“ Cahill, Cahhhiiiilllll! Tim Cahill has done it again, what a goal by Tim Cahill, 2-1 Australia! ” It felt like it was just yesterday when I could hear this blaring over and over through the speakers of televisions all around the country. It feels like I could relive that magical moment every single time I think about it. 12 June 2006, the image of the soccer ball rolling towards me still feels so vivid. With 6 minutes to go, I knew that it was now or never if Australia were to go a step further in the FIFA World Cup. The pressure was intense as I was captaining the Socceroos and it was our first FIFA World Cup tournament in 32 years. Adrenaline pumping through me, I took a quick touch and slammed the ball as hard as possible. The ball flew …show more content…
My parents are not wealthy and they have worked all their life and sacrificed a lot for my family, particularly for me, to pursue my football dream. I remember mum having to work 12 hours a day in a factory and coming home late at night but yet still making time to talk to us about our day or at least kiss us goodnight. Life was tough as we constantly moved between rented homes in Sydney. As my mother is a Samoan, my siblings and I were constantly surrounded by rugby-playing cousins who were big in size. I was pretty small at that time and my mother was ever so worried about me. As a result, she encouraged me to pick up a sport she felt was “safer”, football. As time passed, I was very clear about one thing - there was a passion and love for football within me. I remember dad telling me how my brothers and I would beg him to allow us to play football during our free time. My brother, Sean, and I both showed talent in football. However, due to financial constraints, only one of us could be sent to England to pursue our football dream. After much deliberation and discussions, my family decided that it would be me. They agreed that they would do whatever it took for my dream to be within my reach. From that moment on, it was my desire to work hard as my family had sacrificed a lot for