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Former Australia striker Tim Cahill officially announced his retirement on Friday through a tweet, signalling the end of a stellar career for the 39-year-old, who is currently contracted with Indian Super League (ISL) side Jamshedpur FC.
Cahill has been out of action since suffering a ligament injury during Jamshedpur's ISL game against FC Goa on January 28. Cahill could not recover in time before Jamshedpur's first Super Cup game and was subsequently left out of the squad for the tournament.
Cahill's contract with Jamshedpur runs out at the end of May and there's anyway no more Indian club football after the Super Cup, prompting the Australian to call it time even before a farewell game.
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Cahill hinted at calling it quits in an interview with an Australian outlet Optus Sport's Premier League Today.
"I’d love to keep playing, you know 39, had a great stint for six months in India (with the ISL). But I’m interested in TV, going to start my A-Licence and spend quality time with my family and chill out for a bit," Cahill said.
Cahill has played in four continents - North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He's most remembered for his stint in Everton, where he scored 56 goals in 226 games. He started his career in England with Millwall, where he had struck 54 goals in 217 appearances from 118-2004.
Cahill had a second stint with Millwall last year but couldn't find the back of the net in 10 appearances.
In North America, Cahill played for New York Red Bulls in the MLS. In Asia, apart from Jamshedpur, he played for Chinese Super League clubs Shanghai Shenhua and Zhejiang Greentown, who have relegated to the second division. In Australia, Cahill played for Melbourne City.
He confirmed his retirement on Twitter on Thursday by posting:
"The most powerful thing is chasing your dreams,as a kid all I ever wanted to be was a footballer. It's been amazing to have played the game I love professionally for 23 years.I want to say thank you to everyone that was a part of this journey.Time to retire and more family time."
Soon after, Twitterati paid tribute to the Socceroos, starting with former Everton striker Wayne Rooney.
