The 21-year-old goalkeeper is winning rave reviews at Club Brugge.
Former Central Coast Mariners goalkeeper Matthew Ryan admits he felt humbled after being praised by former Belgium footballer Wim De Coninck.
The 21-year-old left the Mariners in May to join Belgian Pro League side Club Brugge and has won rave reviews in the four games he’s featured in since keeping a clean sheet on his debut against Sporting Charleroi in July.
It led to De Coninck recently describing Ryan as “a leader in the making” and the Plumpton-born custodian admits it’s pleasing to receive compliments for his performances despite unable to fathom what is being written about him due to the current language barrier.
“It’s a bit funny that I can’t speak or read Dutch, so I’m not very aware of what’s going on in the media,” Ryan told The Daily Telegraph.
“I’ve always been given the advice that if I keep working hard and putting in the performances on the pitch everything will look after itself.
“But it’s definitely humbling to be getting that sort of praise off the field from local ex-players from Belgium and high profile people here in Belgium. It’s rewarding for all the hard work I’ve been putting in at the beginning here and hopefully there’s more of it to come.”
Moving from Gosford to Bruges brought initial adaption problems for Ryan but he admits settling in became easier once the football season began and some familiar faces joined him in the Belgian capital.
“At the beginning I found it a little bit difficult being away from family and friends and obviously the sort of life I was used to,” he added.
“But now that the season is underway and my family and a couple of friends have been over I’ve been settling in quite well and I’m really enjoying it at the moment.
COMMENTS