Cahill was on the verge of signing a new contract with former Chinese club Hangzhou Greentown before his son Shae sent him a text message that changed his mind after a comprehensive 4-2 victory over Yanbian Funde in the domestic league.

Cahill was with Socceroo and Hangzhou teammate Matthew Spiranovic when he received the message from his son.

“My little boy said ‘dad, it’s not the right move for your football if we stay in China’ and that was it. I made a call I said ‘it’s over’, I closed talks with Greentown and they could’ve thrown anything at me and they did,” Cahill admitted.

“It was sad because we won three games on the spin, so I felt like I left them in a great position.”

The 36-year-old admitted it was the “best worst secret ever” kept in football after he revealed talks had been ongoing with City CEO Scott Munn who was in contact with Manchester City Football Administrative officer Brian Marwood.

When the Socceroos played Greece in a friendly at the beginning of June, conjecture had already begun when Cahill said he would address the A-League rumours after the exhibition match.

Cahill however remained tight-lipped on the matter leaving it open for public speculation, but conceded he discreetly looked at the club and was impressed with the facilities on show and said it was kept quiet out of respect for the club and his family.

“The hardest thing was keeping the best worst secret ever, purely because I had to pass a medical, the detail of it wasn’t a big deal,” he said.

“It was more about where am I going to do my medical? How do I leave China? And where are we going to move with my family and kids? They’re the biggest things people don’t think about, they just think you can move and leave.

“Regardless of contracts and these sorts of things, it doesn’t faze me, the biggest thing is it was very easy negotiate. I can’t thank everyone who played their part, but I came to this training ground months ago and people don’t understand the detail that’s gone behind this.

“I’ve got to respect the club, my family and passing a medical, so I don’t say too much, but when it’s time to speak, then you guys know I throw my 5c in.”

Melbourne City was barely able to boost crowds when they started as Heart in 2010 competing with cross-town rival Melbourne Victory.

With the City influence, the new City Football Academy and now Cahill who signs on for two year contract, it was clear coach John van’t Schip intends to redefine the club

Van’t Schip said he was unsure whether Cahill would play in City’s Round of 16 FFA Cup clash with Brisbane Strikers, with match fitness a priority for the new season.

Cahill set high standards for the season ahead and wanted to act as a mentor for inexperienced players in the squad.

“Let’s be honest and blunt, there’s going to be a lot of pressure on me, but there was a lot of pressure when I moved to the Premier League, a lot of pressure when I took that jump to the MLS, China and there’s a lot of pressure every time I come back into camp for Australia,” he said.

“It’s important I come straight to them first as a big signing for the club, to let them know there’s not going to be a big circus around me, to let them know that football comes first and I’m here to challenge myself and them.

“The good thing about me is I came in with an open mind, I want these players know I’m here to help the young kids, I want to be a mentor and I had a long discussion with Ange about the same thing with what I do with the Socceroos, a long discussion with the manager.

“The culture's good here, the professionalism is on a different level, some clubs in Europe and England don’t have this set-up and have the opportunity, so I want these kids to really know the situation they’re in here, it’s very special and that’s one of the reasons why I am here.”