Perth Glory FC winger Chris Harold will mark a special milestone this weekend when the team hosts Melbourne City at nib Stadium.
The 23-year old will celebrate his 100th Hyundai A-League match on Saturday night so Perth Glory News sat down with the man known to be “faster than a leopard” and get to know what makes the aspiring laywer tick. Â
PGN: Chris, how does it feel to be celebrating your 100th Hyundai A-League match this weekend?
CH:Â It’s quite bizarre really. You can get caught up in how normal it feels to play in the A-league every week. But reaching a milestone such as this, it makes me appreciate how lucky I have been to have played so many games and at a relatively young age.
PGN: This match will mark your 75th appearance for Perth Glory as well. Do you remember your first match? ( where and when?)Â
CH:Â I do remember actually. It was against Melbourne Heart at NIB and I think we won. I remember coming off the bench and nearly scoring. Almost the perfect debut.
PGN: When did you realise football was going be your livelihood ?
CH:  Probably when I signed my first professional deal at Gold Coast United. I had already commenced university and been training full time with the first team, but I think it’s that moment when you become a true member of a professional set up that you come to the realisation that this can be a career for yourself.
PGN: Who has been the most influential person on your football career? Why?Â
CH: Probably various coaches i’ve had along the way. My parents I think have moulded me into the person I’ve become and that has an influence on my playing career. There have been two to three coaches I’ve had, mainly at junior levels, that really pushed me and got the best out of me in a football sense.
PGN: You were born in Perth but you lived in Queensland and in Asia right? Tell us how that all came about?
CH: My dad is a civil engineer and was working in Singapore and Malaysia when I was quite young. Too young to remember much. But i’m sure that experience has given me a greater grasp of the culture there, which has continued. Then we moved to Brisbane as my parents obviously crave and seek tropical climates to base themselves. Brisbane is where I spent most of my childhood before I moved to Perth to play for Glory.
PGN: You’re also studying law? How far have you got to go?
CH: The slow-burning degree I’m naming it. I’ve been studying since I left high school in 09′ and I still have roughly three years remaining. At times it most certainly seems as if I’m getting nowhere but the end is in sight which makes it gradually easier psychologically.
PGN: Why law?
CH: It was the one subject in high school I particularly enjoyed. It’s such a relevant part to any area of business which means I have the potential to enter many different fields of work. It also shapes the way we live in society which is forever changing. I think I was lucky to find one specific area that I was interested in, (outside of football of course) when I was making that decision as a 17-year old. I was fresh out of high school at the time and found it to be such a daunting decision because people at that age are still figuring themselves out. Â
PGN: We hear you’re into some alternative music? What are you listening to at the moment ?
CH: Yes, I am constantly reminded by many of the guys how I am weird because I listen to alternative stuff. Well I’m a huge fan of a British band called Foals who released a superb record last year ‘What Went Down’. Tame Impala’s last record ‘Currents’ was also fantastic. I’m, as of the last few days, in a bit of David Bowie mourning. So I’ve been going back and listening to a number of my favourite albums he has produced over the years as well as his new album ‘Blackstar’ which only came out a week or so ago!Â
PGN: Away from football what do you like to do?
CH: I tend to listen to a lot of music and read lots of books. I enjoy sitting in cafes after training, sipping on a piccolo and reading some Haruki Murakami or some Charles Bukowski. I also enjoy putting a record on and cooking in the evenings. My girlfriend works harder then I do so IÂ cook her dinner most evenings. But it’s alright because I really enjoy it as I find it quite relaxing but it also makes me a terrific boyfriend!
PGN: Last time Glory beat City at home was in the FFA Cup semi-final in October. Do you think the boys take confidence in that ?
CH: Most certainly. That was a huge game as the winner progressed to the final and we coped better in that high pressure situation. City have proven they are a class outfit with talented attacking players, but I think we will cause them some serious headaches. If we can remain solid at the back, and start dispatching some of the great chances we have been creating for ourselves lately, we can definitely get a good result.
PGN: What’s your message to the fans and supporters ahead of this weekend?
CH: As always, we want to them to flock in their numbers! Having a large home crowd always gets the team even more amped to play, and makes us even hungrier to deliver a result for the fantastic supporters to celebrate.
Tickets for Saturday’s match are available HERE
