There were many reasons why All Whites forward Kosta Barbarouses signed with Wellington Phoenix for a third time, but family was on top of the list.
Although Barbarouses had offers to stay at Sydney FC and from other rival clubs, he knew that it was the right time to come home and connect with his family in New Zealand for the first time in many years.
“I had a pretty good three years in Sydney and they offered me another contract to stay on, but I hadn’t seen my family for three years and my two young kids had never met any of their family in New Zealand, so I decided to return home,” Barbarouses said.
The New Zealand international said he enjoyed his time living in Australia, where he won five A-League Men titles for three different clubs, but there was one thing missing.
“Wellington is quite a small city compared to Melbourne and Sydney, but my family is here,” he said.
He said the last time he saw his mother and family was on his 30th birthday and both of his children had never met their grandmother.
“Family was a big reason,” Barbarouses said.
“It’s been nice for the kids to get to know their grandparents and cousins, so it’s been really great. My wife and I finally have a babysitter, my mother, so we can get a day off to ourselves now!”
Wellington Phoenix fans will be hoping that the added boost of family support will give Barbarouses the lift the side needs to bring home a maiden A-League Men title.
“To win it for my home town team dream would be a dream come true. Everyone knows how difficult it is to win one A-League title,” he said.
Many people say family is the most important thing in their lives. This can be said about Kosta Barbarouses too, who could have stayed in Australia but decided to come back home to be closer to his family.
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