Australian footballers have been hotly-traded commodities in the transfer window but arguably no player has taken a braver step in his career than Nathanael Blair, who has traded the A-League Men for a move to Ukraine.
Formerly on the books of Western Sydney Wanderers, Perth Glory and Central Coast Mariners, Blair signed a three-year deal with Ukrainian Premier League side Veres Rivne in June.
Ukraine’s top flight - once considered one of the strongest competitions in Eastern Europe - has continued to be played in spite of the conflict.
Blair has no Ukrainian heritage and the 22-year-old is aware most people - just like his own mother - would question the wisdom of moving to a country at war with its neighbour.
“I’ve been presented with a really unique opportunity to go and put my name on the map,” Blair told AAP.
“My mother is a lovely woman; but when I first moved she was very stressed and she would look up the news every day.
“I had to tell her to turn it off and she's decided she will not look at the news anymore and her only reports from Ukraine will be from me.”
Rivne is more than 300km west of the capital Kyiv and even further from the eastern front where Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia continues to rage.
It means the impact on Blair’s day-to-day life is limited in comparison to some Ukrainians.
“You have little air-raid apps and in the city centre there’s a siren and you get alerts when something is in range,” said the Olyroos forward.
“Once every two days you might have a siren and the locals just get on with their business but on my first night at 3am I had one go off and to put it bluntly I was completely terrified.
“But then one happens the next day during the middle of the day and no one even bats an eyelid.
“On one hand, it's awful that these people have had to live with this for four years, but on the other hand, you realise this isn’t what it is made out to be.”
If he hits the ground running, Blair knows Ukraine could prove the perfect springboard for his career.
His modest scoring record in the A-League Men - three goals in 36 games, only five as a starter - meant there was limited interest in his services in Australia.
But in a show of faith in Blair’s ability, the Australian has been handed the No.9 jersey ahead of Rivne’s season opener in the first weekend of August.
“They were so relentless in the way they pursued me and they said, ‘we love your characteristics and we don't understand why you're not playing’,” Blair added.
“The club said, ‘we think we can bring you here, have you for a year, and sell you on’ and the sporting director would not stop calling me.
“It's the kind of thing you want to hear as a 22-year-old footballer when you’re trying to break out and make something of your career.”
