Harry Kewell

Harry Kewell (born 22 September 1978) is an Australian association football coach, manager and former player. His most recent role as a club manager was at English National League side Barnet, and he is currently a first team coach at Celtic F.C. As a player, Kewell represented Leeds United, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Melbourne Victory, Al-Gharafa and Melbourne Heart. While at Leeds he was named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2000. Internationally, he received 58 caps, and scored 17 goals while playing for Australia. A left winger also capable of playing as an attacking midfielder or second striker, he is often regarded within the media as "Australia's finest football export", despite his career being blighted with injury.
In 2012, Kewell was named Australia's greatest footballer in a vote by Australian fans, players and media.

Kewell scored a goal against Croatia which took Australia through to the knockout stages of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the Australian national team's second World Cup. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Australian Professional Footballers' Association. Kewell also has a British passport through his father's heritage. Former Middlesbrough midfielder-turned pundit Robbie Mustoe named Kewell as one of the greatest players he had played against but questioned his consistency and attitude after his initial injuries. Former German international Michael Ballack has also highlighted Kewell's ability and inconsistency.

Kewell has represented Australia at the 1995 FIFA U-17 World Championship, the 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Australia finished runners-up, the 2004 OFC Nations Cup, which Australia claimed for the fourth time, the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the 2007 AFC Asian Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2011 AFC Asian Cup, where Australia finished runners-up.

Early life

Harry Kewell was born on 22 September 1978 in Sydney, New South Wales, to an English father, Rod, and an Australian mother, Helen. Harry grew up supporting Liverpool in English football's First Division. Kewell received his early schooling at Smithfield Public School and secondary schooling at St. Johns Park High School before transferring to Westfield Sports High School. Before becoming a teenager he played junior football for Smithfield Hotspurs (now Fairfield Hotspurs) before switching to Marconi Fairfield as a teenager.

Club career

Early career (1993)

At age 14, Kewell travelled to Thailand, Italy and England with the successful Marconi under-14 team that had recently won the state titles. The team played games against the junior team of Milan, as well as apprenticeship sides in England. This was the first time Kewell had been out of the country but provided him his first taste of football in Europe, having also attended a Premier League match for the first time as a spectator. At age 15, Kewell was offered the opportunity to travel back to England and trial with Premiership football club Leeds United for a period of four weeks as part of the Big Brother Movement in Australia. Kewell travelled to England with his future Socceroo teammate Brett Emerton. Both were successful during their trials at Leeds, however only Kewell was able to take up the club's offer due to his father's English heritage, which satisfied the visa requirements.

Leeds United (1993–2003)

Kewell played for three seasons in the Leeds United youth team. His first match for the youth team was against Sunderland in 1995, and he scored his first hat-trick against Rotherham on 7 December 1996. Kewell was handed his first team debut at age 17 in a 1–0 home defeat against Middlesbrough on 30 March 1996. In 1997, Kewell was part of the Leeds United youth-team that claimed the 1996–97 FA Youth Cup final in a 3–1 aggregate win against Crystal Palace. The first goal he scored for Leeds came some time later, in October 1997, in a 3–1 League Cup victory over Stoke City. Around that time, he was flatmates with Leeds goalkeeper Nicky Byrne, who would later become a member of boyband Westlife.

Kewell was sent off in the Leeds United- Galatasaray 1999–2000 UEFA Cup semi-final match. Playing mostly in a left midfield role and in attack, Kewell became one of Leeds' young stars in a troop of highly promising youngsters, eventually playing alongside fellow Australian Mark Viduka.

In the 1999–2000 season, on the back of his most successful season at Leeds where he also won PFA Young Player of the Year was selected in the PFA Team of the Year, Italian giants Internazionale had bid £25 million for Kewell, but Leeds rejected the offer, citing his value to their side. The high point of this period was when Kewell helped Leeds to the semi-final of the UEFA Champions League in 2000–01. The club, however, began to suffer financial difficulties and, by 2002–03, having sold many of their best players, Kewell's efforts in front of goal merely delayed Leeds' slide from being relegated from the Premiership. Kewell's efforts at Leeds United gained him international recognition for his talents. He scored 45 goals in over 180 appearances for Leeds over eight years.

Kewell left Leeds under acrimonious circumstances. In an interview given to the BBC shortly before his move to Liverpool, Kewell strongly criticised the staff at the club, stating that the medical staff loved Lucas Radebe and that his teammates had ostracised him.

Liverpool (2003–2008)

Having rejected more financially enticing offers from Milan, Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal and Barcelona, Kewell moved to the club he supported as a boy, Liverpool, for the start of the 2003–04 season. Kewell was handed the famous number seven shirt, surrendered by Vladimír Šmicer.

Kewell's transfer was controversial because it was alleged by former England captain Gary Lineker in an article in July 2003 that a significant portion (£2 million of the £5 million) went to Kewell's unregistered agent Bernie Mandic to ensure that he ended up at Anfield. In a related matter, Kewell sued Lineker in 2005 for defamation of character, but, with the jury unable to agree on a verdict, the parties had to settle out of court.

Kewell made his debut for Liverpool in the opening game of the 2003–04 Premier League season, a 2–1 home loss to Chelsea on 17 August 2003. Kewell scored his first ever goal for Liverpool in a 3–0 away win over great rivals Everton in the Merseyside derby with a great first time strike. Kewell completed his first ever season at Anfield equal second with Emile Heskey by scoring seven goals, nine behind Michael Owen as Liverpool's top goalscorer for the 2003–04 Premier League season. Kewell also finished as Liverpool's top scorer in the 2003–04 UEFA Cup, scoring goals against Olimpija Ljubljana, Steaua București and Levski Sofia which ended Kewell's season total of ten goals. Kewell kicked off his 2004–05 season poorly, failing to score in his first 14 matches, due to injury problems. He did finally score his first goal in round 15 of the Premier League in a 1–1 away draw against Aston Villa, and that was his only Premier League goal of the season, making this one of his worst seasons ever. Kewell started and played in the 2005 League Cup final and the 2005 Champions League final.

On 25 May 2005, Kewell became the first Australian-born player (Craig Johnston was born in South Africa) to win a major UEFA competition, when he became the only Australian to win the UEFA Champions League, playing in Liverpool's win over Milan in the 2005 Champions League final on penalties. Kewell was controversially selected by manager Rafael Benítez ahead of the defensive midfielder Dietmar Hamann, signalling the club's intent to attack from the outset. The gamble proved unsuccessful, and an injured Kewell was substituted early in the first half with a torn abductor muscle. Liverpool were losing 1–0 at the time and Kewell was booed off the pitch by Liverpool fans with many suggesting he had faked the injury. It also emerged during the summer of 2005 that Kewell had been playing throughout the season with an undiagnosed sports hernia, also known as " Gilmore's groin". His record as the only Australian to win a major UEFA tournament came to an end on 18 May 2022 when Ajdin Hrustic became the second Australian to win a UEFA competition, though this occurred in the UEFA Europa League.

In November 2005, after recovering from the injury sustained during the final, Kewell spoke to the official Liverpool website, saying that he had a strong desire to repay his manager Rafael Benítez for showing confidence in him by fielding him in the Champions League final. He also thanked his wife and friends for the support shown to him while he recovered from injury. He also re-stated the severity of the injury which had forced him off in the final and told his doubters that they were misguided to question the severity of his injury.

Kewell's form for Liverpool in the 2005–06 FA Premier League season showed what he was truly capable of, scoring goals and plenty of assists, lending support to his assertion that his prior mediocre performance was the result of poor health rather than apathy. Kewell scored his first league goal at Anfield in over two years when Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 1–0 in January, he was also the only scorer when Liverpool beat Manchester City 1–0 at Anfield and scored the last goal in a 3–1 win over derby rivals Everton just under a month later. Kewell was also one of Liverpool's best performers in the FA Cup semi-final win over Chelsea which Liverpool won 2–1.

Kewell played in the 2006 FA Cup final, only to be substituted in the 48th minute due to abdominal pains (the supporters reaction this time was more sympathetic compared to the previous year's Champions League final). It was later confirmed by Liverpool that he had torn a groin muscle, but was expected to be fit for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

On 30 April 2007, Kewell made his comeback after almost a year out of club football. He came on as a 55th-minute substitute for Liverpool Reserves in a "mini-derby" against Everton Reserves. On 5 May 2007, he came on as a substitute in the second half of Liverpool's match against Fulham at Craven Cottage, having not played for Liverpool since his substitution in the 2006 FA Cup final. On 13 May 2007, Kewell came on as a substitute in the second half against Charlton Athletic in the last match of the Premier League season, where he scored his last ever goal for the club. Speculation on whether he was to be selected in Liverpool's upcoming Champions League final in Athens rapidly became positive for Kewell after providing an excellent game against Charlton. Kewell provided a cross in for Dirk Kuyt to assist towards a Xabi Alonso goal and then scored a penalty on the 90th minute. He played in the Champions League final in Athens, appearing as a second-half substitute for Boudewijn Zenden, however Liverpool lost the final 2–1 to Milan.

Kewell was injured for the start of the 2007–08 season, and he faced an uncertain future at Liverpool having suffered yet another injury, which sidelined him for the first month of the Premier League season. Kewell returned as a substitute in Liverpool's League Cup victory over Cardiff City on 31 October, coming on in the 71st minute. He then came on as a substitute in the Premier League and Champions League against Blackburn and Beşiktaş respectively. Kewell put in a great performance by setting up two goals for Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt as Liverpool beat Marseille in impressive fashion 4–0 away victory to secure qualification to the knockout phase of the Champions League. After his return, Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez stated on the club's website and to other members of the media that a new contract for Kewell to continue his career at Anfield was not out of the question. Many believed that if Kewell could stay injury free until the season's end he would be offered the chance to remain with the club.

Kewell found himself unable to make the team after Liverpool's FA Cup defeat to Barnsley. His chances of a new contract were hindered, however; when seeking games and match fitness, he travelled with his national team to play in a game against Singapore. Kewell returned to England with a groin strain, unfortunately leaving less time to prove himself worthy of a new deal. His first goal of the 2007–08 season was for the Liverpool reserve team in their 2–0 win over rivals Manchester United. Because of injuries, his future at Liverpool was uncertain. In May 2008, it was revealed Liverpool would not be offering Kewell a new contract at the club.

Galatasaray (2008–2011)

On 5 July 2008, reigning Turkish Süper Lig champions Galatasaray signed Kewell to a two-year contract, presenting him with the number 19 shirt.

Upon signing, Kewell said, "I wanted to move on and this is the best way. I can't wait to get started, it's just what I'm looking forward to, a new challenge." His transfer to Galatasaray provoked strong criticism from fans and teammates of his former club Leeds United as he was a Leeds player when two of their fans were murdered in attacks before a UEFA Cup semi-final against Galatasaray in Istanbul in April 2000. Kewell responded and in an open letter he stated, "I chose the No 19 shirt when I signed for Galatasaray SK as a sign of respect for Leeds because that was the number I got when I first became a regular member of the Leeds United starting XI. I felt that it might be a way to demonstrate that I had not forgotten where it all started and I was hoping that in a small way it would help the healing process of the tragedy that occurred on 5 April 2000. To blame the Galatasaray club for the tragedy in Istanbul is simply wrong and discriminatory."

Kewell made his debut for Galatasaray in the Turkish Super Cup where he came on as a substitute on the 66th minute, scoring his first goal for Galatasaray just 20 seconds later with his first touch in the 2–1 win over Kayserispor, while also providing the assist for the second goal. His second goal for the club came in the first league match of the season against Denizlispor, which Galatasaray won 4–1. On 23 October 2008, Kewell scored the only goal in Galatasaray's UEFA Cup win over Olympiacos. One week later, Kewell played in Galatasaray's first Turkish Cup match where they drew 1–1 with Ankaraspor.

On 2 November 2008, Kewell scored his fourth league goal in Galatasaray's home win over Gaziantepspor, after a week full of overwhelming speculations in the Turkish media about his injury. Following medical consultations in Australia, it was announced on 12 December 2008 that Kewell would need surgery to repair an inguinal hernia, and the operation took place on 15 December 2008. Of the nine matches that Kewell had scored in before his injury, Galatasaray had won them all, including two UEFA Cup matches, six Süper Lig matches and a Turkish Super Cup match.

In a UEFA Cup round of 32 match against Bordeaux, Kewell scored a goal from 35 metres from goal, bringing the score to 2–1. Galatasaray ended up winning the match and proceeding to the round of 16. On 12 March 2009, during the UEFA Cup round of 16 match against Hamburger SV, Kewell had to play as a centre-back for 40 minutes after the sending off of teammate Emre Aşık, but managed to fulfill the role adequately despite playing out of position. In the second leg of the round of 16 clash, he was again played as a centre-back, scoring a penalty while doing so.


In the 2009–10 season, Kewell scored 14 goals in 28 matches in all competitions. He netted 9 times in 17 league appearances, playing as the main striker in most matches due to an injured Milan Baroš. In a 2009–10 Turkish Cup play-off, Kewell scored in a 2–1 win against Bucaspor on 28 October 2009 to put the side into the group stage phase of the tournament. Finishing on top of their group, Galatasaray were eliminated at the quarter-final stage against Antalyaspor. During the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League qualifying rounds, Kewell scored Galatasaray's second goal in a 4–1 away win against Israeli club Maccabi Netanya on 30 July 2009. Kewell would then score in a 5–0 win against Estonia's Levadia Tallinn on 20 August 2009. Galatsaray qualified for the group stage phase. On 22 October 2009, Kewell scored in a 4–1 win over Dinamo București in Istanbul. In the return leg on 5 November 2009, he scored after 22 minutes in an eventual 3–0 Galatasaray victory. Galatasaray faced Atlético Madrid in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League knockout phase where they lost 3–2 on aggregate to the eventual champions.

On 15 August 2009, Kewell scored two penalties in a 4–1 home win to Denizlispor. Almost two weeks later, on 31 August, he scored a goal after 74 minutes in a 2–0 away win to Ankaraspor on matchday 4 of the Süper Lig season. Kewell scored his fourth goal of the campaign in a 4–3 win to Trabzonspor on 18 October. Two weeks later, he scored in a 2–0 win to Sivasspor at home on 1 November. By matchday 13, Kewell scored his sixth goal of the domestic season in a 1–1 draw to Manisaspor

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