Michael Byrne: British footballer living the dream in Thailand
Today, he enjoys an enviable lifestyle with his young family in Thailand. He owns a huge home in Bangkok and plans to buy another on Koh Samui. And he’s still playing football.
Byrne was actually the first British footballer to ply his trade in the Thai Premier League, one of still only a small handful to make the move. Arriving in Thailand in 2009, the 25-year-old striker currently plays for Bangkok Glass FC and is today one of the most highly rated players in the revitalized Thailand Premier League.
It was quite a change in fortunes for Byrne. With his career in England seemingly stalled, a friend who plays in Malaysia put him in touch with his agent, who suggested he come to Thailand as he could get him a contract at high-flying Chonburi FC. Having visited before on holiday with his family, Byrne says deciding to come wasn’t a hard decision.
“When I did come here I had a bit of a problem,” he says. “I was in Bangkok for like 10 days, not knowing where I was going, and the guy wasn’t answering his phone.”
Fortunately the agent eventually came through, getting Byrne a contract at provincial club Nakhom Pathom -- a move which threw him in at the cultural deep end.
“It was more or less like a family club, traditional Thai, I mean they only had two people who could speak English there,” he says. “But they took care of me, I mean in the end they did make money out of me, first English player to come here, but I didn’t mind because they treated me so well.”
'Everywhere I go now, I never have any problems'
Byrne did eventually sign for Chonburi, enjoying a successful first season and becoming a favorite with the fans. A frustrating start to his second term there saw him move to Bangkok Glass. A standout player in a team not short on talent, he made an instant impact at the club; coming on as a substitute in his first game he scored with his first touch of the ball, and then went on to score five in five games.
“Everywhere I go now, I never have any problems -- you get a bit of VIP treatment,” he says. “Even when it comes to the police you don’t have any problems, they always take care of you because they know you.”
For talented players like Byrne, grafting in the combative English lower leagues, the opportunity to play a vastly more technical game in a tropical climate should be an extremely attractive proposition. But, Byrne says, there’s still a certain stigma attached to playing in a relatively minor footballing nation such as Thailand.
“I think English people have this sort of arrogance about English football being the best, if you’re going out of England then you’re going down,” he says. “But I made that step to try it and look what I’ve done, I’ve been successful and I’m happy here.”
Byrne has adapted quickly -- he already speaks decent Thai, and handles all contractual matters by himself, without relying on an agent.
“Here your feet do the talking and everybody knows who you are,” he says. “So it’s a waste of time having an agent, because you’re paying them for nothing really.”
In terms of future goals, Byrne will only talk about his aim to push for the championship next season with Bangkok Glass. “I only have short-term targets,” he says.
"If I think 'I want to go to this country, I want to go to that country,' ... well if I’m not performing for my team here then none of that happens,” he says. “If someone had asked me three years ago where will you be in three years I could never have said I’ll be in Thailand, and having the life that I’m having now.”
