Brisbane Roar’s latest recruit Do Dong-Hyun has shown maturity beyond his years as he learns to adapt to his new life in Australia.
Brisbane Roar-s latest recruit Do Dong-Hyun has shown maturity beyond his years as he learns to adapt to his new life in Australia.
South Korean Do, who has represented his country at U-20 level, left home less than a month ago for a chance to kick off his promising football career with the Hyundai A-League Champions.
As a 19-year-old with limited knowledge of Australia and a very basic grasp of the English language, Do has surprised the club with his optimistic approach and eagerness to learn, both on and off the field.
“I really like it here,” he said, via an interpreter.
“The climate is great, I like the facilities around the club and the coaching staff and players have given me a warm welcome.
“To be honest, it was a bit of a culture shock – especially in training.
“We are very tough on each other and compete hard but afterwards, every one is friendly to each other.”
The young left winger signed a three year contract with Brisbane and with his long-term stability in mind, he has already started to work on his English skills.
Roar officials notice improvements in his English every day and Do says it-s something he-s been toiling away at when he-s not training.
“It starts with all the other boys,” he said.
“They speak to me and I try to respond in English so I am learning a few words every day.
“I also watch the news and I try to read books.
“If I see a new word, I try and use it next time I speak to the players.”
The club are in the midst of finding permanent accommodation for Do and he has even voiced his preference to live with an Australian home-stay family in a bid to learn English quicker.
He-s the youngest player to occupy a visa spot in the Hyundai A-League but Do admits he-s not homesick “yet”.
His teammates have become his regular taxi-drivers with Besart Berisha especially taking him under his wing and Ivan Franjic introducing him to a standard part of a Brisbane Roar player-s life – FIFA12 on PlayStation.
“Berisha is a really good man, he is always helping me all the time,” Do said.
“Yesterday, I was speaking to the coach and he came up to us suddenly and joked ‘Do is my second son!-
“He also invited me to dinner at his house and his wife cooked dinner.
“Australians like FIFA, but in Korea Pro Evolution is more famous.
“So that-s my excuse for always losing to Ivan!
“All the boys are very welcoming as well so I want to form good friendships with them all.”
After his impressive display in the Roar-s first pre-season match against Brisbane Olympic last week, it is now clear that Do has adapted well to the Brisbane way of doing things, both on and off the football pitch.
