A footballer’s journey to the top always takes its turns.
Some players go on loan to rebuild their careers, while some bounce from club to club in a bid to recapture their untapped potential. Some players even have to take a step down, before moving upwards again.
But the positive about a footballer’s journey: you are always given second chances.
This is why Michael Gerace knows his journey with NPL1 giants Box Hill United can help him recapture that lost opportunity that was cruelly snatched away.
“I went to Catania in Serie A for a trial,” Gerace recalls.
“I went there for a week and they liked me and they wanted to sign me. It was superb.”
The 19-year-old reminisced about his perfectly projected football journey in Italy. Moving from Serie C team Prato to Serie B side Reggina, ‘The Elephants’ came calling and everything seemed too good to be true.
“I went back to my club [Reggina] and asked what’s wrong and they say ‘you can’t move’. My club told me that I signed with them for seven years, but I didn’t know about it.”
Seeing his dream move get ripped away, Gerace fought for what he felt was right and although he won the battle, he lost the war.
“My dad and I went to the [sports] courts,” he says.
“We went there and told them it was unfair I told them ‘I didn’t sign, and my father and mother didn’t sign’.
“I got away with it. They said you can play, but you can’t play in Italy for another year. So I’m not going to wait for another year.
“So I came back to Melbourne.”
And its here the highly promising youngster will rebuild his career. Fit with a dash of finesse and deadly with the ball, the natural ‘Number 10’ is hot property for NPL teams. Yet for him there is only team he believes can help him reach the top.
“It’s better for myself and my career so I can learn more and improve and just move on from there.
“For my career the way Box Hill play is what I need. From day one I was interested in Box Hill. I just thought they had a full team.”
“So I approach Box Hill saying, do you need a player? And they’re like, why didn’t you come to us before?”
Yet, why so determined to go to Box Hill amongst all other clubs.
“Simple”, says Gerace: he saw similarities from what he learnt in Italy to how United played, and he knew it was a step in the right direction.
“When I went to Italy, we trained without the ball, just positional. 80% was based on positioning and that’s what gets wins for teams over the weekend,” he says.
“We just did positional stuff, panels of play, where to play, even the right backs knew where to pass to, left backs knew where to go. Like all that, everything was perfect.
“That’s why I came here to Box Hill. They play a very European base here. They play with a structure, they play off the ball and their movement is great here. It’s quality.
He has already featured in three games for United, and has quickly come to grips with its dynamic game plan. Although he has yet to explode, he knows over time he will hit his straps soon.
“For my first game, the coach [Arthur Georgiou] threw me in the starting 11, which is a good sign.
“I know over time I will get better and play better. This is [down to] the club to help me do it.”
The youngster knows himself better than anyone else and throughout his short, yet sparkling career; he has made the right choices.
This is one of them. Nobody said a footballer’s journey would be easy. Some players have to take a step back before they can march forward again and Michael Gerace is hoping to become the latest graduate of that school of thought.