Hearts striker Liam Boyce says Werder Bremen spell shaped his entire career

Liam Boyce spent the most important time of his football career in Germany ten years ago – a period which changed his mindset and led to him becoming an internationalist with Northern Ireland.

The Hearts striker joined Werder Bremen from Cliftonville as a teenager and learned the hard way not to put undue pressure on himself. Fourteen months in the club’s reserve side yielded just three appearances but also vital lessons in managing his own expectations.

After a trial with Celtic and talks with another German team, Greuther Furth, Boyce left his native Belfast to sign a two-year contract with Werder Bremen II in August 2010. He was released the following year and returned to Cliftonville.

It was there he rediscovered how to play without pressure, which sparked a flurry of goals and earned him a transfer to Ross County. He subsequently moved on to Burton Albion and, in January, arrived at Hearts. He has amassed 21 Northern Ireland caps in that time.

“I learned a lot when I was in Germany,” Boyce told the Evening News. “When I went over there, I put too much pressure on myself. I was trying to do stuff I wouldn’t normally do. I went back to Northern Ireland and thought I wasn’t going to be playing full-time football.

“I played my best football when I got back to Cliftonville and I was playing with my mates. I was enjoying it again. Before that point, I would tell myself I needed to get this many goals or that many goals.

“After the Germany experience, I just got back to enjoying my football. I realised that’s when it all clicks and the ball just goes in the net for you. Enjoying the game is really important.”

Like every footballer, Boyce has been denied the chance to do what he enjoys most by the coronavirus lockdown. Hearts are still awaiting news from the Scottish Government on when they can restart training.

“That’s the hardest thing about it mentally. When you’re out running, you don’t know when you’re going to be back training,” said Boyce. “You could wait until you have a date and then start but you have to take responsibility yourself. You don’t want to be too far behind with fitness.

“I’ve been going running three or four times a week and now everyone is posting their 5k times. That’s a wee challenge with mates and other people. You’re looking for any kind of competition you can get when there’s no football on.”

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