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Chungbuk Cheongju midfielder Peter Makrillos says eyeing a long-term stay in South Korea and that he wants to play in K League 1 with the club. Speaking to KLeague.com, the Australian talks about the move to South Korea, his first impressions of the league and the club, his aims for the future, as well as his time at Barclona's famed La Masia academy.
Q: How are you finding life in Korea?
A: "I like it, man. It's different to what I've been used to, obviously. But I really, really, I like it here. Really feel comfortable, if you compare it to UK and stuff, it's a big difference. So, yeah. I feel really, really good here, really safe."
Q: Where did the move to Chungbuk Cheongju come from? You spent most of your career in Europe, were you looking to try and move over to Asia?
A: "You know, it's always been in the plan, you know, long term. I just didn't know when was the right time for me to come. But I just had my newborn son in the last eight months and being away from home is not easy, Europe is so far away from Australia and stuff. I thought now would be a good opportunity and good time with my age and, and other things, factors in my career for me to come to Asia and Korea. So, I have always wanted to come here eventually."
Q: When did the contact from Chungbuk Cheongju come then? Was it in the works for quite a while?
A: "I was playing in Sweden and I wasn't really looking or thinking ahead. I just wanted to concentrate then on the season. But once my team was relegated and I was gonna become free. I looked at my options and Korea was my best option long term and this is a plan long term, not a short-term thing for me."
Q: What were your first impressions of the club?
A: "Well, from what I've seen, they got the right people working in there. And things were good when I came here, I was looked after really, really well. Not only me, but my family as well and they made things really comfortable. That for me was a really good sign from the beginning. And obviously when, when we were in negotiations and they were wanting to bring me in they were really, really keen on bringing me in. So, yeah, it just showed really good signs from the beginning. And being the first foreign player in the history of the club to sign is a real privilege so that's another thing that inspired me to come."
Q: Did they outline what the vision might be for the club in the sort of medium to sort of long term?
A: "Well, you can take it in different ways... there's no pressure right now on the club to go fight for promotion. You know, it's more just to get their feet moving and making sure everything's set up for long term. 'Cause I think this club, long term, is gonna be very, very successful here in Korea.
"I do know long term their plan is to be in K1 eventually and so I would love to be a part of that, you know? So like I said, I've come here not only for short term, one season, I'm here thinking long term and I would like to be here maybe for the rest of my career. It's exciting."
Q: We get a lot of Aussies come over to South Korea and play in the K League. Did you speak to any before you decided to come over?
A: "Before I did, I hadn't spoken to anyone, but I've got a friend, Alex Grant plays for Pohang, we've known each other for quite a while. I've obviously asked him for some advice and another friend of mine, Valentinos. They obviously spoke really highly about Korea, about the football and stuff. I was really excited to come. It's obviously a big change coming from Europe, coming to Asia, I didn't know what to expect. So it's been a good transition."
Q: How is the sort of speed of the game and the tempo and that kind of thing compared to the leagues you've played in elsewhere?
A: "Well, to be honest, I think the level is, is very high, you know? Especially in K1, there are a lot high-quality players but compared to Europe, to be honest, I don't see much of a difference. Obviously the comparison, level-wise, compared to maybe the top 15 leagues in Europe, I think they're about there. It's really respected in Europe, people always speak about Korea. And Japan. I've always kept an eye on the league and watched games and stuff. 'Cause like I said, I've known long term I've wanted to come here and I've been told I actually have a Korean style playing style. So the level's high."
Q: Well, the team got off to a great start winning the club's first match in K League. What was that like? Was it relief to get the first win or was it just joy? Were there big celebrations afterwards?
A: "To be honest, more, it was more joy, you know? For me personally, it was more joy to see the people who have got the club to that stage, you know? 'Cause I know it's not just been like a one, two-year plan for these guys and the president and stuff. It's been a long ongoing plan and it hasn't been easy for them to get there.
"So it was more seeing their faces, seeing the joy on their faces made me,... it's like I've helped give them that smile. So it wasn't a relief. It was more just I was really happy for them, you know? It was a really, really good experience."
Q: I understand that you were at La Masia (Barcelona academy). What, what was that like who was there at the same time as you?
A: "Well, it's very hard to explain in words, you know? I was like 14 years old. I was young at the time, but it's an experience that I can't describe. The first day I was there I was actually in tears from just being overwhelmed and it was amazing. What I can say, the experience that I had there was like really, really good for my football knowledge. I learned quite a lot there. I was there for about a year, I got to experience how they are taught, what they do day to day, and what daily life is like. The experience I had there, I don't think many people have experienced that before, you know? And the players there that were at the same time, Hector Bellerin was the main one was probably."
Q: How did that come about then that the move to Spain and getting involved with Barcelona?
A: "The Nike Cup in Manchester. My team won the best team in Oceania. So we came to Manchester and Barcelona was actually in my group as well as Manchester United and obviously must have played well, and they must have seen something that they liked and they invited me there for a trial and it just got extended a bit longer."