Harry Kewell
Australia's most technically gifted soccer export, a winger whose dazzling runs for Leeds and Liverpool made him a global figure in the sport.
Born 1978 (age 48)·Australian soccer manager·Birthday: September 22·Generation X
Biography
Harry Kewell emerged from the western suburbs of Sydney as a prodigy, his left foot a thing of rare beauty and precision. At just 15, he left for England to join Leeds United's academy, quickly blossoming into a star of their thrilling, attacking side that reached the Champions League semifinals in 2001. His elegant play and eye for goal earned him a high-profile move to Liverpool, where he won the Champions League in that famous 2005 comeback in Istanbul, despite being substituted early due to injury. Injuries, in fact, became a persistent shadow over a career that promised even more, but his quality when fit was never in doubt. After his playing days, which included a stint back in Australia with the A-League, Kewell turned to coaching, taking on roles from League Two in England to the Japanese second division, now aiming to imprint his sophisticated football vision on teams as a manager.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Harry was born in 1978, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Harry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1978
#1 Movie
Grease
Best Picture
The Deer Hunter
#1 TV Show
Laverne & Shirley
Harry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1978Born
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1983Started school
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1991Became a teenager
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1994Could drive
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1996Could vote
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Turned 21
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2008Turned 30
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 40
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 48 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the UEFA Champions League with Liverpool FC in 2005, starting the final against AC Milan.
- Named the PFA Young Player of the Year in 2000 while at Leeds United.
- Earned 58 caps for the Australian national team, scoring 17 goals and playing in two World Cups (2006 and 2010).
- Became the first Australian to win the UEFA Champions League as a player.
Did You Know?
He is married to British television presenter and actress Sheree Murphy.
Kewell was the subject of a famous and controversial transfer tug-of-war between Leeds United and Manchester United as a teenager.
He played for Galatasaray in Turkey, becoming one of the few Australians to feature in the Süper Lig.
He briefly played for the Melbourne Heart (now Melbourne City) in the A-League.
“I've always said that if you're good enough, you're old enough.”
