Cahill revealed at the weekend that he intends to play on at club level, and has signed a new deal with Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC.

A return to playing in the MLS – as hinted by Cahill when he announced his retirement – was ruled out because of the length of the season and his desire to have more free time with his family.

“I’ve played everywhere in the world: it was definitely something I wanted to tick off,” he said today. "The India option was there for a while along with a lot of other options.

"India will probably be my last hurrah, it was something that really excited me. It's going to be a challenge.

"You always want more. I'm looking forward to my next adventure in India."

Gallop hailed Cahill's goal against the Netherlands at Brazil 2014 as his own personal favourite and was delighted to give the Socceroos' greatest ever goalscorer a proper send-off.

He added: “Tim’s contribution to football and the Socceroos especially over the past 14 years has been immense.

“When Tim made the decision to retire from international football we swiftly began discussions internally, and with him and his management team, regarding how FFA could provide Tim with an appropriate send-off on home soil.”

“We feel that there is no better way to honour Tim’s contribution to the game than by giving him the opportunity to hear the roar of the crowd as he plays in his backyard of Sydney one last time.

"At the same time we feel that Australian football fans also deserve the chance to see Tim play for the Socceroos one final time."