From books in Belgium to clean sheets in Cork - An interview with Liam Bossin:

This article is a little bit different than the usual narrative of an Irish footballer trying to balance soccer, studying and starring in the League of Ireland. He’s a former Republic of Ireland Under 19 and Under 21 international, played in the European Youth League for Anderlecht and spent time at Nottingham Forest before signing for Cork City at the start of the 2020 season. Just how challenging was it to balance books and ball, was it worth it and what does the future hold for Liam Bossin?

How did you end up playing with Anderlecht?

I started at the age of 6 at my boyhood club next to where I lived. The club was called White Star Woluwe (in Brussels) and was in the Belgian 2nd division at the time. I went from playing U7 before making my debut at 16 for the first team. I played a few games with the first team, I was playing well and at the end of the season, all the big teams in Belgium wanted to sign me and I chose the best one, Anderlecht.

How big a change was it for you to move to a huge club like Anderlecht, especially when you were still at school?

It was a massive change for me to go to Anderlecht because as I said I was playing for White Star which was a 5 minute walk from where I lived but also I went to school in Don Bosco which was also 5 minutes away from where I lived. I had all my friends there at college and I wasn’t too young to get a pro contract so I was going to school from 8am to 4pm then I’d walk home, do my homework, eat a little and then walk to the training ground to train at around 6pm, if I remember well.

       When I signed for Anderlecht I knew I had to change college, habits and that I wouldn’t have time left to see my friends from my old college etc… I finished my 3rd year in Don Bosco when I signed for Anderlecht (The Belgian school system is 1st year, 2nd year, 3rd year, 4th year, 5th year and 6th year and then you get your diploma).

So what was your daily schedule like?

       Anderlecht is the biggest club in Belgium so I went from training 3 times a week to 6-7 times a week, sometimes more. So I had to change school and I went to the school whom Anderlecht was working with. But it was a big change because it was 1 hour away from home so I had to leave very early and got back late nearly every day. A typical day in my ‘new life' was : 

 - Wake up at 6.45am

 - Underground from Woluwe to Anderlecht around 7am

 - Arrive at school in Anderlecht at around 8am

 - Classes started at 8.25am until 10am with basic lessons such as Maths, Sciences, French, Dutch, English ….
 Then the minibus from the football club came to pick up the few of us playing for Anderlecht to drop us off to the training ground. It was tight because the training session started at 10.30am so it was a rush really but it was worth it. After the training session we had some food at the club around 12-12.30pm and then the minibus dropped us back at school where we had lessons until 3.45-4pm, then school was finished for the day and we had to get back to the training ground for 6pm, then a training session until 7-8pm. After that my father came after work to pick me up to go back home but sometimes he was busy (he is a police officer) so I had to go back home on the train so some days I came back home between 9-10pm and I had to eat and do my homework, it was really tough to handle the first few weeks. (We were classes of 14-15 people with 3-4 players from the club)

 You were playing in the European Youth League with Anderlecht- how did this work with schooling?

Playing at a high level had some inconveniences with my lessons at school because we were missing a lot of hours at school due to games especially when we played in the Youth Champions League, we went to places like Galatasaray, Paris, Athens, Barcelona, Porto, so obviously we were away for 4-5 days in a school week so we had to catch up with special classes at the weekend and stuff like that - it wasn’t really easy. The other ‘problem’ for myself only was that I was playing for the Republic of Ireland U19s and I was away nearly once a month for 7-10 days, going to places like Sweden, Germany, Spain, …… I had to work a lot for school in the hotel room but sometimes I had to rest because the training sessions were tough sometimes, so it wasn’t easy. 

I spent more time away than at school so it was difficult to stay at the same level as the other people in my class.  Obviously it was great experience playing in such high level games and stuff but, on the other side, it was really difficult to keep up with my lessons.

When you got a little older you joined Nottingham Forest. How did that move come about?

I was 17- 18 years old at the time and I had just signed my first pro contract with Anderlecht, and I wanted to go on loan to a lower team to get as many minutes as I could but that didn’t work out because the manager at the time wanted me to develop more and to train every day with the first team as a 3rd or 4th choice GK. I was happy with that at the time, I thought that being 3rd choice for the biggest club in Belgium at my age was not bad even though I’d already played first team football. But my situation didn’t really change for two years and I knew I wouldn’t get a new contract so I had to find a new opportunity and a trial at Nottingham Forest came up and I went there for a week. I impressed the manager at the time so I got offered a two year deal there and signed it after a few weeks of negotiation. I wouldn’t say I had to think a lot to sign for them but I knew it would be a massive change again in my life as I was going to live on my own but I accepted the challenge and unfortunately for me the manager that offered me the deal got sacked shortly after I signed so I didn’t really get a chance to show how good I am.

 Were there many differences between the Belgian and English league levels?

About the level I would say it was much more physical in England, training sessions were much sharper and tougher compared to Anderlecht where it was more technical, physical but not as much as at Forest. We had more gym sessions with more power-based exercises at Forest. It was good to see new ways to train and another culture of football. But in England you feel 10 times more the passion around the football club and you see what it means to people.

You spoke about the amount of effort you put in to try and keep up with your education. Do you think it was worth it?

      Yes, I think school is the most important thing at a young age because you never know what can happen in football, you need plenty of things to get to the top and to get your diploma at school is a security in case something happens. Once you get your diploma you can focus 100% on football and see what happens next and if it’s not going well in football you can still change your path and study something you would like to do if you decide to give up football or if you want to learn something in your time off training and games. 

  Also, when your football career ends you are still around 35-40 years old so you still have 20 years in front of you to do things you never had the time to do before, or other work. I am happy I got my diploma because I know when I will retire I will hate it, doing nothing, sitting in my bed in front of the TV. I am planning to study more during the next few months but I am waiting to see what’s happening with the football season in Ireland etc.

When you went to England did you get a chance to further your education?

 No, it wasn’t an option for myself I was fully focusing on football. I wanted to give 100% and to get my mind fully focused on and off the pitch.

What advice would you give to young players- especially those who are still teenagers?

I would say be patient, you are still very young (especially if you are a GK). When I was 16 and playing for the first team, for the ROI underage team and then signed for Anderlecht I thought I would make it for sure.  But it’s not that easy and it’s all about experience. If I could go back in time I would change so many things but I can’t, the only thing I can do is work everyday now toward my goals.  I would say focus on education/school first because as I said it’s the most important thing. Surround yourself with good people (not the people that are talking to you just for interest), your family, they are the people that are always there when you need them and I am lucky I have both my parents who have been and are amazing. Don’t think that you are at the top too quickly, stay humble, they’re only a few things I would say as advice. 

What are your hopes for the future?

My hopes at this moment and with all that’s happening is that we can all get through this pandemic and get back as soon as possible on the football pitch. But first of all that we are all safe and healthy. 

  On a personal note I want to play as many games as I can, and play for Cork as long as they want me to because they did a lot for me and they gave me the opportunity I have been hoping for since I was 18. 

 Off the field I am with a beautiful girlfriend that I know for more than 10 years, Laetitia, thanks to her I have a good balance with everything ( training, food, rest, money) she is really important for me and we have some plans together for our future but first we need to see what’s happening with the football and with her studies because she is still studying in Brussels, unlucky for her.