Is the theory that if you’re training well and playing in the team, everything else falls into place true?
Definitely. In Holland it was a very tough time for me because it’s hard enough when you make a move to a foreign country, but it makes it much worse if you’re not playing. You start thinking about a lot of things and it can really affect you. But when you play, and people are great to you at the club and the club likes you, it’s a completely different feeling. Everything just feels a lot better and you can just concentrate on your football.

What else do you miss about Australia?
I guess the weather and the lifestyle are the other things I miss the most. It’s such a relaxed lifestyle compared to Europe. Here everyone is in a hurry, there’s a rush to be somewhere or get something done. In Australia, there’s a laidback vibe to it; it doesn’t feel as busy. And it helps that the weather is good all the time! Although I lived in Ukraine until I was a teenager, I’ve got used to the good weather in Australia, so when I came to Europe again it did take a bit of getting used to the cold again.

Moving on to the national team, you’re one of the few Australian players to have represented their country at a World Cup. How does that make you feel?
It’s a dream come true. When I was a young kid I would always watch the World Cup and think to myself how unbelievable it would be to play in one. So to then play in one at such a young age – to say I have done that – it’s an amazing achievement and one that I’m very proud of. I will cherish it for the rest of my life.

What are your main memories of your time in South Africa?
There are too many to tell you about. The whole experience is just amazing – the camps before and getting prepared, arriving in the host country and experiencing the buzz of the tournament from all the fans, the build-up. Driving to the stadium before the first game against Germany was unbelievable, I’ve never seen anything like it. All the fans, the colours, the atmosphere. So many people were next to the bus, jumping and singing songs.

What was it like being part of the squad, with all the training sessions and the time you spent together?
The squad is pretty close and everyone is good to each other. There wasn’t really a group of people that I hung out with – you tend to hang out with everyone at different times. There were a lot of players who had been to the World Cup in 2006, so those players were always around to help the younger players, to give them advice and ask them how they’re going. But young or old, there was a general feeling across the squad about what it meant to be at the World Cup finals and how we all needed to be in our best form and shape to play the best football we can. Training was tough leading up to the finals but as we got closer and closer to the games it eased up a little, concentrating on tactics and how we were going to play against each of our opponents. It’s something I look back at very positively – both football-wise and confidence-wise – despite the fact the team didn’t do as well as we hoped. The margins for success are so thin. I think if we hadn’t lost the first game 4-0, we would’ve gone through, because in the other two games we did pretty well. But that’s football. You have to move on and hopefully you can learn from it.

What went through your mind as you were standing on the white line waiting to make that first subs appearance? Do you actually think to yourself, ‘Crap, I’m about to play in the World Cup!!’
Yeah. I actually played for about 30 minutes in the first game against Germany and as I was waiting to come on, I was thinking, “Wow, this is unbelievable. This is a dream come true”. The whole world is watching you at that moment but I didn’t really feel nervous. You don’t think about it at the time because you get into the game so much. You take it as a normal game and once you’re on the field you concentrate 100 per cent on the job at hand. I felt pretty good when I came on, there was never a feeling that I couldn’t handle the standard. It was just hard playing with ten men against a team of that quality. We had to do a lot of running and defending but when I got the ball I thought I did well. It would’ve been a different game if we’d had eleven men on the park.

The Asian Cup came around quickly after but you weren’t part of the squad. Was that disappointing after feeling that you had established yourself in the squad somewhat?
It was a little disappointing but I was also happy to stay here and play for Hertha at an important time of the season. It was mid-season and there were a lot of important games for us during that time. So I was just as happy staying here and concentrating on helping the side win games and try and get back to the Bundesliga. Of course, I was very happy for the boys and the team in what they achieved. It was a real shame they couldn’t go all the way and win the tournament.

You’ve now been part of a squad under the new coach Holger Osieck. What are you’re first impressions?
Every coach in football has their own ideas and their own style and coach Osieck is no different. I was in camp for a few days before the Germany game and it was the first time I’d worked with him and from what I’ve seen so far he’s good with the players and has some great ideas. He’s shown he’s a flexible coach who’s willing to try new things. I think you have to play each game differently because you can’t defend or attack against every opponent. It depends who you’re playing against, what strategies they use and what formation they play. Every time you have to adjust the way you play a little. I spoke to him while I was in camp and he told me I was doing well at my club and to continue working hard and hopefully we would get promoted. I’m looking forward to working with him in the future and being part of successful Socceroo teams.

Nikita wears the Nike CTR 360 Maestri II Elite boots. For Nike stockist information, call 1300 656453

This article appeared in the July 2011 issue of Australian FourFourTwo magazine. To buy back copies of this issue call 03-8317-8121 with a credit card to hand.

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