If Pascal Bosschaart had listened to his friends and not his heart, his move to Sydney would have never happened.
If Pascal Bosschaart had listened to his friends and not his heart, his new love affair with Sydney FC and the Harbour city would never have eventuated.
Anyone and everyone was telling the veteran defender a move Down Under was a mistake, the standard simply not good enough to test the experienced central defender.
The 31-year-old admits all the negative talk did make him second guess his decision to continue his career in Australia.
But it’s a good thing for the Sky Blues and fans of the A-League that Bosschaart is comfortable in his own skin.
After opting to take a ‘gamble’ and move to Sydney, Bosschaart said there are definitely no regrets.
“If I had listened to the people in Holland I never would have come to the A-League,” he said.
“They said the league isn’t good and I wouldn’t enjoy it, but it’s been totally different. The league is very good which surprised me and the players here are very good.”
“I’m glad I came here. It’s been great for my football and I’m really enjoying it.”
“That’s why I decided to stay for another two years…I’m very happy here in Sydney.”
And the feeling is clearly mutual.
Bosschaart has settled into the Sydney side immediately and is one of the most popular players at the club.
His partnership with Michael Beauchamp in the heart of the Sky Blues defence was a major factor behind the club’s strong start to the season over the opening couple of months.
And while things have turned sour in terms of results over the last few weeks, Bosschaart is confident it’s only a matter of time before Sydney hit their straps again and start moving back up the ladder.
The centre half, who has made over 450 appearances in Holland’s first division, is enjoying being one of the leaders of the team under Vitezslav Lavicka and hopes to use his experience to help the club through their current rough patch.
“It’s up to the senior players like myself to help the young boys through this,” Bosschaart said.
“It’s not the worst period I’ve ever been in, there was some tough times in Holland.”
“But I’m confident we’ll come through it soon. We are still playing pretty well and things will turn around if we keep working hard.”
“Now is the time for us senior boys to stand up, grab the younger guys under our wing and see what we can do.”
“It’s something I see as part of my job and I like this responsibility.”
When asked about Sydney’s chances this season, Bosschaart said: “I think we have a very good chance.”
“There are a lot of good teams but I think we have a good enough squad to be right up there.”
“There’s is a long way to go but we want to be fighting for the championship.”
And a title in his first season would certainly be the perfect way to silence all those doubters back home.
