Brandon Borrello’s tough state of mind has him primed for Bundesliga and the Socceroos
Former Brisbane Roar star Brandon Borrello has had plenty of setbacks during his time in Germany, but his positive attitude has helped him earn a Bundesliga start and a Socceroos call-up.
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The mental toughness Brandon Borrello required to aid his recovery from a serious knee injury has been a key factor in his impressive start to the Bundesliga season.
The 24-year-old former Brisbane Roar attacker has performed well for German top-flight club Freiburg, with his form earning him a Socceroos call-up for Australia’s 2022 World Cup qualifier against Kuwait in Kuwait City next Wednesday morning (AEST).
Borrello’s dream of playing at last year’s World Cup was ruined after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament at training session with lower-division outfit Kaiserslautern.
Rather than drop his bundle, he worked extremely hard while recovering from his knee reconstruction.
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“I really stuck to it with the rehab for the injury, but now that it’s all said and done, it’s no longer an excuse,” Borrello said.
“I don’t like to talk about the injury anymore because that’s in the past, (but) it’s definitely a credit to the hard work I put in.
“I made an effort to always stay positive no matter what was happening with the injury, with not playing, so I think when my chance came I was completely ready.
“It (the Bundesliga) is a big step up, (but) I found that it’s definitely got a lot to do with how strong you are mentally because of what I went through, and then coming back having to play with the (Freiburg) under 23s to get a bit of rhythm.
“Then when you get your chance, it’s like ‘OK I’ve got to prove myself now because I had a year’s late start’.”
Borrello’s tough mindset has also helped with any nerves he might have had playing in one of the world’s best football competitions.
“I was really happy with my performances so far, and they can only get better as well,” he said.
“I thought in the first game of the Bundesliga, maybe I’d be a bit nervous but as soon as I got out there I felt comfortable, I felt like I could hold my own, so I was really pleased with that.”
Borrello and fellow former Roar stars Adam Taggart and Jamie Maclaren are part of a Socceroos’ attacking arsenal that has coach Graham Arnold confident that Australia will qualify for Qatar 2022.
“It’ll be great. All the players can play in various positions, you can chop and change the formation,” Borrello said.
“Arnie’s really happy with the amount of players he has in that front third. There’s a lot of depth there, and the fact there’s a lot of versatility helps his style of football a lot more too.”
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