Kaizer Chiefs' latest signing Efmamjjasond Gonzalez has been handed the strategic mission of how to make his stay at Kaizer Chiefs a success.
Just like Gonzalez, Leonardo Castro is a Colombian striker who was most recently at Chiefs after having joined from Mamelodi Sundowns so knows too well the route that has been taken by his fellow countryman.
LIVE | DStv Prem transfer window - Teams facing final push to strengthen squads
The similarities don't end there because just like Gonzalez, Castro also came into the DStv Premiership from Bolivia where he had been playing for Club Universitario de Sucre.
Gonzalez has been with Real Santa Cruz in Bolivia.
"I hope he can make a huge contribution in the squad, and it is better for him because he has Edson Castillo from Venezuela as a teammate," Castro tells KickOff from South Carolina, USA where he now plays for Greenville Triumph.
"With me, I found Flavio Bento at the club, so he translated instructions from the coach in the early days because he spoke Portuguese and Spanish.
"With Castillo, it means he has someone to speak the same language with on the field.
"Language is the issue because I don't think he can speak a word of English.
"Chances of a South American footballer speaking English when they have never been outside the continent are always next to zero.
"So, this (language) is the first challenge but a good one for him because it will open him up to learning something else.
"In learning something new, you will have to use your brain.
"This will activate, challenge, and excite your brain more than others because you must listen carefully and learn daily.
"It is a good thing that his brain will remain challenged every day even outside of football.
"It is exciting to try and educate yourself daily so that you adapt.
"I think it is a good idea to travel because as footballers we have enough time to stimulate our brains and be able to prepare our brains for after football because you won't play forever.
"In Europe, when they bring a South American, they get a tutor to teach him fast.
"For him, this is a challenge, and he will learn with time just like me, but I hope it doesn't take him a year to learn how to speak English.
"Communication is important, so it is important to learn English faster because you don't want to be frustrated hearing that people are talking but you don't understand.
"You want to laugh at the jokes to loosen up.
"With me, I took interest in learning daily and when my teammates realised how interested I was, they became keen to teach me daily.
"On the field it is no issue because soccer is about eye contact and movement which is why it is one global language.
"In soccer, you adapt to the team and use your skills for the benefit of the team because we all know that we are playing to score," says Castro.
Gonzalez will come in at Chiefs on a season's loan having played his football back home in Colombia before spending almost four years struggling to cope with the high demands in Argentina after which he moved to Bolivia.
You must be Sign In to read and post comments.
Click HERE to register!