup final appearance at the end of the season, which they lost to Chelsea.