How do footballers live in countries where they don't know the language for years?

[JSArsenal]

I know they have people at the club doing everything for them, from banking and shopping, finding a place to live. A lot of footballers do learn the language as well but can you imagine living in a place 4+ years and only knowing the basics of the language?

Is this why a lot of footballers only stay in their country of birth? Or prefer to move somewhere where the language is similar?

In reality this doesn't matter one iota but I find stuff like this fascinating. Does Neymar speak fluent French by now? Can Zlatan speak multiple languages?

 

[Gazza]

I work at a university and it’s not uncommon to have students whose grip on the English language is tenuous at best. What they typically do is find communities with people from similar backgrounds. Even certain fraternities and sororities on campus are designed to foster that kind of community. That’s essentially the same thing as Portuguese speakers from Man Utd and Man City hanging out together, for example. It’s quite common for footballers and their families to band together even if they play for rival teams. From that, you get things like Brazilian restaurants or Portuguese grocery stores popping up in the NW.

 

[horsechoker]

If you speak English you'll be alright virtually anywhere.

As you op said, they'll have people from the club take care of bureaucratic stuff. Plus when you've got money people start magically speaking your language.

It was probably harder in the past before the Internet. Some players must have bored to tears at home if they didn't have a family. Now you can watch whatever you want in your language.

 

[Moby]

Everyone speaks english.

 

[Chief123]

I work at a university and it’s not uncommon to have students whose grip on the English language is tenuous at best. What they typically do is find communities with people from similar backgrounds. Even certain fraternities and sororities on campus are designed to foster that kind of community. That’s essentially the same thing as Portuguese speakers from Man Utd and Man City hanging out together, for example. It’s quite common for footballers and their families to band together even if they play for rival teams. From that, you get things like Brazilian restaurants or Portuguese grocery stores popping up in the NW.

Yeah pretty much this. They’ll find people who are similar background to them and end up in a bubble which is sufficient for them to survive and get by. The language won’t be as challenged as much as they’ll probably shop and interact in areas where it’s their community.

 

[honirelandboy]

Do you think people in these countries don't know English People stay in their respective country because they like it there or move onto a better league like Spain, England or Italy. English Proficency

 

[horsechoker]

Everyone speaks english.

U wot, u avin a giggle u soppy cnut

 

[Nani Nana]

Neymar does not speak French to my knowledge. He only hangs around with his Brazilian mates.

 

[Blackwidow]

Neymar does not speak French to my knowledge. He only hangs around with his Brazilian mates.

I think he atleast understands a lot of French as portuguese is his mother tongue and he for sure learned spanish.

How much do the various clubs do to teach the language of the country?

 

[horsechoker]

I think he atleast understands a lot of French as portuguese is his mother tongue and he for sure learned spanish.

How much do the various clubs do to teach the language of the country?

I think it comes down to motivation to learn, all top level footballers can afford the best language teachers in the country.

Some just don't bother or never practice because they don't want to or never make time to.

The clubs can help but ultimately it's down to the player.

 

[Lay]

I don't think its that uncommon. I know plenty of people who don't speak English despite living in England for a decade or so. My aunt gets through life by just going to bank tellers who are the same ethnicity, or shop workers who are the same.

 

[Tarrou]

I don’t think it’s the majority of footballers who move country.. it’s just the ones on the more plebby end of the spectrum, like Tevez

 

[Gazza]

When I worked for an English language school, we had a 65 year old Spanish speaking man who had lived in Florida for almost 30 years and had never needed to learn English, he even had his own business and raised a family there.

 

[FootballHQ]

I work at a university and it’s not uncommon to have students whose grip on the English language is tenuous at best. What they typically do is find communities with people from similar backgrounds. Even certain fraternities and sororities on campus are designed to foster that kind of community. That’s essentially the same thing as Portuguese speakers from Man Utd and Man City hanging out together, for example. It’s quite common for footballers and their families to band together even if they play for rival teams. From that, you get things like Brazilian restaurants or Portuguese grocery stores popping up in the NW.

Yeah I don't think someone like Marcos Rojo ever gave one interview in English in all his time at Man. United (6 years) and if you looked at his social media he was always hanging around with likes of Romero and Augero so had that South American community in Cheshire to keep them all content.

Some just adapt better than others or want to. Zabaleta for example picked up English very quickly and lived round the Chorlton/Didsbury area.

I'm sure the vast majority of them can read English o.k at least so can deal with day to day life admin (or just get the club to do it of course).

They also get South American TV streamed through. I get the feeling Di Maria's missus made the porcelain comment from just watching Corrie and Eastenders one night by mistake.

 

[Big Ben Foster]

Everyone speaks english.

Yeah, that's not even remotely true

 

[tomaldinho1]

You adapt and learn languages very quickly when you need to. I did an Erasmus year way back and it was amazing the difference in language skills everyone had when they came back, you could tell who hung out with the expats and stuck to English.

It’s not even that important when you think of our very own brotherly duo of Evra and Park.

 

[duffer]

Tammy and Fikayo both seem to be giving it a go...

 

[Camilo]

Yeah, that's not even remotely true

It's pretty much true, and if they can't they're thickos.

 

[Strootman's Finger]

Everyone speaks english.

Casemiro doesn't

 

[Strootman's Finger]

Tammy and Fikayo both seem to be giving it a go...

In fairness, I think Tomori is reading a script

 

[USREDEVIL]

arry kane barely speaks english

 

[Tarrou]

It's pretty much true, and if they can't they're thickos.

yep 80% of the worlds population are thickos

 

[harms]

Can Zlatan speak multiple languages?

Bosnian, Swedish, Italian, French Spanish & English (I imagine that he should be fluent in Dutch as well).

 

[Big Andy]

Casemiro doesn't

His missus and daughter do though, which will help them settle.

The likes of Valencia who spent about 10 years in England but never did an interview in english is mind boggling to me.

 

[Melbourne Red]

I think it's fairly easy for anyone to live in another country if they speak English and their job is conducted in English (or another language they're fluent at).

But footballers playing in countries for years where all the coaching and communication is done in a language they don't have much command of is baffling to me though. I get that people can generally understand a lot more of a language vs how much they can speak, but it must get really hard. And I would have thought a pretty insurmountable barrier to achieving your potential. But plenty of players seem to do fine.

 

[Vidyoyo]

Yeah I don't think someone like Marcos Rojo ever gave one interview in English in all his time at Man. United (6 years) and if you looked at his social media he was always hanging around with likes of Romero and Augero so had that South American community in Cheshire to keep them all content.

Some just adapt better than others or want to. Zabaleta for example picked up English very quickly and lived round the Chorlton/Didsbury area.

I'm sure the vast majority of them can read English o.k at least so can deal with day to day life admin (or just get the club to do it of course).

They also get South American TV streamed through. I get the feeling Di Maria's missus made the porcelain comment from just watching Corrie and Eastenders one night by mistake.

In fairness to Zabaleta he always came across as a smart guy. I remember him being featured on an episode of Futbol Mundial just after he got his move to Espanyol and even then he came across as a dignified chap.

I think a combination of intelligence and attitude plays a big part of whether a footballer bothers to learn a language or not.

 

[Melbourne Red]

Wow, he's speaking it quickly and without hesitation. Maybe one of our Italian posters can confirm he's not just rapidly gibbering nonsense syllables.

I was wondering if he grew up speaking French at home which might have helped the transition but his background is Nigerian.

 

[tenpoless]

ESL speakers: "I'm sorry for my English. It's not my mother tongue"
Native speakers: "Oi bruv, good game last night innit?"

 

[MrMarcello]

I don't think its that uncommon. I know plenty of people who don't speak English despite living in England for a decade or so. My aunt gets through life by just going to bank tellers who are the same ethnicity, or shop workers who are the same.

Like Carragher for example.

 

[Bepi]

Wow, he's speaking it quickly and without hesitation. Maybe one of our Italian posters can confirm he's not just rapidly gibbering nonsense syllables.

I was wondering if he grew up speaking French at home which might have helped the transition but his background is Nigerian.

Tomori’s Italian is very good for football interactions and Abraham’s is good enough as well. I have plenty of respect for both kids, they are clearly smart and humble enough to try and embrace their abroad experience in full.

I was reading that Katie Zelem and Eni Aluko’s recent stints at Juve were seen as ice breakers for young English players willing to move to Italy, also for daily life interactions (and problems).

 

[Stig]

Tammy and Fikayo both seem to be giving it a go...

Good on 'em well done.

 

[Elpidios]

Tammy and Fikayo both seem to be giving it a go...

This is very impressive, I feel like certain people possess a language brain that makes it easier for them to learn and retain new languages and I'm always so envious because I find it so hard to even learn my second language!

 

[calodo2003]

Yeah, that's not even remotely true

Everyone should speak American.

 

[Sky1981]

You lot would be suprised at how many English and American working overseas not even bothering to learn basic language skill.

Some Embassy worker has been attached to Embassy for years and still fails basic Indonesian.

Wouldnt be so arrogant if i were OP. Most of us here are at least billingual

 

[tenpoless]

Everyone should speak American.

Define "couldn't care less" based on American. What does it mean?

 

[General_Elegancia]

Bosnian, Swedish, Italian, French Spanish & English (I imagine that he should be fluent in Dutch as well).

Ibrahimovic speaks Italian fluently, probably at native level. He doesn’t fluent in Dutch( but I think he can speaks), I’ve never seen him interview in Dutch even in his Ajax days( he always used English).

 

[Camilo]

yep 80% of the worlds population are thickos

Sounds about right, no?

 

[We need an rvn]

I think a lot is down to one’s intellect and desire to learn, the other element is down to the culture of the country and what country it is.

For example, I am English but moved to Holland when I was 4 due to my dad’s job. I grew up bilingual as had to learn the language for school etc and I was only young, whilst my parents tried to learn but whenever they tried to speak Dutch, the Dutch would reply in English because their English was much better than my parents Dutch. They learnt enough to get by and ask for what they needed and had conversations but was still fairly poor for being somewhere for 10 years.

a footballer who earns millions and gets everything done for him will struggle unless they really have a desire to get the most out of living where they do

 

[Fortitude]

Learning languages quickly comes from one or many from:

- Aptitude
- Need
- Desire

Total immersion is being thrown completely in at the deep-end, either not using your native tongue, or it not being of enough worth in the new country to be relied upon. I would say that if you are a lower league level professional going to a country whose language you don't speak, you'll be placed in almost total immersion from the outset, but pros in the highest leagues getting paid big enough money will always have the option of immersion or simply disengaging.

Communities within football of fellow speakers of your own language are common enough, also, some simply bring over their own family and friends, so again can opt in or out of learning the language of the country they're in.

It may all seem shocking or weird to fans, but beyond a certain level, the bubble you live in caters to you at all times with little need for the effort of immersive interaction.

 

[Scarecrow]

I’ve lived in a country for 4 years and don’t know the language beyond the basics. It’s rarely an issue.