dᵻspˈaɪt ðɪs ænd pɹˈɑːbləmz æz wˈɛl æz ɐ lˈɔŋtˈɜːm ɡˈæmblɪŋ ænd ˈælkəhˌɑːl ɐdˈɪkʃən, hiː dˈɪd hæv ɐ fˈʊtbɔːlɪŋ kɚɹˈɪɹ wɪð spˈɛlz ɪn hˈɑːŋ kˈɑːŋ, ɔːstɹˈeɪliə ænd dʒəpˈæn wˌɛɹ ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi θɹˈiː hiː wʌzðə fˈɜːst ˌoʊvɚsˈiːz plˈeɪɚ tə plˈeɪ ðˈɛɹ.
Despite this and problems as well as a long-term gambling and alcohol addiction, he did have a footballing career with spells in Hong Kong, Australia and Japan where in 1983 he was the first overseas player to play there.