Soccer: Barbarouses used to doing things tough

Kosta Barbarouses has experienced a few extremes over the past six months. Photo / Getty Images.

Kosta Barbarouses has experienced a few extremes over the past six months. Yesterday he played in stifling heat and humidity in New Zealand's World Cup qualifier against Fiji but not long ago he played in bitter cold and on a frozen pitch.

It's the life of a professional footballer but it's the life the 22-year-old chose.

Barbarouses was leading a comfortable existence with Brisbane in the A-League. They had just won the 2010/11 title and the striker was among the best players in the league but he felt he needed a challenge.

It's doesn't come much more difficult than playing for Alania Vladikavkaz in the Russian second division.

"It's a long way to go and a whole new world to what I am used to," he admits. "But I don't really regret it. I miss Brisbane. It was really easy for me to go there. But after a successful season there my tail was up and I thought I needed to test myself.

"You don't want to set your standard as the A-League. As good as the league is, you want to be aiming higher and you don't want to get comfortable at that level. I wanted to push myself. In the back of my mind I know I can come back but I'm trying to aim as high as possible."

He still has two years to run on his contract but the next few months will be crucial. His club side won promotion back to the premier league for next season, meaning more players will be brought in.

It could put Barbarouses, who is starting to establish himself in the New Zealand side, down the pecking order or actually help him secure a first-team spot with more quality players around him.

He appeared in about half of the 30 games they played after his arrival, including about eight starts, but is eager to see more game time. It could see him look for a loan move somewhere but he's shown he has the fortitude to stick it out and it has made him a more mature footballer and person.

Language has been difficult - unlike the rest of Europe, few Russians see the need to learn English - and old Soviet attitudes and approaches pervade life in Vladikavkaz, a city of about 350,000 near the border with Georgia at the foothills of the Caucasus mountains.

"Some days are better than others," he says. "Some days the motivation isn't there, when you miss your family, the weather, friends. But you have to be mentally tough. This is your career and the position you are in. If you give up, it's not going to help.

"Probably the most extreme I have played in was the last game before the winter break. We played in minus 7 degrees and you needed the full thermals and gloves. You couldn't even wear boots because the pitch was frozen. It was like rollerskating. You wore special boots like indoor shoes with rubber things underneath. It was horrible, a lot of long ball stuff. I just wanted to get through that 90 minutes, to be honest."

It's a bit like that in Honiara, where the heat and humidity are clearly taking their toll on the All Whites. They have only one day off between games in what is a brutal schedule and face Papua New Guinea in their second game tomorrow.

But Barbarouses is getting used to doing things tough.