The Australian striker has five world cup goals to his name, a tally that puts him ahead of the likes of Wayne Rooney (1), Cristiano Ronaldo (3) and ties him with Lionel Messi.

His stunning form on the World’s biggest stage means he joins Portugal’s Ronaldo, Mexican defender Rafael Márquez, Dutch players Robin van Persie and Arjen Robben, German player Miroslav Klose, and American Clint Dempsey as the only players to have scored at the 2006, 2010 and 2014 finals. In 2018, Cahill and Ronaldo will be the only players present at the tournament to try and make it four in a row.

Of his five goals at the Cup finals, none have been more spectacular than his wonder-goal in 2014 that many adjudged the best of the tournament, and one of the best World Cup goals of all time.

Having gone 1 – nil down after 19 minutes to the Dutch, the resumption of play was immediately taken forward, with a diagonal, long-range, ball looping towards, then exploding off, Cahill’s left boot. The latest of his World Cup goals, a screamer, but his first at the tournament back in 2006 is his most historic.

In the 86th minute of Australia’s first World Cup game since 1974, Japan were one goal to the good, and the game, if not the tournament, was getting away from The Socceroos. Enter Tim Cahill.

A long Lucas Neill throw into the box caused chaos and the Blue Samurai failed to competently clear. The slight opening was enough for Cahill to turn the ball into the net and score a historic first ever goal at the World Cup for his country. But he wasn’t done there.

Three minutes later, the man dubbed Super Tim doubled the nations Cfinals goal tally via a go-ahead strike from outside the box that rattled in off the post, sending the whole country (at least those of us who were sitting up) into a frenzy, and eventually the Socceroos into the tournament’s second phase.