Tim Cahill picked the brains of some of his most powerful friends in soccer, and in the end decided that Asia was the next stop in his club career.
One day after agreeing to end his contract with the New York Red Bulls, Cahill picked the brains of Thierry Henry, David Moyes and Everton chairman Bill Kenwright amongst others before deciding on a new club.
[ MORE: FA Cup replay roundup ]
The 35-year-old Cahill is the latest member of Shanghai Greenland Shenhua.
From Fox Sports:“Basically I spent most of the morning on the phone to the boys. I spoke to (former NY team-mate) Thierry Henry via text and Bill Kenwright at Everton and Ange Postecoglou. Spoke to Moyes about possibly going to La Liga.
“‘Cause I’ve done the Premier League, ‘cause I’ve done America .... China is a growing market for football. I’m at an age when I want to give back to football and still play at a high level.”
The Chinese club boasted Didier Drogba in 2012, and he scored 8 goals in 11 matches before leaving for Galatasaray.
Cahill still has fuel left in the tank, and has the backing of his Australia national team coach. Surely he’ll enjoy being closer to his home, but it’s a bit surprising he didn’t land in Europe for at least another half-season.
