Swapping sirens of war in Israel for cheers and football in Hong Kong, midfielder Braunshtain’s out to resurrect career
- Barak Braunshtain began career with Kitchee, but opted for overseas move when club wanted him to get a Hong Kong passport
- Now the 24-year-old wants to play for the city and has begun the naturalisation process since returning from Israel
Barak Braunshtain said he woke to the sound of “sirens all over Israel” on the morning of October 7, and until he left the country the same noise would prompt a rush to the bomb shelter beneath his flat.
The 24-year-old arrived in Hong Kong in January, returning to the city in which he was born and determined to resurrect a footballing career that had stalled in the Middle East.
Now with Eastern in the Hong Kong Premier League, he hopes to obtain a passport and fulfil his dream of playing for the city, so he can “give back to the place that gave me so much in football, and in life”.
Still, though, the memories of those days in Tel Aviv are fresh and have made a lasting impression on the young midfielder.
“At the start, it was very scary,” Braunshtain, who was living with his mum at the time, told the Post. “My brother’s family came to stay with us. He has a two-year-old daughter … and you try to play with her in the bomb shelter.
“His wife gave birth to another child on October 8, he would go to the hospital to be with her, because he was scared something was going to happen. It would mean he wasn’t in the shelter [during attacks], and the only thing I was thinking about was whether they were safe.”
Braunshtain was born one year after his mother and father left Israel for Hong Kong in 1998, and signed a professional contract with Kitchee, aged 16 – validation for repeatedly rising at 5am to train with personal coaches before school.
Over the following five years, as Kitchee dominated local football, fans would sing the Jewish folk song Hava Nagila in tribute to their midfielder’s heritage.
“That brought me back to my roots, every time my family and I heard that song – we felt proud,” Braunshtain said.
An invitation to trial with Dinamo Zagreb, the Croatian club that produced Luka Modric, was initially delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the opportunity completely “fell through” as borders opened.
“That was one of the worst periods of my career; I had put all my eggs in one basket,” Braunshtain said.
He had been keen to move overseas because Kitchee wanted him to acquire a Hong Kong passport, a commitment for which he was “not ready”.
He opted to “start from zero” in Israel, but encountered roadblocks in coaches reluctant to invest faith in an unknown quantity, and teammates who were “not supportive … they were all fighting to play”.
After limited opportunities with third-tier side Hapoel Herzliya, he moved on loan to fellow Tel Aviv club Hapoel Kfar Shalem. When the conflict began, he was with Hapoel Bik’at HaYarden, a club situated in the West Bank, but still living close to Tel Aviv.
Before the conflict, Braunshtain had contacted Roberto Losada, the Eastern manager and previously the player’s coach at Kitchee, about returning to Hong Kong.
But after the war broke out he did not even think about leaving.
“Israel is our home, and we wanted to protect it as much as possible,” Braunshtain said. “I forgot about football, and didn’t even message Chino [Losada].”
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The family sourced donations to pay for bulletproof vests, toiletries and food for soldiers. His brother-in-law owns a catering truck, so they would travel to various army bases to feed those on the front line.
“We could give them really good food, we played music, and made it a big event,” Braunshtain said. “They do not know when it will be their last day.”
However, Braunshtain eventually accepted that he needed to reignite his football career.
“It was very difficult, because my heart was still in Israel, but I tried to focus on Hong Kong, and football,” Braunshtain said. “I follow the news every day, and it is hard when I see bad things happening.
“Football is not the most important part of my life right now, but when I am on the training pitch, or playing a match, I try to leave everything behind.”
Braunshtain has added extra training into his daily schedule, and begun establishing himself in a bright Eastern team.
“I am very grateful to Eastern for welcoming me, and helping me to slowly get back to everything,” Braunshtain said. “I have short-term goals, including finishing the season strongly. If I achieve those, maybe my long-term goals will happen.”
