The Everton legend’s son, Shae, has joined the Goodison Park academy, and the Toffees icon has spoken in detail about what advice he plans to give him.
Everton legend Tim Cahill has spoken about the “very proud moment” when his son Shae joined the Goodison Park club’s academy and shared some of the advice he plans to give the youngster, in conversation with Sky Sports News.
The 39-year-old – who retired from professional football earlier this year – spent eight seasons at Goodison Park and made 276 appearances for the Toffees in that time, scoring 68 goals and registering 29 assists.
Cahill’s son has been training with Everton since 2016 and, at the start of November, he signed terms with the Premier League side ahead of becoming part of the Finch Farm setup, which led to a heartfelt Instagram comment by the Australia legend.
“It’s a very proud moment for me as a father,” Cahill told Sky Sports News. “The biggest thing for me retiring was for my children first of all, and my son Shae is fortunate enough to be part of the Everton Academy. For me as a father, it’s more about me helping him follow his dreams; he’ll understand the pitfalls, and the dedication and sacrifice he needs to put in, but lo and behold it’s a great platform for him as a young man.
“The big thing for me is simplifying it for them, helping them understand the concept of being a footballer, the dedication involved and your mindset. What you put in is what you get back. Even if you don’t see the rewards, which you won’t as a youngster, it’s all about the growth and maturation. But Shae’s application to training, and not only training but to school, will set him apart. For me, I focused on the basics, and when you have so many eyes looking at you, if you do the basics well, after that we’ll see where it takes him.”
Cahill, who is also an icon at Millwall, also played for the likes of New York Red Bulls, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua, Hangzhou Greentown, Melbourne City and Jamshedpur, as well as picking up 108 caps for the Socceroos.
He is the all-time leading goalscorer for Australia, having scored 50 goals in 108 caps between 2004 and 2018, and was the first Australian to score at a World Cup.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
