Harry Kewell to announce retirementMarch 26, 2014 - 10:24AM
Harry Kewell will announce his retirement this afternoon.
Photo: ReutersThe career of arguably Australia’s greatest-ever footballer, Harry Kewell, will come to an end today.
Kewell, 35, has enjoyed a reasonable farewell season withMelbourne Heart, his sixth different professional club, playing 14matches and scoring two goals after missing a big chunk of the earlyseason with injury. Heart have called a press conference for thisafternoon.
Harry Kewell in action against Saudi Arabia in 2012.
Photo: Sebastian CostanzoKewell – who signed for just $80,000 to play for Heart thisseason – was hopeful of making a last-ditch run to be involved in histhird consecutive World Cup campaign but appears to be just off theradar of Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou, who is intent crusadingforward with a younger squad.
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Former international teammate Robbie Slater spoke of the “shock and sadness” that greeted the news of Kewell’s retirement.
“I think he’s looked through it and realised he’s not goingto make the World Cup squad and he’s decided to end with MelbourneHeart, where he’s made a really good impact,” he told Fox Sports. “Whenhe looks back, to even play after some of the injuries he had showedgreat character. In his time at Leeds, he was the most naturally giftedplayer we’ve ever produced.”
Harry Kewell to announce his retirement Harry Kewell of Australia celebrates his goalduring the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying match between Qatar andAustralia at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on June 14, 2008 in Doha, Qatar.
Photo: Getty
Fellow Socceroos teammate Mark Bosnich hailed Kewell as a trailblazer and said he was right to retire now.
“He should look back on his career with great pride. Therehave been times with injuries where there were some low points but weshould focus on the positives, and he was arguably our greatest player,”Bosnich said.
“He won the FA Cup with Liverpool and was the firstAustralian to win the Champions League. For me, he should look back onhis career with great pride and he’s doing the admirable thing byretiring now.”
Many thought Kewell might have come to the end of his journeywhen he parted ways with Melbourne Victory at the end of the 2011-12season and subsequently went club-less for almost a whole year.
He briefly revived his career with Qatari club Al-Gharafa inmid-2013, playing three times and scoring once, before ultimatelydeciding to return to Melbourne and join the city’s second club.
Kewell only sporadically delivered upon his best form in theA-League, showing markedly better form for both Victory and Heart in thesecond half of the respective seasons.
However, few will forget the highs Kewell reached early in his career, specifically with Leeds United.
Kewell was considered one of the best players in the world atthe turn of the century and the jewel in Leeds’ star-studded crown. Hethen transferred to Liverpool in 2003, spending five years with theMerseyside giants, where he played in the club’s 2005 European ChampionsLeague triumph.
He scored 79 goals and made 68 assists from 381 games in allcompetitions whilst in England before transferring to Turkish giantsGalatasaray.
After a turbulent period on Merseyside, Kewell’s star bloomedagain in Istanbul, scoring 34 goals in 90 games, winning the fans’affection over three successful years.
Amid huge media interest, Kewell announced he would bereturning to Australia in 2012, with his wife, Sheree, thought to beparticularly fond of Melbourne – and crucial in the decision to goagainst signing for Kewell’s hometown club, Sydney FC.
Kewell’s form on the international stage began with a bang ashe scored in both legs of the ill-fated World Cup playoff against Iranin 1997 but was subsequently mired in a myriad of club-versus-countrydisputers.
However, the attacking left-winger, who would finish hiscareer as a striker or number 10, eventually embraced the Socceroos,forging a distinguished international career with several memorablemoments.
Kewell last played for the national team in 2012, chalking up56 caps. He scored 17 goals, none more famous or important than thegoal against Croatia that qualified Australia for the knockout stages ofthe World Cup in 2006.
The Smithfield-born attacker, who played his junior footballwith the Smithfield Hotspurs and the Marconi Stallions, was named asAustralia’s greatest ever footballer at a gala function in Sydney in2012.
source:
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/harry-kewell-to-announce-retirement-20140326-zqn0p.html
