Congolese ambassador, six languages & Kompany: inside Hibs star Rocky Bushiri’s fascinating background

His grandfather would have been proud. Of that, Rocky Bushiri can be sure. Born and raised in Belgium, good enough to play for his homeland up to under-21 level, the fact that the Hibs defender now represents the Democratic Republic of the Congo speaks to a slightly fluid sense of nationality.

Well, what else would you expect from the grandson of a man who served as Congolese ambassador to Brussels? Bushiri speaks with enthusiasm about both his African roots and the open-minded upbringing that saw him embrace many different cultures.

Raised to adapt and learn, an approach that has left him with a degree of fluency in just the half a dozen different languages, the 23-year-old beams with pride as he explains his connection to the DRC.

“Both of my parents are Congolese, so that is a very strong family connection,” he said. “And, although I am Belgian on my passport, my grandad was actually the ambassador for Congo. So I have very strong links with the country.

“Yeah, I knew my grandad very well – my mother’s father – and knew all about the country. We were very close. My first actual visit to Congo was in 2016, when he passed away. But he is the reason I’ve always been tight with Congo.

“It was a different upbringing, being Belgian but also having those strong links with Congo. It meant being exposed to different cultures. So I speak Lingala, speak some Swahili, French, Dutch, English – and a bit of Spanish. It means I’m quite open to other cultures. And that is all because of the way I was brought up.”

The DRC, formerly Zaire, has produced plenty of brilliant footballing talents over the years. As is the case with so many African nations, however, the difficulty lies in persuading them not to throw their lot in with a European country.

Bushiri illustrated the point when, asked to name a player who had inspired him as a youngster, he singled out one of the most famous Belgian internationals of recent years, admitting: “That is difficult, when you talk about Congolese players. But I would always admire Vincent Kompany.

“His dad is also from Congo, so he’s Belgian Congolese, and I grew up watching a lot of Kompany, taking inspiration from him, because I really liked the way he was playing. I could see some of myself in him. Now, if you look at our squad, most of our players are based in Europe, which means we have a good squad. We’ve got guys from the Premier League, from Germany and quite a few in France.

“It’s a real mix of players from everywhere but most are active in Europe. I got my first call-up back in May, to play against Gabon in a qualifier, but I got injured in the derby, the cup game at home, so I had to wait.

“But I’m now there and I’m excited to stay part of the Congo team, to grow as a player and become an important player for them. The fact that I’m getting called up for international games proves that I’m doing well enough for Hibs, so I hope to stay in the squad and keep growing into international football.”

The DRC play New Zealand in Spain and Angola in Portugal over the international break, with both games considered useful exercises ahead of next year’s African Cup of Nations. Bushiri, who made his full international debut in last month’s friendly defeat to South Africa, is eager to be part of the squad heading to Ivory Coast in January.

“The way we look at international football, with Congo, is that there is no such thing as a friendly,” he said. “Every single game is important because of the FIFA ranking, which makes a big difference to us all. So we go into these games really needing to do well, hoping to get a confidence boost ahead of AFCON, as well.”

Aware that being part of the DRC squad – they qualified for the finals as group winners – could see him miss some Hibs games, Bushiri said: “We’ve not really looked at the schedule yet. You know how football goes, let’s see. We’ll have a look at it when it comes around. But the most important thing is to do well for Hibs, so I can get selected for my country.”