Neill, 32, told The Sun-Herald he dreams of making the transition from national team captain to coach and revealed he's already working on gaining his qualifications.

"With the World Cup possibly coming to Australia in 2022, there is a slight timing factor where it might just work out well to go down that path," he said.

"Obviously I need to get my qualifications first, which is something I've been looking at doing for a while.

"But certainly when the game is over for me as a player, I want to stay involved."

He continued: "I always say that I want to do things at grassroots level and influence kids, give them the knowledge to go on to bigger and better things.

"Equally, if it's something I want to look at seriously, there's no bigger dream you can have, to not only play for and captain Australia but then to go on and manage them.

"[I'll need to] go out, get my experience ... all over the world as a coach and a manager. Hopefully I can then bring that back to the national team one day.

"What a dream that would be for any Australian coach or manager - to coach the team on home soil in a World Cup."

The Galatasaray defender, though, stopped short of declaring an imminent playing retirement and instead claimed he thinks he'll still be going around by the time the 2014 World Cup comes around.

"I'm not looking at writing off my playing career yet, I see myself playing for four more years," he said.

"I've given myself the goal and target to try to continue not just through the Asia Cup but as far as this body will take me.

"Hopefully that's all the way to Brazil. If I can still perform at that level, I'd love to lead the country.

"It's (Australia's early World Cup exit) made me hungrier, it's made me want to do it more."

Neill added he'd love to see more Australian players make the transition onto coaching, but believes the upcoming announcement of the new Socceroos manager may be too soon for a local.

"It's maybe just one campaign too early for an Australian manager, but I think the message is clear now that Australian players are plying their trade all over the world now and creating good careers for themselves," Neill said.

"It's time now for Australian coaches and managers to have a bigger goal than just wanting to be coaches or managers in Australia.

"They need to step up now. We want to be a purely bred Australian team. From the medical, to the backroom staff, to the coaches and the players - we want it all to be Australian born and Australian bred.

"There is a responsibility now for the experienced players to go on to be coaches to get that experience, not just in Australia, but Europe and South America. To come back and become a manager for Australia.

"That time is too soon. For me personally, my prediction is that Aurelio Vidmar will do well. He's not so obvious, but Tony Popovic fits the bill so well and I hope he's the next one who comes through."

The former Manly junior added he intends to one day return to Australia as a player in the Hyundai A-League.

"When the time is right and my body still allows it, I will come back and give something back to the game and play in the A-League," he said.

"I want to pass on my experience to the next generation and the people of Australia."