The 5 foot 10 forward who jumped like he had springs in his boots.

Tim Cahill’s jumping ability was remarkable, as demonstrated by the sheer number of headers the Australian scored throughout his career. He was a real warrior of a player with a keen eye for goal that would often be followed by his signature celebration, boxing against the corner flag.

Cahill left his homeland in 1997 as a free agent aged 19 to join Millwall in the English third tier and enjoyed success with the London club, winning the third tier title in the 2000/01 season. He also played a pivotal role in Millwall’s run to the 2004 FA Cup final, scoring the winner in the semi-final. Millwall lost 3-0 to Manchester United in the final, but Cahill had gained the attention of a number of clubs. Everton was to be the Australian’s destination and would be his only Premier League club, spending eight seasons on the blue side of Merseyside.

In his first season at the club, the 2004/05 season, Cahill was Everton’s top goalscorer and player of the season, having found the net 11 times in the league. An instant success. Due to this impressive first season, Cahill was named in the top 50 of the Ballon D’or shortlist, becoming the first Everton player to do so in 18 years in the process.

Cahill, or ‘Tiny Tim’ as Everton fans lovingly referred to him, would make a total of 226 Premier League appearances, scoring 56 times, before leaving to join New York Red Bulls in 2012. Remarkably 22 of his 55 Premier League goals were headers. He is also his country’s greatest ever goalscorer and is a legend in his homeland. He ended his international career in 2018, 14 years after his debut, and had been a surprise inclusion in the 2018 World Cup squad aged 38. He scored 50 goals in 108 goals for Australia and was also the first Australian to score a World Cup goal, netting a brace against Japan in Australia’s opening group game at the 2006 World Cup. He would go on to score at three consecutive World Cups, also netting in 2010 and 2014.

A legend in his homeland as well as at Everton, Tim Cahill is a real Premier League cult hero.