EP 23: Brandon Borrello - From Brisbane Roar to the Bundesliga, ACL Recovery and the Wanderers

Brandon Borrello: I can tell the coach is a little bit off me. We have a chat and He goes, yeah, you're not the Aussie I wanted. I go, what? He goes, I thought you were Jamie McLaren. I said, no, he's a hundred kilometers down the road, mate.
Jani Schmidt: Brendan, good morning. Welcome to the podcast from First Touch for First Team. How are you enjoying your day off so far?
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, good morning. it's been a bit of a slow start. I wanted to wake up and mow the lawn, but the little one woke up with me, so I ended up making him pancakes and then waiting for my lovely wife to come down and enjoy coffee and and breakfast together. So wasn't what what was planned, but I'm definitely happy that it worked out that way.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah, great. Thanks for coming on to the episode. We're going to talk a few like across your career, your moves, what has happened, because I feel like a lot of people maybe know Brendan Borello from The Wanderers, but maybe don't know the backstory of like what actually got you there, what you've experienced. I always like to give my guests initially the chance to introduce themselves. anything that anyone that doesn't know you, who's Brendan Borello?
Brandon Borrello: Brennan Barello, he's he's a normal person, I would say, just like everyone else. I'm average in in in most ways. I like to come home, make a coffee, mow the lawn, enjoy a Netflix show. but you know, everything overriding that is just my love for football, and my profession. You know, I've never worked a day in my life because I love what I do.
Jani Schmidt: I think that's a great quote to start with. So because that love has been that big and has taken you across to different places in the world, maybe we go back in time. What was your first touch? What was your first contact point with football?
Brandon Borrello: My first contact point with football, I mean probably too young for me to remember, right? But my parents say from like the age of two and three, I always had a ball at my feet. and then when I was four, they signed me up to the local local soccer club in Adelaide called Salisbury Villa. and there it was just I loved, you know, playing in the mud, playing in the grass. I'd never liked playing goalkeeper. I remember early on in my in my football career the the coach made me play goalkeeper because I was scoring too many goals. And I actually even then I said, Nah, I'm not going in goals and he took me off. So I'm pretty sure I even had a cry as well. I was probably like six or seven, but I kind of knew then I just wanted to play football, man.
Jani Schmidt: And then was there any influence from your parents? Is anyone in the family football obsessed or were they more focused on other sports?
Brandon Borrello: football obsessed, I wouldn't necessarily say football obsessed. I mean, my father's side, being Italian and and all that, were definitely had football through them. But my dad was more of a indoor soccer player. he was kind of a bigger man, so he couldn't really cover much ground. so playing on the smaller court probably helped him. but it was it was I don't know. I think he enjoyed the fact that I really liked playing sport and being outside and football was was that for me. So you know, he pretty much as soon as as soon as I was ready to, you know, go into the the private academies and and get into, you know, working your way through the federation. 'Cause I'm not sure how it works now. I've been out of the whole MPL system for so long and even when I was growing up I didn't play in the MPL. it was the National Youth League at that time. so I went from Salisbury Villa to To Western strikers with my uncle, who I would say is the crazy soccer fan in my family and all of his friends. he's from Napoli. his his eldest middle name is has Napoli in it, you know, that type of stuff. They would fly, they would fly to Italy to watch them win the league and All that stuff. So they're they're football crazy, but they didn't ha really have an influence until they kind of joined the family, if you know what I mean. So that's my uncle through my dad's sister. but I guess there was just, you know, it kept I it obviously kept me on the straight and narrow. It kept me busy, it kept me out of the house, which is probably what mum and dad wanted at the time. and I don't know, I've I found all my friends through football, And it was just that that, that's where I was always happy and I seem to be thriving as well. I guess they saw that, you know, there's a bit of a talent there. Maybe he's performing a little bit better than the other kids around him. So we need to put him in a you know, a in a good environment and and make sure that, you know, if this is something that I want to do, that they're gonna make sure I can I got the new newest boots. I always had, you know, the freshnet in the back in the backyard with the goals. they always drove me to to the private academy training, to the state training, to the club training. you know, now being a father, I can sort of it's kind daunting because obviously I want my son to play football and I go, that's a that's a lot of sacrifice my parents had to make because this stuff isn't cheap, man. And you don't realise that growing up, but my parents did a really good job of, you know, pushing through that and making sure that, you know, I got what I wanted, so to speak.
Jani Schmidt: So this is already probably a big shout out to your parents saying thank you because as you said it is a big commitment.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, of course. Look, it's y you have to be grateful. You definitely have to be grateful. because they're the ones that they kinda see it in you first and you know, they had the patience and they worked hard to, you know, make sure make sure things happened and I was able to go to all these training sessions. So definitely I have to be grateful, man. You always need a good support network.
Jani Schmidt: So then obviously you starting to play, your parents being your support network continuing, maybe talk us through the next few years, like when did football become a bit more serious? What would be like the age and the time that you said, okay, this is becoming more important in my life, but also something that I can see going into the future.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, I guess the next the next step was probably when I went from Western strikers to Mobbury Jets. So I think it was like your Sunday league to your Federation football, where you start getting scouted for state teams and and so on. And that was probably when I was what twelve, thirteen. because then, you know, you go to all these these state championships and you're kind of playing against the best of the best in your age group across the country. and that at that time, you know, the the epitome was the AIS and, you know, trying to trying to lend a scholarship with the AIS. And, you know, from there, all the players that come in from there, they had the best training, they had the whole setup. It was it was kinda like I'm seeing a few of my mates like Jacob Melling, Stephan Mork, Bengaruccio, they're all going to the AIS and I'm still plotting around in the state teams, I'm am I good enough? am I doing the right things? Like, you know, how are they getting chances and I'm not? But like I was still obviously committed to the cause. I really enjoyed what I was doing. But I could tell that from a young age I was really good. and then, you know, as everyone kind of caught up. I was like, okay, yep. I'm in that sort of you know, that sort of range in terms of ability and stuff and then I guess because being so good at a young age, you forget on how to evolve or how to keep getting better because you're already, you think you're the best. But so that was kind of a reality shock and you know, y you start questioning yourself real early, like, am I good enough? Can I do it? And it was just it was honestly just perseverance, man. Like, I kind of never doubted that I would make it to be a professional footballer. I guess it's very cocky or arrogant, but you kinda had to back yourself because I mean was good at school and stuff, but my whole passion was just wanting to be a professional footballer. So I couldn't see any other avenue but that. and yeah, I went from Modbery Jets to the state team in Adelaide. so you go to the state team but whilst playing with Modbre Jets and then I went into the South Australian Sports Institute. but literally as I did the trials for that, my family decided to pack up, dad's changed his job and moved to Queensland. So I guess it was a blessing in a way because
Jani Schmidt: That's big change as well, right? From Adelaide to Queensland. Wow.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, yeah, I've I've been all over the shop, man. and I don't think they were too happy with me because when I got my acceptance letter, it was pretty much two weeks later that I had to say, Look, I'm I'm leaving. You know what I mean? what's the go? Do I get transferred to the Queensland Academy of sport? Or or how does that work? And at the time it was Tony Vidmar who the coach was. and he was really good, you know, really supportive of me. mum and dad obviously packing everything up at home, moving moving to Queensland and I'm sort of there a little bit It's a little bit daunting. New school, new team. What's going to happen? am I even going to be good enough? Blah, blah, blah. I got to the Queensland Academy of Sport under a guy named David Abella, who and Darren Davies at the time, who obviously just took a liking to me and you know integrated me into the squad at the time, which was which is really good. And yeah, from there, Queensland Academy of Sport to Brisbane Royal Youth Team. Brisbane Royal youth team to the first team and then I played I can't so I'm the worst with dates, years, so on and so forth. I can't even remember how long I played at Brisbane Raw. I think it was like three three or four years, including the youth team. until you know, I was kind of an established player at Brisbane Raw and then in two thousand sixteen, seventeen, heading off to to Germany for the first time, which was which was a whole different ball game.
Jani Schmidt: Before we jump into that next move to Germany, one or two more questions into that youth part. You obviously stated before that there was that time where all your mates were going into the selection teams, then in the Institute of Sport. And you were like, am I good enough? Was there then a point where because of that you changed something around the way you approach the game, the way you maybe approach training? Did you do more off the pitch? Was there something that when you look back, you're like, okay, this changed my mentality and also how our approach shrinks?
Brandon Borrello: it's it's hard to say because I guess really at the time I didn't think too much about it. I was just like, Why are these guys getting gigs and I'm not? You know what I mean? And I'm like, I know my time's gonna come, but when is it and how's it gonna come? I guess I just you know became a little bit more resilient and sort of had to just trust my ability and became more confident in that way. Like, you know I don't know, it's hard to say maybe to the to the younger generation, but I I definitely wasn't the best in, dribbling, shooting, this, that, but I was very good across the board. and I knew that my ability would get me definitely somewhere. but going overseas, I don't want to go straight to there, but going overseas, you've got specialists in every area. So that's what I found out. and I'm sure we'll get to some some players from Germany later 'cause I I got a really good story about one. But yeah, I just I don't know, I was a lot more confident. One thing I did realize though was when I went to SASI the first week we did fitness testing and I was miles off it. I wasn't fit at all. And now my game is all based around, intensive sprints, running back, you know, hounding other players, pressing other players. So I guess that was what it kind of hurt probably my ego a little bit to be I felt like I was fit and good, but When I come up against players in my age group that, were considered the best of in the country, and I've gone, I'm not fit enough. Then that was like the shock to the system that I needed. And I go, Brennan, you're not that good. You know what I mean? And that's
Jani Schmidt: What did Brendan change then?
Brandon Borrello: Pa, then it was yeah, I told dad just drive me down to the pitch and watch me run for a couple of hours. I'm gonna have to I'm gonna have to do it. there's there's no two ways about it because you know, you can have all this ability in the world, but if you're not willing to work hard, then what good is it, kind of thing. so I really pride myself on on my work ethic and it ties into with the it ties into the love of the game, right? You've gotta you've gotta love doing all that nitty-gritty stuff because No one no one wants to watch you run around a pitch or do box to box, but they all wanna watch, score score outside the box, dribble, take people on. so they only get, you know, the snapshot. They only see us once a week, you know what I mean, on game day. Whereas during the week, in the off season, in the pre season, all the sacrifice you gotta make, man, it's not it's not fun. And I guess, you know, the best the best example of that is you ask my wife, what do we do in off season and pre season? It's all based around my running schedule and
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: you know, it's it's not easy. But that's that's the that's the sacrifice. That's the trade-off, man.
Jani Schmidt: Especially here in Australia, I think Australia has one of the longest off-seasons in the world. I know how hard it is.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, and I'm I'm buzzing too. So I went through all of preseason. So this preseason I've come off the camp for the World Cup. I was there for four weeks in America trying to make the World Cup squad. I didn't make it, had two weeks off, came back straight into a twelve week preseason, and then in the last week I get injured and I go, but the as as lucky as it was, look, the injury is not as bad as what we thought. So, you know, hopefully I'm back very soon.
Jani Schmidt: Let's get now into the topic of, you've made the progress from the Brisbane youth into the senior team. You're making first grade appearances. Back then I was not in Australia, I was in Germany. So was not around the A league. didn't know. Like there's some places I've played that I have no idea about. Maybe other people that are from Australia, that been watching Australian football for a long time, they would know that. But what would you say around that time was the big part for you where obviously you did very well because you then got scouted, you got watched from clubs overseas that led you to a transfer to Germany. what was it around the time that made you maybe unique or like a reason what you think is like, this cut me overseas?
Brandon Borrello: I honestly just like a really good run of run of games where I was playing. so at that time where I was in the youth team, I was also with the the under twenties national team as well and I was playing as a nine. so a lot of people mistake me either for for a for a right winger, a left winger, or a number ten or whatever, but number nine is kind of where I played where I played all my games. so playing there with the national team and then coming to the youth team, playing as a nine. scoring lots of goals, obviously making a bit of a splash in the water in terms of, you know, sort of getting my name out there. but I got I gotta say like with at that time at Brisbane Raw, we had a really good, really, really good team. And we had a lot of the first team players dropping down. and so that was sort of like you know, the next eye-opener in terms of I'm still an extremely small fish in a really big pond. These guys are coming down, they probably don't want to come down and train with the youth team, whereas that's my livelihood. I love these boys, you know, that's my team. They're coming down and go, I've got to train in the afternoon with these kids. What am I gonna do? Blah, blah, blah, you know, take the piss, this, that. But that team at Brisbane Wall was really good. It was a really good bunch of young boys, older boys. boys, obviously the middle aged boys, but first team players as well. I think I gotta credit a lot of the way I am and you know, when I tie in work ethic wanna hold standards, be a louder voice in the change room. I've got to, you know, thank a lot of those boys in terms of, you know, you think Matt Mackay, Thomas Breuisch, who I'm sure you would know about, Bessa Barisha, Jamie McLaren, all these big names at that time, kind of just humbled me and They weren't arrogant or or aggressive in any way, but they show me that there's there's a way to do things and and be professional as as a footballer and yeah. in the youth team you get to enjoy it and stuff like that, but when you get to the pointy end of the pyramids in terms of first team football, man, it's cutthroat and, you can be you can be mates with with the person who sits next to you, but, you know, are you really mates if your livelihood either depends on them playing well or your livelihood depends on them being injured kind of thing?
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: You know what I mean? And that's that's the harsh reality of football. And the quicker you kind of learn that, the quicker you can sort of navigate that that sort of field a lot better and, you know, understand what player different players are going through. It doesn't always have to be the same person in your position. I was always mates for some reason with goalkeepers. I don't know why, but I just I always gravitated towards them because they're a little I've never met a normal goalkeeper. They always seem to have a bit of a screw loose, but Yeah, it's just one of those things you learn through football and with the help of the older boys. And I guess I look at myself now and the younger boys probably go, this guy's always grumpy. He comes in, he's demanding this, demanding that. I said, Boys, I might be like that, but it comes from a good place because I know and I've been there before, you know what I mean?
Jani Schmidt: I think that's an important role model that you take now for the younger players. Yes, you make it maybe to the A-League, but from your experience you should probably aim to go overseas to experience that rather than
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: just being content and happy to play with the A-League. There's nothing wrong with it for some players, maybe that's the right place, but
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: experiencing football overseas should always be a goal for a young player.
Brandon Borrello: Definitely. And I guess you you always watch the Prem or you watch Champions League or you watch Bundesliga or you you watch all these different leagues and you go, wow, look at this atmosphere and you I think as as a football player you always want to be a part of something like that. And if you ever get the chance, I think I think it's it's something that you have to do. In saying that, when I played in the A League, well, I think it was two thousand and thirteen, fourteen, those were probably the golden years in terms of atmosphere and and and attendance. So it's it's hard now. The league's obviously in a real hard place, but I just don't think we should knock the quality that we have in Australia just just yet.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah, I I spoke to Dario Vidicic and he said the same thing. He's like around that time, the atmosphere was insane. It was similar to Europe. It's like you could find the same atmosphere here in Australia. Let's hope.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: That's another story. That's another discussion. But let's hope that maybe in the next years, the elite can build back into that. We can always
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, definitely.
Jani Schmidt: hope and everyone who's listening should do their part in supporting the game. But obviously you had the dream of playing overseas. You then got the offer to go to Germany. Maybe take us back into that moment of I don't know, your agent probably reaching out and said like, Hey, Brian, there's an offer on the table.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: How did you feel? What did you think? there like only excitement? Was there a bit of like, wow, this is big. This is a move all across the world. What went through your head and what can you remember?
Brandon Borrello: So I first signed with my with my agent when I did my first professional deal at Brisbane Raw, John Grimoud. and he has a business partner in in Holland, but works on the border, so in Fenlo, works on the border of Germany and Holland, right? and they're a great partnership. and I've spoken to to John and you know, one of my idols at the time was was Matt Lecky, Robbie Cruz, you know, these types of guys, you know, watching the Socceros, watching them. Obviously Matt Lecky played Adelaide United and then went over. but I've gone, you know, that's kind of that's where I wanna go kind of thing. And it just happened to be a perfect mix. Johnny said to me, he goes, Mate, once you sign your deal, We want to get you to Germany, as soon as possible, in the right environment. all this, you know, all the the all the dreams are the agents sell, right? So you gotta
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: take it kind of with a grain of salt. and God bless like my dad, you know, he was never really into that type of stuff because I can see now got getting older how, you know, sometimes parents can maybe get a little bit too involved, but I can understand why they wanna be involved. Whereas my dad He didn't know much about it, so he didn't want to say. He just saw how happy I was and what direction I wanted to go to. And these people, obviously my agents, saying, we can get him there. This is what we need from him. So he was just along for the ride. but yeah, anyways, so I signed my first my first professional contract at Brisbane Raw. About two years later, John comes to me, and I'm pretty sure it was Wolfsburg Zweitermannschaft, yeah. So they offered
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: me a contract, and I've gone, the second team. I don't know. I don't know. I think if I wanna go, I wanna I wanna go to a first team, right? So Kaiser Slaughton came along. So FCK, that's the FCK, they came along. They were in the second league at the time. They didn't have a good season. But I thought, you know what, if they didn't have a good season, then they're looking for players like me maybe to make a difference. and at that that that season that I had with Brisbane Raw just before I left, it was me, Jamie McLaren, Obviously Thomas Broich was there, which put in a good word. I think, some people asked him about, myself and Jamie McLaren. And yeah, that was pretty much it. I didn't even we didn't really discuss how much it was. It was kind of it was more so the opportunity to go over. And then once you get there,
Jani Schmidt: and I'm being in that environment, yes.
Brandon Borrello: exactly being in that environment. You know, I looked up a little bit of the city, obviously Kaiserslauden, small city, close to Frankfurt, but relatively safe, beautiful stadium.
Jani Schmidt: Big, big, big
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: heritage. The club is very old and former big club. They used to be always in the Bundesliga.
Brandon Borrello: Exactly. Exactly. They went they I'm pretty sure what. They went from they won the second league, won the first league, and won the won the Pokal all in the in
Jani Schmidt: Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: the space of like three years, man. Crazy. But yeah, anyway, so I'm actually I'm sitting in off season you know with with my family, being like, All right, I've just signed this contract. These are my dates, I've got to leave to go to Germany. When is it actually setting in there? I don't know when I could be back, kind of thing. Because at that time, like I wasn't now nowadays there seems to be a lot more loan deals going on. Like players will go and then come back or I always said, I said to Johnny, I said, mate, as soon as I get there, I'm gonna stay there for as long as possible. I don't care. I just wanna I sort of just wanna immerse myself in it. You know what I mean? Because I I wanna make something of it. we've got the we've got the pleasure of, you know I can come back and the A League's always gonna be there. Whereas if you're born in Germany, you get to the Bundesliga, you fall down, fall down, fall down,
Jani Schmidt: Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: you know, there's the next thing you know, you're in the fourth, fifth division kind of thing. So
Jani Schmidt: And it's only semi-pro.
Brandon Borrello: Exactly, exactly. And I've gone now, I'm just gonna try and go for as long as possible. So anyways, I got to got to Kaiserslauten and the middleman between my agents, Elvin Vanderschaft, another another Dutch person partner in the business, he came and met me and He's he's a legend. I can still call him, talk to him to this day. He is obviously still works in the agency, but he picked me up, took me on the autobahn the first time, boom, 200 200 kilometers down the highway, and I go, what is this place, man? This is awesome.
Jani Schmidt: Hahaha
Brandon Borrello: I pull up to the to the team hotel. it's it's on like a little lake, classic German, little inn kind of thing, right? So we'll stay there the night before games. I get there. My room is two by four meters. I got one little bed, one little desk, and I'm I the right place. Anyways,
Jani Schmidt: Nice.
Brandon Borrello: the next thing is doctor's appointments, this, that, meet the team, do the shirt, check out my place in the change room, have a walk around the stadium. Make sure all the insurances are up to date because in Germany you've got to have all the right insurances before you step
Jani Schmidt: It's true.
Brandon Borrello: on the pitch. and then yeah, it was pretty much hit the ground running. At that time, a little backstory. Jamie McLaren Macker is signed at Darmstadt. Right? and a couple weeks down the line, I'm I'm settling into preseason. I can tell the coach is a little bit off me. We have a chat and He goes, yeah, you're not the Aussie I wanted. I go, what? He goes, I
Jani Schmidt: No.
Brandon Borrello: I thought you were Jamie McLaren. I said, no, he's he's a hundred meters, he's a hundred kilometers down the road, mate. Like
Jani Schmidt: Hahaha!
Brandon Borrello: he goes, you're not my player. I said, okay, wow. So that was an that was another shock because I've gone, I thought I've come here with the coaches, you know, he wanted me, blah, blah, blah. But obviously the coach and the club are not aligned. And I'm going, what's going on here? So I find myself for the first eight weeks of the season. Either on the bench or playing for the second team in the second Bundesliga. And I've gone, what do I have to do? What do I have to do? so I've literally just gone, whenever he gives me a chance, just fuck just try it, whatever. You know what I mean? If he started playing me at right back. And I've gone, I've never defended one-on-one in my life, usually on the other end of it. But I just got stuck in. I even had to play right back for the second team. And I I just got stuck in and just kept chipping away, chipping away. And thank God he got sacked. Norbert Meyer got sacked. and then the next coach come in, Jeff Strasser. And at that time, it was just before just before the winter break. So It's just gone to the winter break. I've got two weeks to go home and just get fit, run in the sun, get nice and warm, and then come back. Came back, I was flying. obviously I won the Lactat test, so I'm buzzing. I've gone, okay, that's one thing he can tick off. Two, he starts playing me as a left winger slash 10. I've gone, okay, great. and then the next thing was, I'm pretty sure coming into the Union Berlin game where I've started, I've scored a goal from almost halfway, I've assisted the other one, and then I won a penalty and I've gone, all right, there's no way he can bring me out of the team after this whatsoever. I've done my bit and I'm gonna keep
Jani Schmidt: Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: this role. I'm gonna keep this job. I've gone, alright, sweet. So he keeps playing me, keeps playing me, keeps playing me. And then we come to Darmstadt to play Jamie McLaren. But he I think at the time he had gone out on loan to Scotland because he wasn't playing. so he he left. but we're playing Darmstadt. And I and just before halftime, our coach he has a heart attack. I've gone.
Jani Schmidt: not there.
Brandon Borrello: no. Thank God he was okay. obviously
Jani Schmidt: Thanks.
Brandon Borrello: the game got stopped. the game got stopped and we had to reschedule it, but then we had a new coach come in and obviously at this time it's been a really bad season, right? But I seem to be one of the ones doing really well in and amongst, you know, a run of bad results. We just couldn't we just couldn't kick start anything. But I seem to to be doing well. I think I scored four or five goals, seven assists or whatever in like nineteen games. So was I was flying. and then the next coach comes in, Michelle Fonseck. Yeah. you know, this old German guy I'm thinking There's no chance we're gonna get along. what's gonna happen here? He takes me under his wing and obviously I was still doing really well, I was confident. I I didn't play the best couple of couple of games under him the first time he came in. So I think he he was w he was ready to take me out of the squad. But at that time my parents had flown over and I've gone, nah, I can't I can't be sitting on the bench while they're here. That's I can't be doing that. And trying to make things happen in training and then boom, I collide with our striker at the time, Osoyaman Osave. And he's, you know, he's got another twenty kilos on me, big boy. And my knee just folds under me. And I've never had up until that moment, I'd never had an an injury, soft tissue injury or anything like that. And obviously at the time I didn't realise, but there was a pop in the knee. And I'm trying to like, I'm trying to I'm thinking, nah, I didn't hear anything, I didn't hear anything. Just I need to get on my feet and and move around a bit. I tried to train for another five, ten minutes, and my knee just absolutely blew up. it was a Friday, so I couldn't get in to see to get an MRI. So I had to wait till the following Monday. And when I got the MRI and the radiologist said, Look, here's where your ACL should be. It's not there. and that was like I I started crying, mate, started balling my eyes out because of gone, is that the end of my career? Am I ever gonna be the same again? How long is it gonna take? I can't play for another year, no. but as I guess a silver lining in all that, this is obviously the short version, but like a silver lining in all that was I had just met with Christian Streich in Starsborg.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: Had a meeting with him to talk about my future and possibly signing at Freiburg. And we had a really good chat. Week later, Tamar ACL. I go, is that deal gonna be off the table as well? Freiburg in good faith, they said no, go get go get your go do your surgery. do your first months of prehab where you want to. You can go do it in Australia, you can do it in Germany, you can do it here with us at the club. I ended up staying in Germany. I got my surgery done by Dr. Bunish in Augsburg. I did my rehab for the first three, four months in Idenrieha in Regensburg, with the head physio of the national team at the time, Klaus.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: And yeah, then I came back to Freiburg when I was ready to sort of come back on the pitch and do more stuff on the pitch. but yeah, anyways, I I kind of fast forward fast forwarded that.
Jani Schmidt: but you know what? it's actually a, you already said earlier, football is a, is a cut for business. It's a crucial business. That Freiburg did that. It's actually like not unheard of, but it's rare. It's rare that a club says we're still going to follow through
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, it's it it was wild too because
Jani Schmidt: with a contract.
Brandon Borrello: But I guess all things worked in my favor, right? Because Kaiserslauten got relegated, so I was going for free. So I think I think what happened was possibly was, at the time when we were still in the league, Freiburg said, what's the go with Brennan? Can can we either buy him or and I'm guessing Kaiserslauten put a put a you know a quite big amount on my head. And, you know, going down, I didn't have a contract for the third league, so I would have gone for free anyway. And I guess Kaiserslauten backing themselves, saying, no, no, we're not going to get relegated to the third league. We're gonna wait on the offer for Brandon. And if we stay in the league, then we can get money for him. But the risk you take is if we get relegated, he doesn't have a contract with us for the third league, he can leave for free. And I think that's what that's what happened in my favor. So, and obviously in the in Germany, you know, if you're injured for more than six weeks, the club, the club doesn't have to pay you. So for the first for the first eight months of my four-year contract, Freiburg didn't have to pay me and they could just run the risk of look, if he comes back in good shape and does what he was doing at Kaiserslauten, then we've got this we've got this player for almost nothing.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah, true.
Brandon Borrello: You know what I mean? it and that's that's the cutthroat business. So
Jani Schmidt: think that there's an important other part that you said, it like, okay, this was the first time I had a big injury. I feel
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: like that sometimes, like obviously I work as a coach here in Australia, we're dealing with players wanting to go overseas, wanting to go to Germany. And I said to them, you have to be mentally prepared that something bad is going to happen.
Brandon Borrello: Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: And they are like, you chose it, is not, I'm just going to go back to Australia and then it's going to be it.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: It's like, no, you can always come back from the majority of injuries that you have. There's always a way to read a bit, to learn more about yourself, to learn about the mentality side of things, to learn about your body.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: But it is wild that that was your first big injury and then it happens being overseas. Yeah, maybe just one or two points on that. what kept you going? What was the main thing that you were like, okay, obviously you had the goal with Freiburg, but like you could have easily said. I'm going back to Australia to do my rehab there and then I'll see just what happens.
Brandon Borrello: Well, I guess the biggest thing was obviously meeting with Christian Streich and knowing a little bit about Freiburg was The language, right? So while I'm doing my rehab, what else am I doing? I have to learn the language. And so I took time in doing that and it kept me busy away from just thinking about my knee or about football. because you know, a lot of the time if you're doing rehab at the club, all you see is all these boys going out onto the pitch and playing and having fun, doing one touch, doing this, doing that. All all you want to do is be a part of it. Where in that case, I went to the rehab center, I was taken away from the team. environment and it was purely just individual right so I always had a therapist with me in the morning lymphed drainage then massage then gym then pool then another lymph drainage lunch another gym and then maybe on pitch or something like that so it was really just like step by step for for for three months I think and that's I'm like I'm living on site so when I go back into my room I can just I can open German for dummies and just have a look and read and and you know what I And because when I finally did leave rehab and I got to Freiburg, I'm in my personal life, I would say I'm a bit of an introvert. And if I'm comfortable with you or I've known you for somewhere or we're friends, then you know I can be an extrovert, I can be out there, but I don't find myself to be comfortable in scenarios where I don't know these people. One, and two, I can't speak their language. So how are they gonna understand me? But obviously, I walk into that change room and I'm like the shiny new toy. I'm German, I'm I'm Australian, I've got this big beard. They're probably thinking, what does this guy do outside of football? You know what mean? but Christian Sleisch, he said to me, he said to me, Look, wherever you go, bring a book. And when I'm talking, if you don't understand a word, write it down, learn it and come back to me and ask me what it is. I said, But how am I gonna write it down if I don't understand it? You know what I mean? and he obviously speaks with this accent, Christian Streich. I mean, obviously you would know who he is, but for for the listeners,
Jani Schmidt: Yeah. Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: right? He's very yeah, it's just very intense, very from the area. He's got his own, you know, dialect kind of thing. It was hard for for the boys that obviously live in Germany, for them to understand him half the time. But he was another one who was I just think I just think Freiburg as a whole, that that whole club was, you know, ran really well, really professionally. They always had stability in their club. That's why they never fluctuated too much. and now you see they're reaping the rewards. You know what I mean? Like
Jani Schmidt: Yeah, completely.
Brandon Borrello: and I just think that that it was such a good environment to be in. Yeah, I really enjoy it.
Jani Schmidt: So how did you do it? Did you actually then start to write a few words down and then afterwards try to figure out what it means?
Brandon Borrello: Yep, yep. I wrote I wrote everything down in this black book and you know what's great? this might come across a little bit, there's no you know intent meant here, but when you're when I'm trying to speak German, the Germans will always correct you. Which is great. I love it. Because I don't care if I'm wrong or or you know what I mean? I'm just trying to learn your language. I want to speak to you in your language because I think that's what you you would like if we're in Germany. Where I think so the more I tried and the more I spoke German, the more the boys would correct me and the better I got at it. Whereas you see it in Australia we'll slank we'll make slang, we'll we'll talk like you know what I mean? It's I don't wanna I don't wanna insult you, so I don't wanna say no you're saying it wrong or or we'll just have a laugh kind of thing. But in in it was actually really nice and it helped my my German a lot. when the boys would always correct me, or you know, I guess they wouldn't correct me, but they'd put me in the right place because I would say if you asked me to speak German, it would sound like I'm definitely off the street.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: yeah, we speak German at home. My wife comes from Kaiserslauten, that's where I met her. yeah,
Jani Schmidt: wow,
Brandon Borrello: and we're trying to, you know, install it in the little one as well.
Jani Schmidt: I can say when I came first to Australia, obviously I was able to speak English from school and I luckily had a few players that I worked with that always corrected me as well because I said to them, hey, I'm not going to get offended if I
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: pronounce it wrong, if I say a wrong word, if I should use a different word, please tell me. And I agree with you that that changed completely how I speak English now. It took me a while as well. But
Brandon Borrello: Yeah. Yeah, definitely.
Jani Schmidt: yeah, it's a great part. then Freiburg, obviously you're back from rehab playing again, another level, right? It's a higher level, different calibre of players.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: Was there ever a moment where you were like, and that's just me assuming, it's like, guy from Australia, know, there's all of these players that have maybe already made national team appearances, played at bigger clubs before, came through like under 17s, 19s, Bundesliga teams. Was there like, could you feel a difference or what was the biggest part for you that you
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: were like,
Brandon Borrello: The biggest difference was just I look the same as half these players, right? But for some reason they're a bit sharper, they're a bit stronger, they're a little bit faster, they look a lot better on the ball. And when they shoot, it's so powerful. And I'm just thinking, I'm I'm a little bit off the pace here, but you know, the quicker I was able to just get involved and get up to speed. that was the that was the most hardest thing, obviously coming back from the ACL injury. the doctor usually says, you know, however long it took you to get back onto the pitch, times that time, times that by two is kind of mentally how long it's gonna take for you to sort of and I didn't believe it at the time because I came back about ten months. training with the team. I was doing really well, really well. so I'm like, okay, I haven't lost it. I feel really good. And then by the end of the season, where I was able to play, the coach actually put me on the bench against Leipzig in the last in the last game. Now I didn't get on. Obviously, I was shitting myself the whole time. because I'm like, this looks so this looks so fast. Pitch side, I'm going, you know what? Maybe give me a little bit more. I guess it was credit to, all the hard work that I'd done that the coach thought, you know what, he's ready. maybe, faked it till I make it kind of thing. But yeah, anyways, I was able to at least go into the off season, getting to know the boys, getting to be comfortable in that change room so I could be comfortable out on the pitch. you know, going on, you know, f my first my first experience with Mallorca. was with the with the boys at Freiburg. So that was that was wild. I ended up I won't go into detail, but I'll say it
Jani Schmidt: You don't have to go into the details because I love it.
Brandon Borrello: like this. I lost about I got my credit card scammed and I bought a moped and a coffee machine in India. So that's that's that's where my yorka leads to, right? But No, so I was I was really comfortable with the boys there and being Freiburg, they retain a lot of their players. They've, they've still got Christian Gunther, Vincenzo Griffo, Lukas Kubler, Lukas Hörler, all these players that played there when I was there, that were already there, coming through the the youth stages at Freiburg that are still there now. There was always that tight
Jani Schmidt: Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: group of boys. so I was able to just enjoy off season, get into preseason. and you know sort of hit the ground running and I was doing really well. preseason we went to we went to somewhere in Austria where we always go kind of thing. I can't remember it, but I'm thinking, okay, we've got a game against Gladbach, we've got a game against Stuttgart, we've got a game against some team from Turkey. I'm like, all right, whenever I get a chance, I've just got to play, I've got to score, gotta do well. Luckily I did. and the preseason in Europe being as short as it was, it was like, all right, sweet. I've found a bit of form. Hopefully he sees me as an option for the first game of the season. Boom, he goes, Brennan, you're starting against Mainz, first round of the Bundesliga season after after obviously last year with the ACL, and I go, Whoa, okay. So, you know, all week I'm like, I can't wait. I can't wait. I can't wait. I get on, I play well, obviously a little bit nervous, but you know, I worked hard for this moment kind of thing. I sort of grew into the game, got better and better. and then yeah, 60 minutes. Obviously, blew an absolute gasket. I'm tired. I can't wait for my hand to go up. So, coach, take me off because I can't give you any more. but yeah, then from then I played, you know, a good good handful of games. starting and then obviously going away with the national team, coming back a little bit later, and then a roll on effect of that, the boys doing really well. I find myself on the bench and sometimes out of the squad because they're doing well. Like I can't I can't you you
Jani Schmidt: Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: don't sort of fix something that's not broken kind of thing, you know what I mean? And credit to the boys that are doing well. And at that time it was Lucas Hurler who w came into my position. He's, you know, scored a substantial amount of goals.
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: from from then till now and is still at Freiburg and obviously Niz Peterson, who we spoke we spoke about off camera as well.
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: these boys are doing well. No matter how well I train or or whatever's going on, I can't break into this team. They're just doing too good and they're getting results. And we ended up finishing mid-table, which for Freiburg was a big achievement at that time. and I sort of kind of saw the writing on the wall and I've gone, look, the World Cup's coming like the World Cup had finished. I missed out on that in 2018, but I didn't I think it was like the Asian Cup coming up, and I've gone, I need to be playing to to sort of get in for that. So we've asked to go out on loan. and we've done that, we've gone to Düsseldorf under under Uwe Rössler. and that year was a bit of a hit and miss. That year it was kind of like sometimes I play good, sometimes I play bad, but I really felt a bit of hostility towards being a lone player from the fans and the club. like you gotta think about it as well. They want to promote their own players. And I didn't I never experienced that. So that was another just another eye-opener in to in terms of my journey. And I've gone, okay, what am I gonna do? I can't go back to Freiburg because I didn't really perform during my loan. What sort of evidence does that give to Freiburg to to sort of retain me? and then this was coming into my third year of the Freiburg deal, and I said, Look, guys, If I'm not gonna play at all, I don't wanna just, play for the second team or or not even play at all. I really I wanna play football, right? and that's when Dresden came along. Dinamo Dresden. And I really felt comfortable in that team. I've still got friends that I speak to in that team. I felt like we were gonna have a really good year. Had a really good preseason, started the first couple of games, up until up until when was it? Up until the the winter break. Our coach got sacked. I think we were sitting fifth or sixth. Our coach got sacked. We come back into the the second half of the season under a new coach who was in the third league at the time, not really Cabrino Cabretti or whatever his name is, I can't remember.
Jani Schmidt: comment on that.
Brandon Borrello: But I don't have fond memories of him anyway. He didn't play me. We didn't win a single game from the end of the from the winter break to the end of the season, and we got relegated. And now I'm sitting there in Germany going I don't have a contract for third league. I haven't played the second half of the season.
Jani Schmidt: is in.
Brandon Borrello: What's gonna happen? What is gonna happen? No teams no teams were looking for me. I gone into the off season just trying to stay calm, you know, sort of mend I had a broken foot as well, that I was out for eight weeks, another injury that you know could have been avoided but wasn't. I'll touch on that. But yeah, anyways. So I've gone into off season and I'm like, what am I gonna do? I need to, you know, keep calm about all this because I don't want, you know, I don't want my my partner, my fiance to to To be worried about it. you know, let's just see where it goes. I was in contact with my agent the whole time, every day. You know, what about this club? What about this club? Can you put me here? Can you put me there? But nothing was biding. And then at that time as well, I've gone financially, it has to be right as well, because you know, from Bundesliga to second Bundesliga to now, I don't know what's gonna happen.
Jani Schmidt: happens.
Brandon Borrello: you know, this is now about life, and this is where sort of reality hit, and I've gone. Yeah, I can go play in the third league, but is that enough for the national team and is it enough to survive on kind of thing? and it wasn't. and my agent called me and said, Look, it's Mr. Marco Rudin from the Western Sydney Wanderers. Do you wanna do you
Jani Schmidt: Thanks.
Brandon Borrello: wanna have to have a chat? I said, Look, if I'm gonna go home, I guess now's the time. I need to I need to sort of reignite something, get something going. And It was hard because I'm like, if I close that door on Germany, does that mean it's completely shut? Where I've
Jani Schmidt: Because how old were you then?
Brandon Borrello: Well, I was twenty six, I was twenty six. but from twenty one to twenty six I've gone, I've sort of moulded myself as a man. These are the people I know, I feel I speak the language, all these memories. am I just shutting the door on that and then going back home to play football for the rest of my life? I don't I don't necessarily want to do that, but I kind of I gotta reignite something in me because the last the last two years with Dusseldorf and Dresden just just weren't it. Just weren't it. And I've gone, all right, maybe I need to to find something at my level and then build myself back up. And Marco Marco Rudin gave me the gave me the chance. Obviously started playing me as a winger at at Wanderers, and then slowly back into that nine roll, and that's where that's where just all that all that passion, that joyfulness, the happiness of just being able to play football freely again came back. yeah, it's
Jani Schmidt: Would you say maybe because there was also a little bit less pressure because obviously like you said already the two seasons before that being a long player being in a new team being like at a big club like Dresden but there's a lot of pressure from fans and the club has to do well and then the pressure of obviously fighting relegation you can't really There's not much enjoyment because if you're not doing well as a team, as a player, you constantly just feel the pressure like if we don't win it on the weekend, we're in trouble. If we don't win the next weekend, we're in trouble again. It just gets worse and worse. And then you obviously come here and that's not ideal with the league, but obviously there's less pressure. There's no consequences if you don't win a game because there's no relegation. Would you say that
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: played a part?
Brandon Borrello: Massively. look, I remember in Kaiserslauden they were throwing rocks at our cars because we drew a game nil-nil. You know what I mean? And then our captain got followed home one night by by a few of the ultras and they stole his steering wheel and dashboard and put it on eBay the next day, kind of stuff. And then I go to I go to Dresden and We're playing Kaiserslauten not to get relegated. In the Relegationsspiel, no and it's it's almost full time. We know we're getting relegated and they start shooting they start shooting fireworks into the family zone. And you go, all right, so we need to we need to as soon as the final whistle goes, we ran into the change room, got our staff packed up, got into the bus, but because we were too quick, the police weren't able to stop it. So when the bus opened its door to to get out of the stadium, the fans rushed onto the like surrounded the bus. rushed onto the bus, got through security, and then started yelling at us, throwing stuff, and we had to get them dragged out. We were all under our seats. We're like, what is gonna happen? They're smashing the bus windows and we're like, shit, we need to get out of here. I I still to this day, I remember that was the last day in Dresden. I didn't even touch anything in my apartment. I had it all packed up about six months later. And in Germany like in Australia You don't have to when you go rent, you don't have to bring your own kitchen, right? So when we were in Dresden, we obviously bought the kitchen, this, that, the other. I'm pretty sure it's still in the apartment where I was renting, that people just had to buy it off me because I said, I'm not coming back to take anything out. Just buy it off me. I can give it to you for 500 bucks. It probably cost me 3,000 euros, but I'm just like you know what, I I need to be done 'cause I'm not allowed to be in this this city anymore. if you know what I mean? it's it's that type of pressure where these people, they grew up in Dresden. The only team they support was Dresden. You know, they're so proud of this club. You can't you can't like We're the people that did it to them, kind of thing. You know what I mean? we relegated their team and that's that's the scary part. Whereas here in Australia, you know, it's a family affair. The police the you don't need to worry about it that much unless you're with the R B B or you know what I mean? This is where politics probably comes into play, with you know, Australia
Jani Schmidt: Where we don't need to go but you said earlier that's gonna be another another part That there's a few stories around players and stuff that you wanted to mention Maybe we already touched base on the topic of like obviously there's a level to players right in your experience
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: and for your time Maybe take us into one or two stories or details of like where you were like, okay. This is a different level This is a different approach. This is different to what I've
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: experienced just coming from Australia
Brandon Borrello: So we we do this, you know, every footballer at the end of the week before the game will do this shooting drill, right? So the goalkeepers will usually throw the ball out and you've got to take two touches in the D and shoot. We would always play for either shampoo or lollies on the bus or or drinks afterwards. And there was one player that would never lose and it was always Niels Peterson. and that's why I laugh when you said tell him I said hi, right? Because I've gone this guy. If you looked at him, probably doesn't look like a footballer, but when he's on the pitch and he's in the box, he just has an eye for goal. Every training session he would score one, two, three goals and nothing, nothing spectacular, even though he has spectacular goals
Jani Schmidt: That's it.
Brandon Borrello: in his locker, but just side foot, left, right, even down the middle, the goalkeeper gets sent the wrong way. And it was so boring. But he goes, Brendan, I made I made my career doing this. Just hit
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: the back of the net. It doesn't matter how it looks. No one cares. When they're looking at kicker on the app, they don't go, I went into the top corner. No, they just see your name and a little soccer ball next to it and it's a goal. And I've gone, yeah, there's definitely levels to this because he's just it was the way he s like striked the ball was nothing special, but it was just always. right in the corner where the goalkeeper couldn't touch it. Or it was just it was so nice to watch just someone so dedicated to the craft of just kicking a ball. and that's where I go, this guy is is amaz so like I've gone, you know, y what's that saying where, you know, don't fear the guy that can do 10,000 kicks, fear the guy that can do one kick 10,000 times.
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: And that's That's like what he was. He was so dialed into his craft and I I can't I can't applaud him anymore. I mean, he's had a great career himself. you know, an unbelievable career. But that was kind of when I realized, you know, can do all these tricks and flicks and stuff, but he's a striker, he gets paid to score goals. This is what he does. and then obviously you've got you've got centre backs who were either very good at talking, loved a tackle or wanted to, dribble this, that. But the the biggest thing that stood out for me was just at that level, when you get one chance, usually they score. And if you lose the ball, you're gonna be chasing for a long time. So you cannot lose the ball. but I won't go it I guess the rest of the stories are probably not not PG rated, but we did have we did have a great time in in Freiburg and I can tell you now the Germans really love to have a good time.
Jani Schmidt: Perfect summary, guess it's like the players, the fans, the people, even though there's like a lot of people that are like, yeah, know, Germans are not funny, Germans are boring, Germans are always like too direct, too honest.
Brandon Borrello: Nah, nah. It's the complete opposite. But that was the thing, right? You gotta you gotta you sort of embrace their culture, and that's what I did, man.
Jani Schmidt: I feel like it's always an interesting part when I talk to players that are from Australia that go over to Germany. They always say in Australia it's very easy to meet a lot of people. But then there's very few that become friends. Well, like in Germany it's the opposite. It's like very hard to meet people, but once you meet them, they're like your friends. Would you agree on that?
Brandon Borrello: Yep. I guess that's that's that I I could agree. You know why? Because in the amount of teams I've been in, the amount of players that, have walked into the change room that I've been been a part of, there there there would be tens of thousands, right? Because I've been across that many players, across that many coaches, across that many change rooms. I've got about this many people that I could call and meet up with in offseason, get a beer, or talk to them daily, or or message them once a month. So it's always like football, yes, it's a team game, but it's such an isolated sport. because only you can pick yourself up and Only you can make sure you get up in the morning and i it could be minus ten degrees outside during the during the during the season. And you've got to somehow find the motivation to just keep going, keep going, keep going. And, you know, as funny as it sounds, the person that you think is your mate in the change room could also be preying on your downfall because it's the one who gives him a chance. And that's what I'm getting at. And that's you find people who you definitely know that you'll stick with and be in touch with, but the more you move to different teams in different countries, you realize, okay, there's only a certain amount of people that want to stay in touch with me or or or stay connected or check up on me or, you know, want to spend their free time, you know, talking to me kind of thing. Those are the people that you find through football and you stay with for the rest of your life. And it luckily for me, you know, I've got a really good group of that. but It was amazing to see how just sort of in your face it is and how, you know, it it can affect you because like y you can't be everyone's mate. You've got to piss some people off kind of thing.
Jani Schmidt: So then if you would have to summarize a few points your whole time in Germany, what would be like if you would have to put in a short film and a short conclusion, what would you say about it? In terms of learnings, experiences and so on.
Brandon Borrello: it would honestly just be the trials and tribulations of of Brennan Barillo because it it yeah, I'd I never had an injury, never had a soft tissue injury. I walk away from Germany with a broken nose, a broken foot, a torn ACL. you know, our recovery days are boys, make sure you're all strapped up because we're going running through the woods kind of thing. It was just it was like the wild, wild west kind of thing, but really like over here we're so sheltered, but over there it's it's a livelihood and you know I I had some good times, I had some bad times, but I definitely wouldn't change it for anything because it's made me the person who I am. I met my beautiful wife, we have a family now. Her family is obviously still in Germany, so I'm able to go there and see my friends and you know now we've got a reason to sort of travel overseas whenever we get the chance because all our friends are in different corners of the world now and it's It's just a part of our story and that's what I guess the beautiful game gave u gave me, so to speak.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah, perfect. Then let's take it into the last part. you already said coming back to Australia, found that love for the game again, flourishing, like playing good football, getting back called up to the national team. What is it then like being away for such a long time to then come back to the A-League? And what was maybe one or two points of like just how the game is played? They were like, okay, this is very different.
Brandon Borrello: It's funny, but I was as soon as I came back to Australia I I tried to compare Where is Australian football at with what I was seeing in Germany? And it and it's necess it's not really far off, right? It's not really far off because one, we're playing in 35 degree heat, so you can't compare it there. Two, our seasons are a lot shorter, but it is what it is. Three, you've got the the broadcast and all that looks a little bit different. Whereas if we had Sky Sports, I'm sure we'd look a million bucks as well. You know what I mean? But that's that's politics, so that's that's not what I want to get about. But It was just I took the pressure off myself. I said, I don't care if it's good, bad, ugly, whatever. I just want to find a spot. I want to have a nice calm off-season, go into pre-season, feel hungry, and then just go from there. Obviously, I had the backing from the coach, which really helped. and you can't say I didn't have any pressure because I guess at Wanderers, you know, you look across the Ada, you Wanderers. Melbourne Victory and I would say probably Sydney FC where you've got the most pressure from the fans. say what you want, but there there is pressure. They they they seem to love this love this club and they they don't take it lightly. So That was something I was familiar with. It wasn't as big as what I experienced overseas, but it was something I was familiar with. And I go, I'm really going to tap into this and I'm I'm just going to give it everything, right? So and that's what I did. And as long as they saw that I gave everything, then you know, theoretically I get everything in return. And so I just wanted to get out what I put in, and that's kind of what happened, man.
Jani Schmidt: And then in terms of just football, how the game is played, it's obviously, I would imagine, because that's what I've seen and heard and experienced, that like, obviously, especially in Germany, the game is played way more tactically. It feels sometimes
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: slower because obviously the team's moving the ball from side to side, preparing to take, but like, I would say the A-league or Australian football is way more transitional. So I would imagine for you, would probably be maybe even harder initially than to play in Germany.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, it it kinda was, right? Because this is the thing, in it's only end to end because there's no consequence at the end of the game, right? Yes, you can win and lose, but there's no relegation. Whereas you go in Germany, you make one wrong move, you lose a game, you could be in the relegation zone and then that's it. And that's that's the
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: reality, right? So that's why I think the game was But in saying that, I had A-League experience. I knew what I was getting myself into. Whereas going to Germany, I didn't know what I was gonna experience.
Jani Schmidt: Yes.
Brandon Borrello: So I'm thinking, all right, I can run end-to-end, no worries, but I didn't talk we didn't talk about ball security. We didn't talk about, you know, all this other stuff. Whereas if you lost the ball, then yeah, you're gonna keep running. Whereas in Australia, we lose the ball, we'll get it back. We lose the ball, we get it back. Over there was it was a constant chess match, right? But no, I I kind of it I guess the A League suited me to a T because I was very robust. I wanted to to run up and down and get the ball and all this stuff, but Football wise, I think, like I was saying before, you've got specialists in areas whether it's free kicks, corners, throw-ins, headering the ball, shooting the ball, passing the ball. Over there, that's what they pay millions and millions of dollars for. Whereas here in Australia, where you're working with a salary cap and the one foreigner you get has to be unbelievable. And that's usually why if you can pay more money for a foreigner, usually they're they're one of the better ones in the season or the better ones in the team, right? And you can see the difference because when you've got a talent, you hone in on that talent. Whereas I think Australian football, all we want to do, we want to be good across the whole board. because I don't think we can afford to just be good at one thing just yet as a footballing nation.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: You know what I mean? we need to be able to show that we can do this, we can do that, because we're not looked in the same light as a Brazilian or as an Argentinian or as a Spanish. So we've got to compensate, you know, maybe all these other things for being good across the board. Whereas, you know, other countries get leeway in terms of, he can take an unbelievable free kick or you know what I mean?
Jani Schmidt: Yeah, 100%. Then from all the experiences that you had, especially as a player, as a person being overseas, what would be maybe the one advice you would give to a younger player, an Australian player that's maybe in the A-League right now, that is going to break through this A-League season, maybe in the next A-League season, so then maybe get some move overseas like it has happened recently. What would be maybe one or two things you would say to them, like, hey, this is something to be aware of, to be excited about. to mentally prepare, like what would you say?
Brandon Borrello: Well, it's it's hard because I I don't even know what I would say now, right? I would just
Jani Schmidt: Ain't that? Yeah.
Brandon Borrello: say if you're set on something, if you want to go to Germany or if you want to go to England or if you wanna go to who knows where, Spain, you've gotta do your due diligence. You've gotta you've gotta sort of research where you wanna go 'cause I guess like to be prepared, like y if you fail to prepare, you're prepared to fail. Simple as that. Luckily I did the research, I immersed in the culture. I wanted to be, you know I I did those because I thought, you know what, I'm gonna stay here for as long as possible. I'm not just gonna go there just to say I played overseas and then come back, which is I don't want our young players doing that. I want them going overseas and staying there kind of thing. You know what I mean? because the more that come back, it the reality is it it paints a bad kind of a bad picture for for us as footballers because you go, you can't spend Yeah, you can't handle it. Where it might not be the case, but yeah, I'll just say do your d dil due diligence. mentally you have
Jani Schmidt: Especially on who's going to be the coach, right? Connect to the coach and make sure he's actually the player you want. And you also know that
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: he knows who you are and what your qualities are so he can actually use you rather than be like,
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, exactly.
Jani Schmidt: you're not the player I wanted.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah. But I will say this, I will say this. The best the best ability to have is availability. It's as simple as that. I've spent way too much way too much time on the sidelines for my career and it's the most frustrating thing. And I'm doing that right now and I get itchy and my wife, she can't have me at home anymore because I just start doing random stuff and but the best of the best ability for me is availability. you can't beat that. If you're on top of all your rehab, prehab, recovery, all that stuff, it gives you the best chance to to go anywhere. Cause you know, the more games you play the better the better chance you have of moving anywhere.
Jani Schmidt: So obviously this is one part of the experience you're bringing in. Now you also got chosen as the captain for the season, right? What is maybe a part and first congratulations on that, but what is the
Brandon Borrello: Thank you.
Jani Schmidt: part that you're going to try now to pass on to the younger players in terms of how to prepare themselves, how they approach themselves in training? What is something that you feel like is the qualities that a leader has to bring in the team, but also that the young players maybe should already start to bring into it as well.
Brandon Borrello: It's it's funny you say that, man, because my generation has changed now to this generation, even though it doesn't seem that much and obviously the older boys there was like a hierarchy. Whereas now you see it, these younger players, they they don't care, man. They'll you know, they're very they've got their own bravado, they've got their own characteristics, but definitely a level of humility, humbleness and and accountability, right? The the ability to be coachable, hardworking like I'm only the loudest one in the room because I know I can still outwork you kind of thing. That's what I say to the to our younger boys. But so the day that that stops is the day where I go, you know what I'll I'll get it back from you guys. That's that's for sure. But I think just you know holding yourself to a certain standard and not just saying that, you know, I'm gonna be the best at this, I'm gonna be the best at this, what actually makes you the best at something is it Is it all the one percenters that you're doing? Is it, your mates might want to go out partying but you go, no, I'm gonna stay in. I'm just gonna, maybe watch some clips of myself or from the game or or do all this stuff to actually make yourself better because I I try and drum it into him. I say my my marketable my marketability or my career rests a whole lot on you guys doing well, just as much as your career rests on me doing well. So there's that give and take. So when I s when I'm trying to hold people accountable, I'm the first one to put my hand up if something goes wrong or if I do the wrong thing. I just expect you guys to do that and understand where it comes from. And I think Going forward, with our new coach and all that, it's it's looking a lot healthier than what it was last year. but yeah, I'm not one that's gonna do it all by myself in terms of leading. I've got a decent leadership group behind me. you know, there's three or four other boys there in the team that that also, you know, these younger boys look up to and kinda wanna mold where the team's going. And I think we're doing a really good job of that, man.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah, great. So I wish you good luck for that part of the season as well, obviously for you to be back on the pitch and then also being able to lead by example, by providing the goal contributions, the assist and helping the team
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: perform. To bring the conversation slowly, slowly to an end, I'm going to just fire a few questions at you and whatever comes to mind first, just send it through. The first one is going to be obviously football took you to Germany, but is there maybe one other place that it took you that was super unexpected? So the most unexpected place that football has taken you in your career.
Brandon Borrello: most unexpected football has taken me. I'm going to say probably Macedonia. I went to
Jani Schmidt: With national team or preseason?
Brandon Borrello: Yeah with the national team. I went to to Mac we played Turkey and then we played Macedonia in Skopje. and yeah me being the rug rat that I was back then obviously we We played the game, had the night out after and let's just say it was probably the first time in my in my life that I missed a team meeting because I had a big night the night before. But yeah, so that's yeah, that's one that I'd like to forget. But Skopje, I've I can't even tell you what it looked like or how I remember it because I don't think I'm ever going back to that place.
Jani Schmidt: If there would be one more in football career, you could relive it again, which one would it be?
Brandon Borrello: it would be it would be when we played when Kaiserslauden played Union Berlin in the snow and I scored from from a fair way out. That game was unbelievable. I think it was it ended up being five four and it kind of helped us get out of the relegation zone, but we still ended up getting relegated.
Jani Schmidt: There's a lot of players that try to make a career and they never end up playing in a game like that. So I think that's already a big achievement, which I think no
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: one can take away from you, You already mentioned a few players, but what would you say who is the best player that you ever played with and why?
Brandon Borrello: That I ever played with. I'm gonna say, now it's got nothing to do with who I played with in Germany, but I'm gonna say Thomas Breuch was possibly one of the best players I ever played with. you know, he was similar to my position, just the way he moved in and out of the pocket, got the ball, looked so calm. and then I would say obviously another one is Juan Mata, right? Like I played with him, played with him last year, sorry, the year before last. And you can just tell, mate, he's unbelievable player. But I feel like Thomas was probably not out of his prime. He was just in the A League for a complete different reason. but yeah, those two players are the ones that have stuck with me for sure.
Jani Schmidt: And then maybe the hardest play you ever played against?
Brandon Borrello: The hardest player I ever played against. probably Yeah, probably Jerome Bowatang and yours were Kimmich.
Jani Schmidt: yes.
Brandon Borrello: yeah, so Kimmish he was just nagging the whole time. He's always nagging, nagging, nagging. And then obviously Jerome Bowatang, you can't you can't beat him. And Nicolasulu as well at the back. Not a chance. I'm too small for that.
Jani Schmidt: Okay. Then last one, obviously this conversation, this episode is a lot about like learnings and experiences playing in Germany. That's been your career. I think it's an amazing career that you can look at proudly, but if there's something that from that time in Germany, maybe whether it's football or personal life that you brought back to Australia, like a German trade, a German mentality part, something that you learned.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah, I brought back a German woman. That's what I brought back.
Jani Schmidt: Hahaha!
Brandon Borrello: honestly no, like I'm still I'm still very Australian, but I definitely brought the language and a bit of the culture culture back with me. Like the boys in the change rooms, they take the piss out of me every day. you can speak German. Wow, wow. but nah there's there's not much. Like I I really kind of just live in the moment. And really I did enjoy my time over there, but now I'm here and we bring snippets of it back with us, but I I would just say being early to everything is is the one thing that sticks with me.
Jani Schmidt: There you go. That's a big German trade for sure.
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: Once we meet a person off the record, I will check your German, will test how good it is and maybe then I'm going
Brandon Borrello: Yeah.
Jani Schmidt: to pick up on a few things and say, he's still a bit of German in him.
Brandon Borrello: No, no, it's definitely rusty, trust me.
Jani Schmidt: Okay, so then last part you already passed on lot of experience advice, but if you had to narrow it down to one part, what is your best piece of advice for every young footballer there trying to reach the top level?
Brandon Borrello: don't take for granted the time that you spend on the pitch because obviously, me being me in my career, the amount of time I've spent off the pitch, I would trade everything just to have that time back on the pitch. You know what mean? You know, you're being on the pitch is a privilege. Being on the sidelines can suck, but do everything you can to stay on the pitch, man.
Jani Schmidt: Yeah, perfect. Brandon, thanks a for the advice. Thanks a lot for tuning in for an episode. Obviously we'll follow closely the A-League season. Hope you're going to be back on the pitch soon. And then all the best for this year and hopefully you guys achieve the goals that you set for yourself as a team.
Brandon Borrello: Cheers, I'm taking.
Jani Schmidt: Chau Mua Mest!