Hibs ace Rocky talks language of football and Cristiano Ronaldo World Cup 'dream'
Half dozen new recruits finding defender a willing conversationalist in any dialect
If any of the new signings at Hibs are struggling to settle in, it won’t be for a want of effort on the part of the most versatile linguist at East Mains. Even as Rocky Bushiri rhymes off the five languages he’ll regularly use in conversation at training or in games, the Belgian-born Democratic Republic of Congo international gives off the air of a man who could probably add a few extras given a week and access to some online tutoring.
No doubt already practicing his Portuguese in the hope of exchanging a few words with Cristiano Ronaldo, the “dream” scenario should the DRC get through next month’s final World Cup play-off against either Jamaica or New Caledonia, Bushiri goes out of his way to make new players feel at home. And, after a good three-and-a-half years in Scotland, he can even translate some of the training-ground slang …
Zimbabwean defender Munasha Garananga, German wingback Felix Passlack, Irish teenager Owen Elding and Croatian forward Ante Suto, as well as English pair Dane Scarlett and Kai Andrews, were all late arrivals during the January window, with three of the half dozen not signing until Deadline Day.
Bushiri, explaining how they’d been settling in, said: “Yeah, it has been fast because a few were at the end of the window. But I think we help them.
“Everyone helps them speak the languages. We have a few boys that speak German as well. And the culture like Gara is also with African culture. So we help them settle well. And soon I hope they will feel at home.
“I speak different languages. And that helps, of course. But when I'm back home, you have players from all over the world. It's easier.
“So I have a lot of people in common from the Belgium national team who played now in different countries, some maybe with those guys. So we have people in common. And that always helps.
“Yeah, football is a small world. Especially when you play international, you come across a lot of players. You know him, he knows him.”
Five different languages in armoury
Expanding on his use of different languages, Bushiri said: “I speak French, I speak Dutch, Lingala, English. And a bit of German.
“Belgium is a country split in three. So you have the French part, you have the Dutch part and the German part. And I played in all three parts. And I've done my school in French and in Dutch. So that helps.
“I had this with Dylan Vente when he was here as well. Vente speaks Dutch. It always helps. When someone says to you something in your mother language, it always helps.
“Not always in games, because you need to make sure everyone understands. You don't have time. You see how games go. Games go fast. But maybe with someone like Elie Youan, we will maybe speak more in French.”
Asked about the peculiarity of a few different Scottish accents, complete with unique words for specific footballing terms, Bushiri laughed as he said: “I think I’ve got it now! But not in the first week when I was here, not. That was very difficult …”
Bushiri, who represented the DRC at the Africa Cup of Nations this season, is part of the squad heading to Mexico for the final FIFA play-offs next month. After a warm-up game against Bermuda, they’ll play the winners of a semi-final between Jamaica and New Caledonia in a one-off tie on March 31.
Congo chasing for World Cup return after half-century wait
Proud to be part of a team looking to end his country’s long wait for an appearance at the World Cup, with the DRC still called Zaire when they last turned out on the biggest stage way back in 1974, they’re playing for a place in Group K alongside Uzbekistan, Colombia … and CR7’s Portugal.
“I've just seen it today,” said Bushiri, when asked about the play-off draw, the 26-year-old adding: “It's a friendly game against Bermuda first. But then it's the biggest game for the country. I'm looking forward to it.
“You want to go to the World Cup. It's been 50 years for Congo, so it could be the biggest achievement for the country.
“Yes, there's a lot of pressure on the player to achieve this. But like I said before, being in that position, you take the pressure. It's like a privilege. You want to be in the situation where you could make things happen.
“Looking at the group we could get, the only team I saw was Portugal. Ronaldo? That’s the dream.”