The eight-time Socceroo cited in a video posted on his Twitter account “many different reasons” for his choice to step down from football but said he “knew at the start of this year that it would be my last year playing”.

Cornthwaite was born in Blackburn, England and moved to Adelaide when he was young. He began his career in Adelaide City in the old NSL before joining Adelaide United at the age of 20.

He went on to make over 100 appearances for the Reds winning the A-League Premiership in the 2005/06 season and was a part of the historical team to reach the Asian Champions League final in 2008.

In 2011 he switched his home state of Adelaide for a challenge in South Korea joining Jeonnam Dragons making 88 appearances scoring seven goals.

After three years in the rough and tumble of the K-League he moved to Malaysian Super League club FA Selangor in 2015 where he spent one season in which he helped the club lift the Malaysian Cup in that same year.

He returned back to Australia in 2016 to join Tony Popovic’s Western Sydney Wanderers where for the 2017/18 season he was given the captain’s armband. Shortly into that season he found himself in Malaysia once more for Perak. After 10 matches for Perak he hung up his boots.

Whilst in the red of Adelaide United he made his debut for the Australian national team against Kuwait in an Asian Cup qualifying match in 2009. Three years later he would score his first goal for Australia in a 2-1 friendly win over South Korea.

Cornthwaite is staying busy after football saying on Twitter: “I’ve got a couple of books I’m working on which I’m excited to show,

“In the meantime I’ll be doing some World Cup coverage for Astro Supersport in Malaysia."

He's also dabbled in some media work, appearing on Fox Sports programme Bill & Boz during his time at Wanderers.