High hopes

Barbados international Nicholas Blackman hopes his success as a professional can inspire local players and also pave the way for a new generation of footballers to emerge from the island.

The 31-year-old striker recently became the first professional with Barbadian heritage to play in the high profile Europa League when he turned out for Israeli top flight club, Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Earlier this month, Maccabi Tel Aviv finished second in Group I of the Europa League group stage, to qualify for the round of 32, where they will now face Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk next February.

Pointing to former national captain Emmerson Boyce who plied his trade with success in England, Blackman, who made his debut for Barbados last year, said the dream was on the cards for other Barbadian players if they worked hard enough.

“It is achievable. I think for me the real one is Emmerson Boyce and I actually played against him a few years ago when he was at Wigan Athletic,” Blackman said.

“I remember speaking to him at the end of the game and he was wearing the Bajan sweatband, and I asked him where he got it from and he told me he got it from a store near Oistins.

“So just having that relationship with him and we speak quite frequently. For me, Boyce coming off the island, I think it showed what is capable and just to have that self-belief and keep going.

“I think anything is possible. You just don’t know if you keep pushing yourself and keep believing in your talent. Opportunities will come up and you just take those opportunities. You just don’t know what they can lead on to.”

Blackman said current national player, Thierry Gale, was one such player with the opportunity for a hugely successful career before him.

“There is a young player in the national team called Thierry Gale. He is now playing football in Europe and obviously, he has fantastic opportunities to forge a career for himself in the game,” said Blackman.

“He has fantastic talent. The game is a lot more about talent and he needs to show that mental toughness when there are difficult times.

“Obviously, he is going to be away from family, friends and out of his comfort zone but this is a testing time for him and I am positive he will come through as well.”

Blackman started his career with Macclesfield Town in England before going on to play for the likes of Derby County and Sheffield United.

Following a loan spell from Derby at Maccabi Tel Aviv, Blackman made the move to Israel permanent last year when he inked a two-year-deal with the club.

And having tasted Europa League action over the last several months, Blackman said he was proud of having achieved his European dream.

“It is something I am extremely proud of obviously to know that stat. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be the last Bajan to represent us in this competition and at this level of football. Hopefully, this inspires many more Bajans to go on and achieve everything they want,” Blackman said.

“It is a dream come through and something I’ve always believed and capable of doing. It is one of those things you set out to achieve at a young age and I am grateful to be performing at this level.

“And to be involved at this level of competition and to test yourself against the best players in Europe.”

The six-foot, two-inch talent said playing at European level was a challenging task but pointed to perseverance as one of the main qualities required as a player.

“There is an element of talent that a lot of players have to perform at this level but I think the most important thing that I picked up from an early age is having a lot of setbacks when I was younger,” he explained.

“And I didn’t just give up, I always had that perseverance and believe in myself that eventually, I would get to where I wanted to get. And that seems to be the case in a lot of aspects within my life.

“It is something I am very thankful for. I’m thankful that I have been through some tough times as a kid and through my football journey. It has given me a lot of setbacks but obviously, with that, I have taken the positives out of those negative moments and developed a good mental toughness.

“I think that would be the most important thing is perseverance and not giving up when times are hard.” (ML)