In an Ibrox dressing room currently boasting 15 different nationalities, Rangers target Antonio Colak should have no
problems settling right in. The German-born Croatia striker speaks an incredible seven different languages having sampled life in four different countries.
And while the ability to walk the walk on the pitch has drawn the eye of Gers boss Gio van Bronckhorst, the 28-year-old reckons the knack of being able to talk the talk in the dressing room has been just as crucial to his career. Colak started his nomadic footballing journey – which has so far seen him chalk up spells with 10 different clubs, six of them in Germany – in the regional Rhineland leagues with Karlsruher, before progressing on to the Bundesliga with Nurnberg. His first move abroad lead to a loan stint with Polish outfit Lechia Gdansk.
And since then Colak has also registered time with Rijeka in Croatia, in Sweden with Malmo and at current club PAOK from Greece. It was while in Sweden that he first crossed paths with Gers, with his deadly double at Ibrox last August wrecking Steven Gerrard’s bid to lead the club back into the Champions League groups, setting in motion a chain of events that would eventually see van Bronckhorst to replace the former Liverpool icon as gaffer.
Ironically, Rangers now hope Colak will be the man to lead this year’s charge for a place at UEFA’s top table. And as they step up their bid to offer him the experience of living in a fifth country, Colak is confident he won’t get lost in translation should they succeed in striking a deal with PAOK, who are holding firm in their demand for €3million.
Colak, in an interview during his time with Malmo, said: “At school in Germany I always liked learning languages more than physics, chemistry and other subjects. I knew it would be helpful in my football career. So far, I can speak fluent English, German, Croatian, Polish, Portuguese, Greek and Swedish.
“I am an open guy who speaks many languages and I like to be at the centre of a dressing room. I like to joke about and contribute to the team.
“I also think it is important as a striker to know what your team-mates are saying to you in their native language.
“I would say I am a positive person. My dream when I was growing up as a young footballer was to play outside Germany. I enjoy getting to know new players, new cultures, people and languages. I wanted to continue learning as I thought it would come in handy in the future.”
Colak, who has also turned out for Hoffenheim and Darmstadt in the Bundesliga while also making almost 50 appearances in Germany’s second tier while on loan at Ingolstadt and Kaiserslautern, revealed how he got his big break in football while with Nurnberg.
He said: “I had scored 30 goals in a season for the reserves who played in the fourth tier of German football but I never even got the chance to train with the first team, let alone play with them.
“Then the manager got sacked and the reserve team coach took over. I did one training session with the team then suddenly I was playing against Eintracht Frankfurt in front of 50,000 fans. The lesson I learned that day was that even if you think you have no hope, keep trying because the unexpected could happen.
“I had a lot of loan spells but my breakthrough came when I signed for Rijeka in 2019. I scored 20 goals and we won the Croatian Cup two years in a row.
“Incredibly I got the call to play for Croatia. Suddenly I was training with guys like Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Ivan Perisic. They all took care of me as if I had been in the squad for a long time. I was amazed at how friendly they were – they talked to me as if I had always been there.”
Since leaving Nurnberg, Colak has never stayed put for more than a year or two at a time. But the 28-year-old insists it’s always been his aim to put down roots with a club.
He added: ”If I am honest I have always been sure that I would be a success in football. The road has been very long and I have suffered a lot, and had to fight a lot. Somehow it has always been about taking a step back to get two steps forward.
“At PAOK at first it didn’t go as well as it should have at first. But it doesn’t matter where I have been, I have always fought my way out and remained positive.
“I have always had that fighting spirit within me, as well as the knowledge that I would succeed. It does not matter, I would work harder than others, with myself and not give up.
“When I join a new club my goals are always the same – to score as many as possible and be a big part of that club.
“And it would be nice to stay somewhere for a few years instead of moving again.”
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