Only a successful Asian Cup campaign will help erase the memory of an injury-ravaged season with Everton which had started so well for Cahill.
“After the World Cup I was on such a roll and I knew that this was going to be a big season for me,” says Cahill. “I had a flying start, scoring seven goals in 14 matches and what’s annoyed me about the injuries is that they’ve spoiled the run I was on”.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold will be hoping Cahill will pick up in Thailand where he left off at the World Cup in Germany last year. Success in South East Asia in July would provide yet another shot in the arm for Australian football after an impressive World Cup display was followed up by a record-breaking interest in the domestic game for the Hyundai A-League’s second season. Although they may be playing their club football thousands of miles away, Cahill and the other senior Socceroo players understand the responsibilities that come hand in hand with wearing the treasured Green and Gold shirts.

“When you look at the A-League Grand Final and the record attendance they had, you realise that we have a duty to keep pushing the game forward,” says Cahill. “People often look at footballers and see the nice stuff, the big salaries, we drive nice cars, the big houses… so it’s important that they also see the commitment side of things. It’s important for them to know what sacrifices we make – no Christmases, no summer holidays. And the fact that we really want to be a part of the country’s success. Because when the fans see that it really spurs on the public to support the game. I see playing for Australia as a duty and that’s the same with all the lads.”

The Asian Cup will make for something of a re-union for the Socceroos. There have been qualifying matches and friendly internationals in the past 10 months, but they’ve been fleeting affairs. Fly in, train, play, fly out. There’s also been the occasional lunch and dinner when their Premiership schedules have allowed and a constant flow of text messages and phone calls between the players.

But Cahill is hoping that an extended run in the Asian Cup will re-create the team spirit which he believes drove them on to the success they enjoyed in Germany.

“We try and stay in contact during the season but it’s difficult,” he says. “In Germany it was different. We had our family and friends out there but we hardly saw them. In fact we met up with them twice, while the rest of the time we were with the team training like robots. If we weren’t training we were playing table tennis, table football, that kind of thing. We spent a lot of time together and we loved it, the banter was great and that really contributed to the team spirit. It will be great to meet up with the boys again.”

This season’s injuries may have stopped Cahill in his tracks, but the past 10 months haven’t been completely lacking in landmarks and achievements. In December, Cahill was voted by European journalists onto the list of top 50 players for France Football magazine’s Balon D’Or nominations. Real Madrid and Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro was the overall winner but Cahill was the only player on the short list from the Asian Confederation and the first Everton player to be nominated in 18 years.

“That was great for me,” says Cahill with a modest smile. “As a player I just try and play to the best of my ability, but to get recognition like that is the best it can get for me because I’ve worked so hard. Playing for a club like Everton you don’t always think you’re going to get noticed as much, so to be put in amongst the top 50 players in the world is a moment to cherish. It’s all down to the club I play for, my team-mates and my family.”

But Tim Cahill also owes a huge debt of gratitude to his body. The only time he’s stopped playing football in the past three years is when he’s been injured and those periods have offered him little time for rest. His season for Everton may be over, but there is plenty of hard work ahead of him if he’s to get fit in time for the Asian Cup.