Former Australia and Everton attacker Tim Cahill has expressed how the 2010 World Cup in South Africa holds a special place in his heart.
The first World Cup held in Africa, the gathering churned out one month of exciting football, with Spain beating the Netherlands in a thrilling final in front of 84,490 fans in Johannesburg.
The Aussies, though, did not have the best of tournaments as they suffered first round elimination after a mixed bag of results, including a 1-1 matchday two draw with Ghana.
"During my playing career, I was lucky enough to represent Australia at four World Cups. Each tournament was special in its own way, but I’ll never forget South Africa in 2010," Cahill, an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup, recounted in a personal feature looking ahead to the next tournament in Qatar.
"Football is a truly global sport and as a player it was always inspiring to see the passion of the fans in different parts of the world."
The Socceroos opened the competition with a disappointing heavy 4-0 loss to Germany.
In the final group game, Cahill was on the score sheet as his side registered a 2-1 triumph over Serbia but the win was not enough to secure a passage to the next round.
"On the pitch, the tournament didn’t go exactly as we wanted as we didn’t progress past the group stage and I was sent off against Germany in the opening game, but on a personal note I was proud to score a header against Serbia in a 2-1 victory in our last group match," said the 41-year-old.
"Off the pitch, the tournament was massively exciting as it was the first World Cup held in Africa and an incredible opportunity to play in a new part of the world.
"Before we went to South Africa in 2010 there was a lot of talk about security and how it was a risk but for me and my family it was one of the best World Cups because of the warmth of the people and the amazing opportunities to enjoy new experiences away from the pitch, such as visiting the safari parks.
"It was an incredible celebration of football and set an important precedent for the future of the competition by hosting it in a new territory."
Cahill, who also featured at the 2006, 2014 and 2018 World Cup tournaments, made over 100 appearances and scored about 50 goals for Australia.
