Cahill, Tim (1979-…), was an Australian professional soccer player. Soccer is called football in much of the world. Cahill scored more goals for the Australian national team, commonly known as the Socceroos, than any other player. A midfielder and forward, Cahill was known for his excellent leaping and heading ability. For a discussion of soccer positions and formations, see Soccer (Players and officials).
Timothy Filiga Cahill was born to an English father and a Samoan mother on Dec. 6, 1979, in Sydney . He began playing soccer at a young age. Cahill played semiprofessional soccer in Australia before moving to the United Kingdom to pursue a full-time professional career.
In 1998, Cahill began playing for Millwall FC in London . FC stands for football club. After six seasons with Millwall, he transferred to Liverpool ’s Everton FC of the English Premier League in 2004. That same year, he made his debut with the Socceroos. In 2006, Australia qualified for the FIFA World Cup tournament for the first time since 1974. FIFA stands for Fédération Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football). FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. Cahill then became the first Australian to score a World Cup goal. He played for the Socceroos again in the 2010 World Cup.
During Cahill’s eight seasons with Everton, he was among the team’s top scorers. In 2012, he transferred to the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer in the United States . Cahill led the Australians to a third straight World Cup appearance in 2014. In 2015, he signed with Shanghai Shenhua FC of the Chinese Super League. He played for China’s Hangzhou Greentown FC in 2016, before returning to Australia to play for Melbourne City FC. In 2018, Cahill returned briefly to Millwall FC before representing Australia again in the World Cup in Russia . Later in 2018, Cahill signed with Jamshedpur FC of the Indian Super League.
Cahill retired from soccer in 2019. In 2021, Cahill was made an Officer of the Order of Australia for his services to soccer and to charity. The Order of Australia is Australia’s highest award for service to the country or to humanity.
Cahill’s brother, Chris, also became a soccer player. Chris Cahill played semiprofessionally in Australia and represented Samoa in international competition.
