Kewell is true to his word

It is not uncommon for members of the considerable colony of Aussies abroad to flag their intention to come home by telling us they are doing it essentially to repay the game for making them rich and famous.

Australia star Harry Kewell is one of them.

Fans and commentators are not privy to Kewell's reasons behind his stunning decision to trade European football for the A-League.

But one thing is certain: Australian football's golden boy who achieved hero status in Europe has lit up the competition with his electrifying performances for his fourth club Melbourne Victory.

After a hesitant start to the final chapter of his career, Kewell finally has hit his stride with glimpses of the blistering form that made him a Premier League sensation a decade ago.

Watching Kewell unleash his smorgasbord of pace (he's slowed down a bit but he's still pretty quick for A-league defenders), dribbling, vision and jaw-dropping passing, it is hard to understand why Victory can manage only a mid-table position at the moment, well behind leader Central Coast Mariners.

Kewell's all-round form in the last few weeks has been nothing less than magnificent and his understanding with born-again striker Archie Thompson is becoming telepathic and lethal.

The only thing missing from his repertoire is goals.

So far he has found the net only twice … from a penalty against Gold Coast United in a 3-2 win and a well-taken shot against Brisbane Roar in a 3-1 defeat.

However stats often do not tell the whole story.

In 14 matches in the competition, Kewell has left his mark by creating just as many genuine scoring opportunities, some of which were taken and many more wasted.

But perhaps Kewell's finest and most eye-catching contribution has been the two 'goals' he did not score.

The first came in the game against Wellington Phoenix on 18 December when he waltzed across the edge of the penalty area, beating man after man with exquisite body feints, before missing the bar with a rising shot from his usually deadly left foot.

The second took place in the weekend game against Adelaide United when he killed a long punt from defence with his right thigh and from mid-pitch showed fullback Antony Golec a clean pair of heels on the right wing before cutting in towards goal and unleashing a venomous shot that stamped the bar with Eugene Galekovic hopelessly beaten.

Both strikes would have been worthy of goal of the season.

They showed clearly that fit-again Kewell, who has been the face of Australian football for more than a decade and was involved in the highest points of our recent football history, was delivering the goods in arguably the toughest test of his career.

Not so much in terms of the standard of competition but more so in the way he is perceived by the football family.

Many might have suspected that Kewell had nowhere else to go after his contract with Galatasaray in Turkey came to an end last year and he had everything to gain by seeking greener pastures in Australia.

Yet others might have felt that he had everything to lose by coming home because he could so easily have tarnished his reputation by failing to adust to what he has termed as “a far more difficult competition” than he expected.

So far, fingers crossed, he has proven the sceptics wrong and if he maintains this level of performance for the rest of the season, few would be brave enough to regard his stint in Australia as anything short of a resounding success.

The way he's going, he could end up winning the Johnny Warren Medal, too.

Kewell's bravery in risking all by coming to Australia, where the tall poppy syndrome is still alive and well, is to be commended.

He has let his football do the talking and has been a box-office hit in Melbourne and around Australia and has given the A-League the fillip it desperately needed.

He also showed that any Socceroos player who might be thinking of finishing his career back home would be entitled to feel confident about his move as long as he made sure he was fit enough and delivered the goods.

Veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer caused a storm last year when he declared that finishing up in Australia was akin to football suicide because of the massive expectations placed on our stars.

He brought up the example of striker John Aloisi who was crucified when he performed poorly at Sydney FC three seasons ago.

Kewell's form in recent weeks would suggest that no Socceroos player should worry about being unable to adjust to life in the A-league and being treated badly by its fickle fans.

As long as they put in and do not give fans a reason to suspect they are being taken for a ride, that is.

Kewell is ticking all the boxes so far.