Emile Heskey heads down under. Photo by Tim Groothuis/Witters Sport-US Presswire.
As a player edges towards the end of their career they have to make a decision on where they want to go to see out their footballing days. For some this may be in the lower English leagues, or on the bench of a Premier League team, but many players look abroad.
A lot of players have chosen to move to America to play, such as David Beckham and Thierry Henry, and until recently moving to Australia was fairly unheard of. However, in the last month we have seen two huge names in football choose to head down under to Australia to see out their careers, and who could blame them?
During the transfer window there was a lot of speculation about where legendary former Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero, now 37, would end up. One minute he was supposedly going to Celtic, Southampton the next, and then it was finally announced (second time lucky) that he had signed a two-year contract with the A-League side, Sydney FC.
We then got the news this week that former Liverpool and England striker Emile Heskey would be following Del Piero to the land down under, with a move to A League’s Newcastle Jets. Heskey has signed a one-year contract that will start next month when the season begins.
In a country where football is pretty far down the pecking order of sport, unless it is Aussie rules, these big names could transform the sport. These players can hopefully be an influence both on and off the pitch, and give the sport’s profile a massive boost.
The A-League season has not even started yet but the effect from these players can already be seen. Sydney FC has moved their second game to a much larger stadium in anticipation of a large crowd. Hopefully the excitement surrounding the arrival of these two players won’t just be temporary and they can leave a lasting impression on football in Australia.
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