Socceroos legend Tim Cahill buys Extreme E racing team

Socceroos legend Tim Cahill has revealed his new sporting interest, buying an off-road car racing team.

Cahill has purchased his own team Cahill to compete in season three of the Extreme E series next year.

The former Everton midfielder, 42, is relishing the prospect of being a first time race series owner, especially the ‘combination of thrilling, competitive racing and leaving a lasting, positive impact’.

Cahill’s team, part of the expanding XE Sports Group, will become the first Asia Pacific team to be based in Australia, with the 2023 international off-road series featuring electric-powered cars.

The current Extreme E line-up includes teams run by legendary motorsport names including McLaren, seven-time world F1 champion Lewis Hamilton (X44), Nico Rosberg (Rosberg X Racing) and Jenson Button (JBXE).

Socceroos great Tim Cahill (pictured) has branched out from the world game, buying his very own race team Extreme E

Cahill is looking forward to ‘leaving a lasting, positive impact’ in the international off-road series featuring electric-powered cars (pictured)

As a child growing up in western Sydney, images of Ferraris and a Lamborghini adorned Cahill’s bedroom walls.

A self-confessed revhead, he also realised one of his life dreams after purchasing a Lamborghini Gallardo when he graced the English Premier League with the Blues from 2004-2012.

‘I didn’t end up driving it a whole lot, but it had huge significance to me because it meant that I’d made a childhood goal come true,’ he told News Corp.

‘In football you spend all of your time training, and in the UK I lived 30-40min from the training ground (Finch Farm on Merseyside), so being in comfort for that trip was definitely a luxury.’

When Australia compete in the World Cup in Qatar from November, Cahill will take on a global sporting ambassador role for the tournament – and will also assist Graham Arnold’s squad with their preparations.

It could prove pivotal, given Cahill has spent the past few years living and working in the Arab nation.

He boasts extensive knowledge of Qatari football as well as the layout and facilities, leaving him well placed to provide an expert insight to benefit Arnold’s side.

Tim Cahill was a legendary figure for the Socceroos, scoring 50 goals in 108 appearances

Cahill was also a constant presence in the Socceroos’ camp during the World Cup qualifying campaign and delivered a speech to the team days before their penalty shootout victory over Peru (pictured, coach Graham Arnold)

In 2020, Cahill was hired as the chief sports officer of the government-funded football school – the Aspire Academy – in Qatar.

‘We didn’t want to count our chickens before they hatch but now we know we will be here in November this year, those discussions have already started,’ FFA boss James Johnson told the Sydney Morning Herald of the Socceroos’ potential training base for the World Cup.

‘The good news for us is we have one of our all-time greats, Timmy Cahill… we are already in discussions with him about where we stay. He’s local, he cares about the team.’

Cahill was a constant presence in the Socceroos’ camp during the World Cup qualifying campaign and delivered a speech to the team days before their penalty shootout victory over Peru.

The Socceroos kick off their tournament against reigning world champions France on November 23, in a tricky Group D alongside Denmark and Tunisia.