# 271: Harry Kewell (Part A)

An episode of [The Howie Games](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1146329262), 16 Jun 2026, 37 min.

Audio: https://enrichment.soundstack.com/4vjqq8/episode.flightcast.com/qzsr4k6tah5ynvt0647wwyzp.mp3

Harry Kewell knows exactly what it feels like to stand on football’s biggest stage. Thanks to SBS, one of Australia’s greatest footballers joins us for an unforgettable conversation about the biggest tournament in the world and so much more! Harry takes listeners inside the rockstar treatment of a World Cup campaign, reflects on the goosebumps he still gets remembering his famous 2006 goal against Croatia, and explains why that strike was never about personal glory, it was for Australia. He also revisits his rise from a determined teenager fighting for a place at Leeds United, the surprising lessons he learned playing rugby league as a kid, his iconic long-sleeve look, Liverpool, an emotional Champions Trophy and the passion that now drives his coaching career. Whether you're in Socceroos mode or simply love hearing elite athletes unpack the biggest moments of their lives, this is Harry Kewell as you've rarely heard him before. Catch Harry calling all the World Cup action on SBS! It is your exclusive home of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, delivering every match from the largest tournament ever staged across the USA, Mexico and Canada. *** Follow the Howie Games on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehowiegamespod/ Follow the Howie Games on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thehowiegames See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

## Transcript

[0:02] A listener production.
[0:04] Okay, are you recording?
[0:10] Hello, podcast beans.
[0:13] Welcome along to episode 271 of the Howie Games, part A, featuring socceroo legend Harry Kuehl.
[0:21] Harry Kuehl!
[0:21] Kuehl!
[0:21] Kuehl!
[0:21] Oh!
[0:22] Harry Kuehl has scored!
[0:24] Kuehl hits!
[0:28] Kuehl scores!
[0:28] Kuehl has found a bit of space here.
[0:35] Towards Kennedy.
[0:37] My drop for Kewle!
[0:38] Harry Kewle has done it!
[0:41] It just had to be Harry.
[0:43] Harry was a total star from Leeds to Liverpool to the biggest stages in world football, the Premier League, Champions League, World Cups.
[0:51] Harry carried the hopes of Australia every time he pulled on the green and goal.
[0:55] Harry is currently starring, and I mean starring on SBS as an analyst.
[0:59] When he talks football, I listen.
[1:02] SBS is where you can watch all, all 104 matches of the FIFA World Cup live and free with SBS and SBS on demand right now.
[1:11] How good?
[1:12] Turn on SBS now.
[1:13] There will be football on.
[1:15] Thanks to Millie Palmer, the superstar from SBS, for making this episode possible.
[1:20] Enjoy the story of Harry Kuhl.
[1:23] Talismanic.
[1:27] So when you search and then you find And know just where to go And thoughts that once used to cloud your mind You see clearly and now you know Mystery, what is to be revealed In King Selassie, I Come on children, trod with me We want to reach Mount Zionist
[1:50] Well, we are pumped on the Howie Games to have this man on the show.
[1:54] I'm not going to mess around.
[1:55] He is my favourite socceroo of all time.
[1:57] He played for Leeds.
[1:58] He played for Liverpool.
[1:59] He played in Turkey.
[2:00] He dominated for the socceroos.
[2:01] And if he's not good at all those things, he's a manager.
[2:03] But more than that, I've seen a lot of him on SBS over the last three days.
[2:07] And he bloody, he's a star on the TV as well.
[2:10] So it's almost annoying how good this man is at life.
[2:12] Harry Kuhl, welcome to the Howie Games, mate.
[2:15] I'm pumped to have you on.
[2:16] Cheers, Howie, and thank you for the lovely introduction.
[2:18] I mean, I've had a couple now and people are really hitting to my heart here how they're saying that.
[2:24] Like, you kind of forget.
[2:26] It's so nice that people kind of remind you of all the things that you've kind of done in the game.
[2:32] And so thank you for that lovely introduction, mate.
[2:35] Well, mate, this hour is about you, but I could run off moments where I have been when you scored in the World Cup, when you were over there in the Iran qualifier as a kid.
[2:45] Known as Badu, it's a chance here for Kewel, a goal for Australia.
[2:49] A brilliant stand for the Socceroos, and it's Harry Kewel, the 19-year-old, who has opened the scoring.
[2:57] This is about you, and we don't want to...
[3:01] lose the time stamp on this, but this is 24 hours after me sitting in my lounge room, jumping around like a lunatic with my wife.
[3:12] Take me into the studio when you're watching.
[3:15] Do you guys lose your mind in there?
[3:17] Yeah, of course.
[3:18] Of course, especially when your team's playing.
[3:21] And obviously when your nation's playing, it goes to the extra bar.
[3:25] You know, and like we're watching the game and-
[3:29] Obviously, the first quarter of the game, you know, obviously, we're on the back foot.
[3:34] You know, Turkey are obviously dominating, which they said they were going to.
[3:39] They're all creating opportunities.
[3:41] But we were solid.
[3:43] We were solid.
[3:44] And we were just hoping with the lineup how Popovic...
[3:48] saw the vision of young Ocon playing forward, that was the type of boy, and even me speaking to Millsy and Tommy, we were saying, what's going to happen here is that we've got to look to break this Turkish team down.
[4:03] And if we can break it through a forward play of a pass, then we've got an opportunity.
[4:08] And the opportunity came, didn't it?
[4:11] And then I remember the ball coming through and Aaron Kunder running through it.
[4:14] And,
[4:15] Again, I know everyone is saying Aaron Kunder did amazing, and he did.
[4:20] Got good contact on him.
[4:21] That's a good save from Beach.
[4:22] Over the top here's Nestery.
[4:23] Great first start.
[4:24] Nestery, Aaron Kunder.
[4:25] Oh, my word.
[4:27] It's a Nestery moment in Vancouver.
[4:32] But.
[4:33] He's only as good as the pass.
[4:36] And that pass, the weight of that pass from Ocon is the way it kind of bent around.
[4:41] And again, that's what I appreciate.
[4:44] I was a passer of the game and I loved putting the ball on a plate for a player.
[4:50] And that ball was put on a plate because he didn't have to take three or four touches.
[4:54] That ball had the pace that fell into his path.
[4:57] And again, then that's when Aaron Kunder took over.
[4:59] And his first touch...
[5:01] took the whole Turkish defense out of play.
[5:04] And with that pass, when he took it past him, again, I think that he even caught the keeper off guard, right?
[5:10] And then as we're watching this, we're all going, wow, is this the moment?
[5:14] And we're all getting on the edge.
[5:16] And this is where you start edging from leaning back to the edge of your seat and you're getting on your – is it, is it, is it, is it?
[5:22] And then he's actually taking the shot.
[5:24] And like I said –
[5:25] Usually in that position there, he's very brave going near post, like very brave because usually keepers have the near post covered and then usually go for the far post because it's an easier kind of shot.
[5:37] But his ability to be able to play at near post and then obviously here and then seeing the ball ripple in the back of the net, I mean, we all just went nuts.
[5:46] We all just went crazy.
[5:47] And it wasn't even like everyone in the studio was going crazy.
[5:51] And that was a moment that, like I said, fantastic.
[5:54] for a young socceroo to be given the nod.
[5:57] And there was questions whether he was going to start or not.
[5:59] You know, can he last?
[6:01] Like that was the moment for him.
[6:03] And he took it.
[6:04] So fantastic.
[6:05] Congratulations to him.
[6:07] So the summation there, when I talked about you're a star on TV, I get to sit next to a lot of AFL footballers who do the specials on the games and cricketers who do the same all summer.
[6:17] But I loved the analysis description you just gave then in the moment and on the coverage.
[6:24] It came through on SBS, Harry, that not only are you extremely in tune with the game but you've got a massive passion for it and I love that.
[6:34] I loved seeing your excitement as it was happening.
[6:38] The one thing that I've learnt, right, especially being a coach, and I have to say, Howie, and this is going to come probably a shock to a lot of you, is I actually prefer coaching towards playing.
[6:50] You know?
[6:51] Yeah.
[6:52] I think it's maybe because as a player –
[6:55] I was telling a lot of my players where to go and what to do.
[6:59] I was an organizer, and if I came across a coach that allowed me to do that, I kind of excelled because I was one of these players that –
[7:10] If a team marked me or double marked me, I'd be able to move.
[7:14] And I'd talk to my players and say, look, I'm getting marked here or double marked.
[7:18] I'm going to move out.
[7:19] There's a gap that's going to be in there for you and be able to do it.
[7:21] Oh, you know what?
[7:22] I'm not feeling this movement pattern.
[7:24] Let's be able to change it.
[7:25] So I've always been a talker on the pitch and been able to move and be adaptive on the pitch.
[7:30] So being able to communicate that as a coach, it is probably –
[7:35] the biggest thrill in football for me is teaching someone and being able to give them information all week.
[7:43] And then when you get to that white line, I can't go no further.
[7:47] So it's all about how I've given my information to the team or to that player and then seeing them do that on the
[7:58] It's so cool.
[7:59] We'll get to your career, mate, but obviously your managerial career throughout the UK and then over in Japan with Marinos, but you're in Vietnam at the moment.
[8:07] And when Millie was trying to organise this initially, she said, oh, maybe Harry can do it from Hanoi.
[8:14] And I must say, I thought, oh, what the...
[8:15] bloody hell is Harry Kiu doing Hanoi but you're coaching over there so team aside you know you've got a a beautiful family you've got kids like how's life in Vietnam as a football coach with your family and everything going on away from the pitch mate?
[8:30] What an experience for your family.
[8:32] Again, it's a tough one because obviously my family have their own.
[8:36] My kids have virtually all grown up.
[8:39] I've got a son who's 24 and I've got three daughters, 23, one who's just started a new job, one who's just got a job.
[8:45] And my youngest is still at school.
[8:47] And my wife still works.
[8:48] So it's very hard to up and move all of them across.
[8:52] So I'm there by myself while I'm there with my coaches at the moment.
[8:57] And as a manager and as a coach, it's 24-7.
[9:01] You know, that's the hardest thing is juggling family life and coaching life because if you're going to be a manager, you've got to be there 24-7, you know.
[9:09] And the opportunity came up to obviously coach in Hanoi and it never fazed me.
[9:16] It's very tough, especially in this day and age now, to be able to get handed an opportunity.
[9:21] So when this opportunity came up, I was jumping at it because one, to live in a different country...
[9:28] to get a different experience, to work with different types of players, because this is only going to benefit me in the long run, to be able to get all these experiences.
[9:38] And again, I feel from my coaching career, from coaching in England, to going to Glasgow, to work with Vance, to progressing into Yokohama, then going to Vienna, I'm going to go to the UK.
[9:51] Even I feel my coaching is going to a different level and getting stronger and stronger, but that's only through my own experience.
[9:57] Some people say you're lucky or this, that.
[10:01] I look at it as being brave.
[10:03] You can sit there and be comfortable in an area where everyone speaks the same language, you eat the same food, you go along, whereas Hanoi, Vietnam is completely different.
[10:15] And again, it really tests you because your information is going through a translator.
[10:20] I'm excited to be here.
[10:22] Look forward to working with you all.
[10:24] Look, I only have one.
[10:25] Just work hard.
[10:25] Right, that is as simple as it is.
[10:35] So again, you have to make sure you choose the words correctly because the way we speak naturally, it doesn't come across the way they do.
[10:43] So again, your information has to be correct.
[10:46] And I do take my time when I do speak to my players and I make sure my messages are clear.
[10:53] And there's three or four ways I show them anyway.
[10:55] And if they don't get it, they sit on the bench.
[10:57] I love it.
[10:58] I love the description.
[10:59] You mentioned you've got a 24-year-old.
[11:01] Would you have your first child at like 14?
[11:03] How old are you these days, Harry?
[11:06] How old are you?
[11:06] I'm 47.
[11:07] I'm 47.
[11:08] How are you dealing with that?
[11:09] So I hit 50 a year and a half ago and I found it difficult.
[11:13] It was a real mental strain.
[11:15] I left the country and went on a surf trip so no one would even know.
[11:19] It's three years for you but how are you?
[11:21] Obviously I saw you on the telly.
[11:23] You're still in good nick but how are you approaching, let's call it middle age.
[11:26] Let's call it middle age, Harry.
[11:28] I'm glad you brought that up.
[11:30] We had a running joke in my family and my daughters used to say, how old are you, dad?
[11:36] And apparently I kept on saying 45 for about 10 years.
[11:40] And they just go, you still like 45?
[11:42] It's like, yeah, I haven't changed.
[11:45] Now it's 47.
[11:47] I am getting close, right?
[11:49] And it's, yeah, I've got a feeling I know what you're talking about.
[11:54] Now I've still got three years to go, but...
[11:58] It flies when you're busy.
[12:00] You know, like I've been in Hanoi for 10 months and it's flown by.
[12:05] And like I haven't seen my family for about six months.
[12:09] And I know the greatest thing like technology and FaceTime and all that, and that's what I love, right, because you can actually still make that contact because back in the day it used to be the payphone.
[12:20] you know, down at 11 o'clock at night if you want to talk to anyone in Australia because it's the time zones, you know.
[12:26] Zero, zero, six, one, and the bill had stuck up through the roof.
[12:29] Putting your coins in, all that type of stuff.
[12:32] But it becomes a lot easier now.
[12:35] But, yeah, I'm –
[12:37] I've got a feeling I know where you're coming from, you know, but I'm going to embrace it.
[12:43] I'm going to embrace it, you know, and I want to embrace it.
[12:46] I'm not afraid of it.
[12:47] Like you said, I do love working out.
[12:50] I do believe that.
[12:52] as a manager, you got to show strength and not only strength in your tactics or in your mind, but I think you represent your club.
[13:01] And I like to always be in top shape because I'll always ask players to do things that will push their body to the limit.
[13:10] And,
[13:11] If they're looking at me and they're seeing my body in top form, they know that I'm pushing myself to the limit every single day, whether it's through mind, through training, through meetings, through everything.
[13:22] And I just think it's a good starting point.
[13:24] Yeah.
[13:25] Well, good luck when the big 5-0 rolls around, mate.
[13:28] Good luck.
[13:28] Let's go right back, right back.
[13:32] And if people are listening to this, now they realise.
[13:34] It's not that far, really.
[13:36] It's only, what, 25 years or maybe 20, 30 years?
[13:38] Yeah, okay.
[13:39] Let's say 20-ish.
[13:40] What's your first memory?
[13:42] What's your first memory of playing football?
[13:45] Wow.
[13:47] First memory from playing football was probably playing with my brother.
[13:52] You know, because I think that's what you did.
[13:54] And I was lucky enough to have an older brother.
[13:57] And he was always – he'd done all the sports.
[14:00] And I just – I loved my brother.
[14:01] So I wanted to kind of go out there and compete with him.
[14:05] And it kind of brought me into that level of competing at a very young age.
[14:10] And so whatever he did, I wanted to be better with Matt.
[14:12] So I think that grew me into always competing at a young age.
[14:18] And that's what I loved.
[14:19] And then again, it's just – and so I was lucky enough, again, obviously being born in Australia –
[14:25] we get given not only one tool, like not one soccer ball.
[14:29] We get given a tennis racket, golf clubs.
[14:31] We get thrown in a pool.
[14:33] We play – we ride bikes.
[14:36] We skateboard.
[14:37] We do everything.
[14:39] And I think that kind of helps –
[14:42] athletes, especially in Australia, to have handball coordination, different patterns of movement.
[14:47] And I think that's what's great.
[14:48] And I get asked a lot of times when people, especially parents, come up to me and go, oh, what's the best advice you can give my child?
[14:56] And I go, well, how old is he?
[14:57] They go, oh, he's eight years old.
[14:59] He loves football.
[15:01] You know, he's just crazy about football.
[15:02] I said, fantastic.
[15:03] I said, get him to play every sport.
[15:05] And they kind of look at you and they go, what do you mean?
[15:08] I go, well, I know he loves football, but all these other sports are connected.
[15:13] You know, handball coordination, patterns of movement, patterns.
[15:17] I said, get him to play everything and get him to play it up to about 13, 14 years old.
[15:22] And then he's going to find his true passion.
[15:24] And hopefully it is football.
[15:25] But if it's not, he's going to have all these other motor on skills to be able to progress in life itself.
[15:31] Whereas I found, especially in Europe,
[15:35] a lot of parents want their sons to play football because it is the number one sport.
[15:39] And I get that.
[15:40] But again, I see, like, when I first went over to England, and sometimes in a rare moment, they would bring out, like, a rugby ball, like a rugby league ball, and they would pass it.
[15:52] And I would look at them and I'd go,
[15:54] What are you doing?
[15:55] Like, can't you pass a rugby league ball?
[15:57] Like, what the hell?
[15:58] And they would throw it.
[16:00] And I'd be like, and then they'd throw it to me, and I would do this torpedo pass.
[16:04] And they'd be all like, oh my God, what are you doing?
[16:07] I'm like, this is natural.
[16:08] Like, what are you doing?
[16:10] Because that's not natural what you're doing.
[16:12] And they're like, oh, wow.
[16:13] Or even to how to kick a ball.
[16:14] Again, kicking a ball, like a rugby league ball, AFL ball, there's an art to it.
[16:20] And that helps you even kicking your actual football ball.
[16:24] I mean, I'll tell you a story.
[16:26] One year, my dad come to me and said, you're not playing football or soccer.
[16:32] And I just looked at him.
[16:33] I was like, what do you mean?
[16:34] He goes, no, no, no, no.
[16:35] You're going to play rugby league.
[16:37] And I was only about like 11 or 12.
[16:39] And I was like, really?
[16:40] He goes, yep.
[16:41] Yep.
[16:42] I said, okay, well, my dad said I've got to do it, I've got to do it.
[16:45] And whether it was a touch of genius or not, I don't know.
[16:49] And I played it, I was a fullback because one, I was really quick.
[16:53] I was like a whippet, but I was quick.
[16:55] And I used to get the ball and I used to run right around the thing.
[16:58] But what that taught me was to be braced in challenges.
[17:03] So I used to get tackled and get down and all that and get back up and do it.
[17:07] But when I moved back into soccer,
[17:11] My first challenge when it came into it, I stood my ground and I remember the guy coming in and I just bounced him off.
[17:17] And I wasn't afraid of that.
[17:18] So again, just even them type of skills helped me to become who I was as a football player.
[17:24] So again, the opportunity to play a lot of sports in Australia is huge.
[17:28] You've got to take advantage of that.
[17:30] You mentioned going to England.
[17:31] So in 10 years, mate, we've been blessed to have footballers on this podcast, whether it's Cale or Aloisi or Craig Johnston, who went to obviously play for Liverpool, and his story is about arriving in the UK and Aloisi about being in Europe and really not knowing how to look after himself.
[17:48] How old are you when you go to the UK?
[17:51] And we read the headlines and we see the goals and we feel the glory, but I think...
[17:58] As young footballers, you guys go to the other side of the world with very little support.
[18:02] So how was that journey for you, mate?
[18:06] It was fun.
[18:07] Don't get me wrong.
[18:08] I had a mindset that I was doing this.
[18:12] There was no turning back.
[18:14] So when I first went over, I mean, I had John Farnham hairstyle.
[18:18] I had a John Farnham hairstyle, right?
[18:20] I love it.
[18:21] And all I can remember, and one of my great mates is Michael Bridges, and I remember playing for Leeds, and I had my long hair, mullet hair, and I was tearing this, I think it was Sunderland at the time, and I was tearing the under-15s or under-16s, and I was tearing it up, or I can't remember the exact age, but tearing it up.
[18:41] And I remember him telling me the story that his coach at halftime turned and said, well, one of you go and kick the living out of that long-haired, blonde-haired Aussie kid because no one can get hold of him.
[18:55] And it made me laugh.
[18:57] But again, I knew coming over to Leeds that it wasn't going to be easy.
[19:04] You know, like I'm coming over as an Australian into an English setup, competing with young English players to be the number one to play for their club.
[19:16] So it wasn't like open doors, you know, it wasn't like, oh, come in and yes, we'll look after you and all that.
[19:24] The amount of times I got kicked, the amount of times I got pushed over, all that type of stuff.
[19:30] Like I loved it.
[19:32] And one of the things that really got me going in a game was when someone really tackled me hard, like really good.
[19:38] And I said, okay, all right.
[19:39] That was a foul, but you know what?
[19:41] I'll get you back now.
[19:42] And that's what I grew up on.
[19:44] And don't get me wrong, I had good coaches growing up, had strong leaders.
[19:46] I mean, Eddie Gray for me was probably –
[19:50] especially when I came over to Leeds, he was probably one of the strongest people.
[19:56] And whether he saw that in me because he saw himself in me, that was a help because, and plus he was Scottish.
[20:04] And like, he did not bow down to anybody, especially on the park.
[20:08] So that encouraged me to stand up even more and take responsibility as a player.
[20:13] So again, I,
[20:15] I knew it was going to be tough and we didn't get it easy, but I loved the challenge.
[20:20] And obviously that challenge broke really early for me, especially after six months.
[20:25] I remember sitting in the, as you walked into Ellen Road, there was like the gym and all the first team used to come in that way and go straight into the first team dressing room.
[20:35] And we were all sitting there as academy players or youth team players.
[20:39] And we're coming up to the weekend's game and we're playing Middlesbrough.
[20:42] And we were all just chatting around and Harold Wilkinson come down and he got his first team in the office and he's come out and he says, you, hurry, in.
[20:49] I was like, ooh, okay.
[20:51] And everyone's just looking around going, oh, wow, okay.
[20:53] What's going on here?
[20:54] And I remember walking in there and you've got Gary McAllister, you've got Gary Speed, Brian Dean, Rod Wallace, Tony Aboula.
[21:00] You've got all these great players.
[21:02] And I'm just sitting there going, okay.
[21:04] And he puts his team up on the wall and I'm up there starting.
[21:07] And I was just like, ah.
[21:10] I wasn't nervous.
[21:12] I was just like, all right, yeah, just get me out there.
[21:15] And I remember going up to the Fullerton car park, which is the Fullerton car park now, but it was our training ground.
[21:22] And every single first team had come up to me and said, well done.
[21:25] Congratulations.
[21:26] Like, make sure you go out there and do your job now.
[21:30] And then it just came.
[21:31] And like I said, when I walk out to a pitch,
[21:35] it's like home for me.
[21:36] It's like me walking into my house.
[21:38] Like I am the most comfortableest in the world when I'm there.
[21:43] Like no one can bother me.
[21:44] No one can touch me.
[21:46] I'm in my own world.
[21:47] And I always find that when I'm there, this is my house.
[21:51] No one's going to come into my house and tell me what to do.
[21:53] And that's how I've always approached it.
[21:56] Back to Harry shortly.
[21:57] All righty.
[21:58] We are now two weeks into the Howie Games' newest project, The Big Five.
[22:03] The Big Big Five.
[22:05] It stars Jason Dunstall as we count down and debate from five to one the topics you and your crew get fired up about.
[22:12] Last week, Big Five sports movies of all time.
[22:15] This week, male sporting goats, the greatest from five down to one.
[22:21] He's brilliant.
[22:22] So my great concern was...
[22:24] Can you be a top five goat if you're from what is ostensibly, not in my world, but in the real world, it's a niche sport.
[22:31] Now, I wanted to put him in, but I couldn't.
[22:34] He won events across four decades.
[22:37] So that's a showstopper for me.
[22:39] He was on my short list.
[22:42] Check out The Big Five with the Chief, Jason Dunstall, in your Howie Games podcast feed now or on the Howie Games YouTube channel.
[22:51] There will be a new episode every Monday.
[22:53] This week, in your feed now, Big Five Sporting Goats.
[22:56] Next Monday, Big Five Australian Songs.
[22:58] Chief loves it.
[23:00] And there is a massive name unannounced special guest.
[23:08] Let's get back to Harry.
[23:10] So you debuted, you talked about, that's 30th of March 1996 against Middlesbrough.
[23:15] You're aged 17.
[23:18] But to me, like you at Leeds, we'll get to Liverpool and we'll get to the Socceroos, but you at Leeds, especially when you used to wear the long-sleeved sort of flowing white top.
[23:27] The over-baggy jersey, yeah.
[23:28] Yeah, that's it.
[23:29] And Space McEwan at the back post.
[23:30] 2-0 to Leeds in 19.
[23:32] And he hit it brilliantly.
[23:44] For Leeds United.
[23:45] How crucial could that be?
[23:46] Kewel.
[23:47] Walker came out.
[23:49] It's Harry Kewel.
[23:49] That was peak Harry Kewel.
[23:51] Now, do you use AI at all?
[23:54] No.
[23:54] Okay.
[23:55] So I put in Claw, the AI system, what was Harry Kewel's best game for Leeds, right?
[24:01] And to be fair, she's a list this long.
[24:03] It's a big list.
[24:04] But number one, it talked about, and I went back and watched the highlights,
[24:09] May 4, 2003, Leeds are battling relegation.
[24:13] Arsenal is looking to win the title.
[24:15] You win 3-2, which I think sends the title to Man U, which would have been a tough one for Leeds fans, to be fair.
[24:21] You scored five minutes in.
[24:23] And the longer ball is aimed by Wilcox for Kewl.
[24:25] Kewl one on two.
[24:26] Kewl goes for goal.
[24:27] That is one of the greatest goals you will ever see.
[24:32] It's a phenomenal strike from the Australian and what a fillet for Leeds United.
[24:38] What a blow for Arsene Wenger.
[24:40] I watched that and it was, what's the best way to describe it?
[24:44] It was like you were dancing on the pitch, Harry.
[24:46] You were dancing around dudes.
[24:48] It was very, very nice to watch.
[24:51] I remember the game.
[24:52] I remember the goal.
[24:54] I remember moments.
[24:55] But like I said, you do kind of forget.
[24:58] And people always ask, like you said, they go, oh, my God, you were this, you were that.
[25:02] And I'm like, oh, yeah, I was okay, right?
[25:05] And then there was a moment where someone had put like about a seven-minute clip of my Leeds highlights.
[25:12] And because obviously throughout my career, especially Leeds, I was not injured.
[25:16] And then obviously Liverpool, that's when all my injuries hit.
[25:18] And that's when it kind of stopped because of the – and I battled to try and get it.
[25:22] But you kind of forget, and they put this seven-minute clip together.
[25:27] And they put good songs to it.
[25:29] And after watching, I actually said to myself, I said, damn, I actually wasn't that bad.
[25:33] Oh, come on, mate.
[25:34] You're a star.
[25:36] Oh, what a goal from Harry Kuehl.
[25:39] That was sensational.
[25:42] But I always remember then it kind of flows back into my mind.
[25:45] Like how I used to play was and I used to demand the ball.
[25:49] Everywhere I went, I just said, give me the ball.
[25:52] And when I played with players, they gave me the ball.
[25:54] And I used to just watch.
[25:54] I used to just get the ball and run.
[25:56] I should just get the ball and run.
[25:58] And I remember Adidas coming out with this promo, right, about all the top players in there.
[26:03] And I was on one of them.
[26:05] And the wording was that if you can't get the ball off a player, you can enlist the help from the officials.
[26:12] And it's got me running through and it's got the ref and the two linesmen diving in on me because the thought was that no one – every time I got the ball, I would hold the ball for about 30 seconds.
[26:23] But you kind of forget that.
[26:25] But when I looked back at their moments, like I said, it was – that's what I worked on.
[26:29] Yeah, but again, I worked on that every day.
[26:32] Like when people say, oh, you know, you're great at 1v1s, you'll pay some power.
[26:36] Like on a Friday was my workday.
[26:39] Like even though I'd worked the whole week, I'd be on bungee.
[26:42] I'd be taking people on.
[26:44] After training –
[26:45] People would walk off.
[26:46] I'd be saying to the right backs, come here.
[26:48] Come here.
[26:49] We're working now.
[26:50] I'm working on my 1v1s.
[26:52] I want to get past you.
[26:52] I want to work on my crossing.
[26:54] I worked on everything.
[26:55] I worked on volleying.
[26:56] I worked on striking a ball every single day.
[26:59] I worked on my passing.
[27:01] Everything that I worked on for moments like that to be able to do it in moments, that's what I loved.
[27:08] Liverpool, there's not many young Australian footballers that get to grow up supporting a team.
[27:13] I remember when Ange came on here and he talked about the fact that if he ever got the chance to manage Liverpool, it would just blow his mind.
[27:20] You're a Liverpool kid growing up.
[27:22] First goal for Liverpool in a Merseyside derby.
[27:27] Tried to find Heskey.
[27:29] And it's put in by Harry Kuehl to score his first Liverpool goal in a Merseyside derby at a time that should really wrap up the three points.
[27:37] Where a chap called Michael Owen, you may have heard of him, scored the first couple.
[27:41] Owen, he'll get there first.
[27:43] He will score via the post.
[27:46] He teed up and Michael Owen stares it in.
[27:49] And Liverpool have two, Owen has two.
[27:53] the side of halftime.
[27:55] Why Liverpool for you and then what is it like to pull on the jumper that you grew up wearing as a kid and play at Anfield and have the passion and we will never walk alone?
[28:07] They're extraordinary life experiences.
[28:09] I'm glad you're smiling about it now as I'm running you through it.
[28:13] Look, you're just bringing up memories because that whole saga of obviously me moving and playing.
[28:21] You talk about Liverpool.
[28:23] I had a host of teams ringing me constantly.
[28:27] I mean, I had Man United.
[28:29] I had breakfast with Arsene Wenger, which is lovely.
[28:32] It was lovely.
[28:33] I had obviously met Gerard Houllier in France.
[28:37] I had phone calls with Alex Ferguson.
[28:39] That was probably one of my regrets.
[28:40] I actually didn't meet him face-to-face, but they do say if you meet Alex Ferguson face-to-face, you're going nowhere else.
[28:47] I had him.
[28:48] I had...
[28:50] I had conversations.
[28:51] I met AC Milan at the time.
[28:53] There was rumors of obviously Barcelona, PSG, all these top clubs.
[28:57] I suppose it was an exciting time for me and I wanted to play football and I wanted to go somewhere where I could make a difference.
[29:07] And when I sat down, and not only with – I sat down with a few managers.
[29:13] I sat down with Gerard Houllier.
[29:14] The way he spoke about football –
[29:16] It was incredible.
[29:17] I mean, the French, how they speak anyway, you know, you kind of get dazed by the way they speak about it.
[29:23] But the way he brought football to me, I just thought, wow, this is an opportunity for me to really become.
[29:28] And obviously, it's Liverpool, right?
[29:32] which is a huge pulling card anyway.
[29:34] But I did have other opportunities.
[29:36] And I always say as well that I met Arsene Wenger after Gerard Julio.
[29:41] And I think if I'd have met them the other way around, it could have been a different story.
[29:46] But for me, going there to Liverpool, and I think there was a YouTube clip or something of me when I was about 13 years old.
[29:54] I was at my academy at Parkley doing my session, and my coach was videoing.
[29:59] He videoed all the players, and you had to stand in front, introduce yourself, what position, and what do you want to do?
[30:06] He goes, Oscar goes to me, Harry, go on, introduce yourself.
[30:08] I said, hi, I'm Harry Kuehl, left midfielder.
[30:12] He goes, okay, well, what do you want to do?
[30:13] I went, duh, and I had my Liverpool top on.
[30:16] I said, going to play for these.
[30:18] And that was 10 years ago to the day that I actually signed for Liverpool.
[30:23] So it was meant to be.
[30:24] Oh, and space here for Harry Kiel, if he can exploit it.
[30:27] Kiel for Liverpool.
[30:28] You mentioned injuries, which is a big part of any athlete's story.
[30:34] You won a Champions League, which is an extraordinary achievement.
[30:40] He saved it!
[30:41] The European Cup is returning to England and to Anfield.
[30:44] Liverpool are champions of Europe again.
[30:51] But in many ways, like the groin issue came up in there and you left the ground early.
[30:57] How did you deal with that particular instance?
[30:59] Because you got some negativity towards you.
[31:01] And how did you deal with the injuries over the years?
[31:05] Because the amount of times I read the groin kept flaring up and causing you issues.
[31:10] We've talked about the great side of professional sport.
[31:13] What's the difficult side of professional sport like and how did you work your way through it, mate?
[31:19] It broke my heart.
[31:21] It broke my heart.
[31:22] And that's the honest truth because this is probably, unless we get to a World Cup final, you know, this is probably the biggest game that an Australian can play.
[31:32] Yeah, the Champions League final.
[31:34] Yeah.
[31:35] And the problem was, was the whole year I was having problems, you know, and the manager knew it, Benitez knew it.
[31:43] He was constantly asking me, constantly in dialogue with each other.
[31:47] And it was funny because I was going in for an operation two days after.
[31:52] The day after or two days after, I was literally going in for the operation.
[31:55] And I remember...
[31:57] Coming up, we trained at the stadium the night before.
[32:02] And look, it felt good enough, right?
[32:04] But at any given time, up to about three months prior to the game, my groin could have snapped at any given moment.
[32:11] That's what the surgeons were saying.
[32:13] They were saying, look, this could go at any given moment.
[32:15] One little movement, one little thing.
[32:17] So...
[32:18] I kind of was being free, hoping that it was going to snap, but we were getting closer and closer to the final.
[32:25] It's like, well, don't snap yet, mate.
[32:26] And I was training and I was never expecting to start.
[32:33] And the best thing about it was that I felt good.
[32:37] And I remember after the training session, Benitez come to me and says, how are you feeling?
[32:41] I said, yeah, look, you know my situation, boss.
[32:44] I said, look,
[32:46] This could go at any time, right?
[32:48] But at the moment, it feels good.
[32:49] He goes, okay.
[32:51] And he just left it.
[32:52] Anyway, I slept on it.
[32:53] Well, I didn't sleep on it.
[32:54] He slept on it and all that.
[32:55] And I remember going for the walk on the day of the game.
[32:59] And I was walking at the back with Gibral Cisse.
[33:01] And we were just chatting and laughing.
[33:02] And now in my mind, I'm sitting there going, well, because of my injuries, because of the passing, Benitez has always been a huge backer of me.
[33:10] Ever since he had come in there, he's always been there.
[33:12] And I feel for him because I think he knew what type of player I was, but I just couldn't give him exactly what it was because of my body.
[33:21] My body just, you know, it was just breaking down constantly.
[33:24] Anyway, he comes up to me, he goes, look, Harry, I want to talk to you.
[33:27] I said, yeah, boss, no problem.
[33:29] And then he said, look, I'm going to start you.
[33:31] He goes, how do you feel about that?
[33:33] And I said, yeah, easy, no problem.
[33:35] He goes, oh, good, and just walked off.
[33:37] Because I'm going to say, well, he said a little bit more by the positioning and all that.
[33:41] And I felt personally that that was fantastic because he could have went with other people.
[33:48] And there's stories out there, you know, he could have went with this, could have started with that.
[33:52] But the fact that he trusted me, knowing that the chances of something was going to happen, but he still needed someone like my presence on the pitch was fantastic.
[34:04] And that gave me the confidence.
[34:05] And again, I know...
[34:07] At the start of the game, we went down badly.
[34:25] But I actually felt in the first 20 minutes I was actually doing all right in the game.
[34:28] I was holding the ball up.
[34:29] I was doing exactly what he was asking.
[34:33] But then unfortunately, in a moment, I went for a tackle with Coutuso.
[34:38] And I remember going in for the tackle.
[34:39] And as I went for the tackle, I just felt this whole thing just snap.
[34:44] And I remember looking down and my muscles just like all bulged up down.
[34:47] And I just went, I can't do anything.
[34:50] And I felt because obviously, yeah, you're right.
[34:52] A lot of people were presuming that I'm walking off because of the, you know, the result and what's happening.
[34:59] But if you know me deep down, I mean, I'm a fighter.
[35:02] I keep going.
[35:03] And if you've known the history of what I had to do to get to a moment like that, I mean, you would never have questioned my loyalty, my dedication, my commitment to the cause.
[35:17] But yeah.
[35:19] And that broke me by coming off.
[35:21] But if I flip that now, Howie, and I don't play an individual sport.
[35:27] You know, I play a team sport and I know individuals, right, can win games, but teams win tournaments.
[35:35] And what I saw that night was...
[35:38] from my team will always stay with me because I think that's the important thing that I learned, especially that night, is that, and especially as a footballer, you can't help but think about yourself, right?
[35:50] We do think about ourselves quite a lot, right?
[35:53] And probably in every sport, you do think about yourself, and I think you forget that you're playing a team sport.
[35:59] But what that night gave me is the opportunity to actually take back and go,
[36:04] I'm in a team sport and sometimes it's not about me.
[36:08] It's about my team.
[36:09] And I sat back and I watched something special that night to be able to realize and go, wow, I want to be out there and I want to help, but my team's got this.
[36:20] And that's what I saw.
[36:20] My team's got this.
[36:21] And they did something remarkable that night and, you know, bring home the biggest, biggest cup in European football.
[36:29] That is the end of Harry Cule Part A.
[36:31] In Part B, Harry goes in-depth behind the scenes of some of the biggest Socceroos matches of all time.
[36:37] See you there.

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