Australia’s 2006 World Cup mastermind Guus Hiddink will come out of retirement to help his former assistant Graham Arnold when the Socceroos return home next month for their farewell match against New Zealand in Brisbane.

The legendary Dutch coach hasn’t worked since ending his stint with the Curacao national team in 2021, but will dust off his clipboard one last time for an emotional reunion with Arnold, who was by his side when the Socceroos ended their 32-year World Cup exile with a famous penalty shootout win over Uruguay, and then reached the round of 16 at Germany in 2006.

Arnold extended a personal invitation for Hiddink, 75, to join the team while his usual assistant, Rene Meulensteen, stays in Europe for the September international window to scout France and Denmark - two of Australia’s Group D opponents at the World Cup in Qatar this year.

Hiddink recounted what he said was a “wonderful time” with the Socceroos in a storied coaching journey, which included spells with Real Madrid, PSV Eindhoven, Chelsea, South Korea, Valencia and the Netherlands, in a video released by Football Australia.

“I’m very delighted to go there,” Hiddink said.

“Every now and then when I talk about my career with people, I always highlight my experience with the Socceroos. This is one chapter in my career which gave me a lot of energy. I met very kind people and very open-minded people, which I liked very much.

“All the players in the beginning - regarding the World Cup qualification - were not very confident, because there was failure in the past. I liked very much the commitment of our players ... [but] I had to look for a balance in the team, not just to go for 100 or 110 per cent commitment in the fighting spirit.

“I had to seek and search for more balance between the commitment and also the tactical executions of what I want to play strategically ... the tactical creation for those players. It was nice, because when players are committed, then you can work with them.”