Mr Personality: Storm regards himself as a multi-national product

Central Coast Mariners defender Storm Roux is the latest subject of a regular feature where The World Game has a bit of fun with the game's stars by asking them questions they wouldn't normally be asked and letting their personalities shine.

Storm Roux

Source: Getty Images

Roux told TWG:

He considers himself part Kiwi, part Aussie and part South African

Why he likes his unusual name

Where he would love to go on holidays

The best advice anyone has ever given him

Living near the beach is a must

Which sporting event it would be his dream to attend
TWG: You were born in South Africa, then your family moved to New Zealand when you were three and later to Perth. How and why did all of those moves come about?

SR: I think my parents' goal with the family was to eventually end up in Australia, but we went to New Zealand first and ended up loving it there and staying for a bit longer than expected. Then, when I was 13, we moved to Perth. It was a lifestyle change my parents were looking for and I think they had always dreamed of living in Australia and we eventually got that in Perth. We went to Melbourne first to have a look there and then to Perth and the beaches over there won out.

TWG: Are your parents still living in Perth?

SR: Yeah, they're still there. I've got one brother and he's in Perth as well.

TWG: Storm is obviously a very uncommon name in Australia, but do you know if it's a more common name in South Africa?

SR: I'm not too sure, mate. It's certainly a different name, but I like it. Maybe it has helped me stand out when people see Storm on the team sheet. Maybe some scouts kept an eye on me a bit more because of that (laughs).

TWG: Your accent is interesting. It's not heavily Kiwi, it's not heavily Australian and it's not immediately clear if there is any South African in there. How would you describe it?

SR: I think it's a bit of a mixture of some South African from my parents and after living in New Zealand for 10 years and Australia for almost 10 years, I've got a bit of everything chucked in there.

TWG: After living near the beach in Perth, you're now at the Central Coast. Do you love the beach life?

SR: I'm at Terrigal up here, so I've never been far away from the water since coming to Australia. I love going down to the beach for a swim and getting a tan is good as well.

TWG: You've played for the New Zealand All Whites. Despite ending up in Australia, did you feel that after spending a big part of your childhood in New Zealand that is your home country?

SR: I consider myself a Kiwi and I consider myself an Aussie, you know. I'm proud to have lived in New Zealand and I'm proud to live here now - I love both countries. Obviously I've represented the Kiwis in football and every time I've played for them it has made me proud.

TWG: Do you feel close in any way to South Africa? Have you been back there since your parents left with the family?

SR: Yeah, all my other relatives are back there and I try to go back as much as I can to see them. I'll always love South Africa because I was born there and I've still got so much family there - it's a beautiful country. I'm proud of all the countries I've lived in.

TWG: So when there is big news coming out of South Africa, like the Oscar Pistorius case, for example, do you follow it closely?

SR: Yeah, definitely, I still keep track of what's going on over there and any big stories coming out of South Africa.

TWG: What other sports do you follow, or like playing, if there are any?

SR: Well, as an athlete I enjoy watching almost every sport. I like basketball, and obviously coming from South Africa and New Zealand, I like rugby union. I played a bit of rugby at school, but I was too small to ever really take that seriously. I like rugby league, I like AFL, I follow a lot of sports, but I don't really play anything else apart from football.

TWG: What do you do to relax then, when you're not training or playing?

SR: Pretty much just the beach. I go down and take in the sun and have a little swim and that's it. The Central Coast has heaps of laidback, relaxed places. I'm living down near the shops at Terrigal, pretty close to the beach. I'm not up on the hill, I haven't got that much money (laughs).

TWG: Where in the world would you love to go most for a holiday, if you had the opportunity?

SR: Maybe somewhere like Greece. Santorini always looks nice, or somewhere else in Europe. I think I'd really enjoy a good trip through Europe.

TWG: Is there a major sporting event overseas that you would jump at the chance to attend if it was all laid on for you?

SR: Oh, obviously the World Cup. It's a dream of mine to go to a World Cup and watch a few games and maybe go to the final as well. Maybe if things go right for New Zealand I might be lucky enough to play in a World Cup.

TWG: Speaking of the All Whites, they had to leave you out of their squad earlier this year because of eligibility concerns related to the use of another South African-born player. Has that been sorted out yet, for your sake?

SR: It's in the process of getting sorted. We played in an Olympic qualifying tournament in Papua New Guinea and got to the final and on the day of the match we were disqualified for that incident, so they had to go to FIFA and sort everything out before they could play me again. Hopefully it can get done soon and I can get back to playing for the All Whites.

TWG: Finally, what is the best advice anyone has ever given you, whether it's to do with football or life or both?

SR: I didn't get my first pro contract until I was 20, which wasn't too late but not early either, so it was probably some advice I got as a teenager coming up. I was told that if you're good enough you'll always get what you deserve in the end and when I reached 19 and 20 and started to wonder if I was ever going to make it, I just kept thinking of that advice and it really got me through that period and kept me going at training while I was seeing other boys getting opportunities. Eventually, fortunately enough, I got my opportunity and I took it.


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7 min read
Published 4 November 2015 5:59pm
Updated 4 November 2015 6:28pm
By Greg Prichard

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