Meet the Aussie ex-child prodigy pushing forward in Portugal

Eight years ago Australian midfielder Dylan Collard signed for Portuguese giants Benfica at the age of 11 and was tipped for big things.

Dylan Collard

Source: @DylanJRCollard

A child prodigy and Sydney FC fan, Collard moved to Europe with his family to chase his footballing dream. Eight years on, he is still in Portugal and has now broken into senior football in the country’s third tier with Lusitano FCV. 

It has been a long and winding road for Collard, with many setbacks, but the midfielder has no regrets. His determination to develop and make a name for himself has not diminished.

“All of these ups and downs have just me stronger and I know what it will take to succeed,” the 19-year-old told The World Game.

“It has been a big step up in Portugal. I had to work on areas of my game to be able to adapt to the football here.

“You have a lot of technically gifted players here.” 

Collard grew up in Parklea, in Sydney’s west. At 10-years-old the skillful youngster was spotted by Benfica and went on to join Os Encardnados

Collard spent four years with the famous Lisbon club before being released. 

“I was born in Randwick but we moved to the area of Parklea and since I was born the only thing I cared about was the ball,” he explained. 

“One day my parents took me to a team called Quakers Hill Tigers and that is where it all started. It was a dream come true [signing for Benfica], it was all I ever wanted.

“I spent four seasons there and things at the start were going extremely well, but the other kids started growing earlier than me and I was way less mature physically and mentally than the others, so they decided to let me go.

“I wasn’t prepared mentally for the challenge it was, and it was a lot for a kid my age. My mum was working a lot of the time and my Dad moved back to Australia after the first season and it was really wasn’t easy. 

“But I loved my time there, I learned a lot and know what it takes to be at that level.” 

Collard admits his exit from Benfica hit him hard. 

“The first season that I left was extremely tough,” he said. 

“I was a bit lost. Benfica helped me find a club close to them – Casa Pia –but I barely managed to go train. 

“I started to reconsider a lot until one day the same person who helped me join Benfica came to talk to me about going with him to the south of Portugal to a team named Esperanca de Lagos. 

“It was what I needed at the time to regain my confidence, but also I first time I moved away from family at the age of 14 living with new people and other players. 

“I stayed there for the rest of the season but I missed my family so the season after I moved to Madeira to join Nacional da Madeira because I had my grandparents there to help.” 

Collard rediscovered his love of football at Nacional. After three years with the club, one of Cristiano Ronaldo’s junior sides, he then signed with Primeira Liga club C.D. Tondela. 

“I spent three years with Nacional and I grew a lot on and off the pitch,” he said. 

“I got an offer from Belenenses and decided to take it at 18 years old, but things didn’t go as planned and I decided to go back to Nacional until the rest of the season.

“Then came Tondela where I played my best football. We had an amazing season and I found myself training with the senior squad several times but I needed game time at that level, so they proposed Lusitano and that is how I got myself there.”

Lusitano FCV are based in the city of Viseu and play in the Campeonato de Portugal. Collard, now fluent in Portuguese, is enjoying his time with the 103-year-old club. 

“It is my first season at senior level and it going really well individually,” he said. 

“I have got into starting line-up on a regular occasion and I’m also learning a lot. [But] as a team we are not doing that well.

“The third tier is tough, there it lots of competition and lots of very experienced former first division and second division players. I see it as an amazing stepping stone to bigger things, especially for younger players who need game-time. 

“It is a great place to learn and for the exposure.” 

Collard can play as a defensive or attacking midfielder, but the 19-year-old has also featured up front at times for his club. 

“There have been games where towards the end I have been pushed up to striker because of my height,” he said.

“But no I am a central midfielder. This season I have played more as an attacking midfielder and a defensive midfielder, but since we have a small squad we must be prepared for everything.” 

Collard is off-contract at the end of the 2019-2020 campaign and keen to push forward with his transition to senior European football. 

“I am with this club until the end of the season, then we will see,” the Australian said.

“At the moment I am just focused on game-time. It is too important at this age…. Portugal is great, I have now been here so long that I have adapted well here. 

“It wasn’t easy at first but the life here is great.”


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5 min read
Published 16 December 2019 6:20pm
Updated 16 December 2019 6:25pm
By John Davidson

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