You might be surprised to learn there is a Socceroo in our ranks who has played in five countries, won two national titles and has represented his country in the Olympics and the World Cup finals, all before his 24th birthday. Possibly the only thing more astonishing is who that player is. Step forward Nikita Rukavytsya.

The livewire striker is not the obvious choice when the conversation turns to successful young Australian players but it is the former Perth Glory man who has plied his trade in Ukraine, Australia, Holland, Belgium and Germany, winning an Eredivisie and German Second Division title along the way, as well as playing in the two biggest sporting events in the world.

Perhaps it’s because he has done it so quietly. Apart from the odd appearance in an ‘Aussies Abroad’ news story or call-up to a Socceroo squad, Ruka’s profile back home isn’t as high as other players who have left the A-League to play overseas.

Much of this is down to his choice of clubs in Europe: playing for FC Twente in Holland, where he appeared sparingly, and then for clubs in Belgium and the German second tier, have hardly increased his visibility back home. There’s no late-night scouting missions on ONE HD or Setanta if you want to watch Nikita – if you want to see how he’s progressing, you actually have to go and see him play live, a novel concept in the internet age where instant experts can tell you all about a player without ever seeing them kick a ball.

Luckily, the right people have been making an effort to watch the Ukrainian-born Aussie play his game and it seems as though they like what they see.

Pim Verbeek and his team of European-based scouts were so impressed with his performances on loan at Belgian side Roeselare that he was called into the Socceroos squad for the 2010 World Cup. His performances in Belgium and cameos in South Africa then caught the eye of Markus Babel, the newly appointed coach of Hertha Berlin, who made him one of his first signings last off-season. Even new Socceroo coach Holger Osieck has been keeping his eye on Ruka, recently telling him to continue working hard and that he hoped Hertha would win promotion to the Bundesliga (which they did).

For Rukavytsya, it hasn’t been a matter of who he is playing for, but that he is playing in the first place. “Pim Verbeek told me before the World Cup that his players needed to be playing regularly to be in contention for a World Cup place,” says Rukavytsya. “And that stuck with me. Choosing to go on loan in Belgium, and now playing at Hertha, has been about me playing regularly. I’ve been doing that over the last 12 months and not only have I been enjoying my football but I’ve been fortunate enough to win things too.”

Luckily for Ruka, his days of playing in relative obscurity look to be at an end, with his Hertha Berlin side recently winning promotion back to the Bundesliga after just one season in the second tier. Fans of the Ukrainian-born striker can now set their alarms for some live TV games next season, with Nikita feeling the German top flight is where Hertha belongs.

“This club is a Bundesliga club with Bundesliga quality players,” he says. “And our support is amazing – last week we had over 70,000 to a game and we’re in the Second Division! The fans are amazing.”

When FourFourTwo caught up with the Socceroo star after training at Hertha’s training ground, the youngster was in good spirits, with promotion nearly secured and the end of the season – and a holiday to sunny Perth – within sight. With the remnants of a Ukrainian accent still audible – he only arrived in Perth at age 14 – Nikita talks about his rise from A-League teenage hot-shot to Bundesliga Socceroo.

You arrived in Australia with your family at 14, but you were already a pretty good footballer when you arrived, weren’t you?
I’d played a lot of football before I arrived in Perth. I went to a good school in Ukraine and we had a good local team as well. There was a lot of talent in the team that I was a part of and we were competing against other Ukrainian teams, like Dynamo Kyiv, in tournaments. And we were beating them too! In the Ukraine, everyone plays football, in the streets, for clubs, with their families. After training I would go and play in the street with all my friends. I was pretty much living football all the time. It was at such a good level at home that when I came to Australia, it wasn’t long before I was playing a couple of years above my age.

You joined Perth Glory as a teenager in 2007. Did you know much about the club?
When I first arrived in Perth, I heard all about the history of Perth Glory and how it represented the city so well over the years in the national league. So I would go and watch them when I was a kid and I always thought, “I would love to play for the team one day”. So it was a great feeling to play for the team that I had always wanted to as a young boy. I have great memories of playing for the Glory. Perth is great – I love the city and it’s like home to me now. The club was good and the fans were great – I miss it a lot even now. I think my time in the A-League was a great education. It was so good for me as a young player to get that experience of playing in a professional team with so many other great players to learn from. As a young kid to play there and make a name for yourself first, it’s a great stepping stone if you want to move on to Europe at some point.

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