Melbourne Heart captain Harry Kewell is not for the first time, trying to rebuild his career.
After an enduring first spell in Australia’s top competition with rival club Melbourne Victory, Kewell has gone from the nation’s golden boy to a man with everything to prove.
Kewell is set to start in tonight’s Melbourne Derby and with it, will play just his fourth competitive fixture in 18 months. His return to Melbourne and the A-League tonight seems fitting for the midfielder, happy to bookend his career in his homeland, whilst showing the doubters he still has plenty to offer.
“I’ve had the ups and downs. I’ve had the good times and the bad times but its enjoyable to be able to finish your career in the country where it first started and to be able to show everyone that your still determined, still hungry to play at the highest level,” Kewell said somewhat reminiscently of the first time he returned to our shores.
After his non-appearance at this weeks A-League launch, he was finally wheeled in front of a Harry-happy media. A chore for the media shy star, a far cry from the big persona he portrays on-field.
Heart coach and good friend John Aloisi discussed the 35-year-old’s return, giving an indication that the former EPL star wanted to have another crack at A-League football, and prove his worth to the Australian public.
“I spoke to Harry quite a few months ago and I saw the hunger still in his eyes, that he wanted to play well.”
A short stint at Qatari club Al-Gharafa could have been the end of an illustrious playing career for Kewell, after his less than stellar stint at the Victory. Now he’s greeted with a return to old surroundings not even he could have seen coming a year ago.
“He wasn’t totally happy with how he performed when he was at Victory and so we decided to get him here early. He wanted to come early, get fit, and since then he’s been such a positive influence on the rest of the squad,” Aloisi said.
Kewell’s vast array of experience has already left an impression with his coach.
“He still surprises me everyday in training, some of the things that he can do and we just cant wait for him to do that on a weekly basis for us,” Aloisi said.
“Harry’s here to do well, he wants to do well for himself, for the club, and I’m sure that in the back of his mind he’s still got the Socceroos.”
The Socceroos may be a more pressing issue for Kewell than that, but he himself admits it will take more than just good form to break into the squad.
“First and foremost my job is playing for the Heart,” he says.
“You play well for them then you may have a chance, but at the end of the day the manager picks the team,”
With the 2014 World Cup on the horizon, there is added incentive for Kewell to shine in the Red and White, but insists it won’t be the ‘be all and end all’ of his return to Australia.
It seems fitting that Kewell’s return game is one that matches the commanding presence he emanates. Here’s a player who’s used to fronting up to the Kop, in big games against Manchester United, turning out for Galatasaray in the Intercontinental Derby and now he finds himself the fissure of a growing Melbourne divide. This could be his biggest personal test yet.
Aloisi is hoping Kewell’s big game experience and leadership qualities will be the difference between success and failure for his side.
“Turning around and seeing Harry playing next to you is a good thing because he’s played in much bigger games than in front of 50,000,” Aloisi said ahead of the highly anticipated clash.
“Harry’s not going to be a screamer or shouter, he’s just a good leader by the way he performs on the pitch, the way he trains and sets high standards.”
There’s no doubt that there’ll be mixed emotions for both Kewell and Melbourne’s passionate football community, but if Kewell can display a semblance of the form which made him a super star in the first place, Australia may yet see it’s golden boy shine bright one final time.