‘I just needed to clear my head’: The European holiday which convinced Halloran to make Hyundai A-League return

It took a short holiday in Europe for Ben Halloran to realise he wanted to resurrect his career in the Hyundai A-League with Adelaide United.

After cutting ties with Japanese outfit V-Varen Nagasaki midway through 2018, Halloran was without a club and unsure what his next move would be.

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The 26-year-old decided to take some time off from football to travel and decide which direction he’d like to go next.

“I spent some time in Europe just travelling because I always wanted to do that, just to take a step back and travel and just clear my head,” Halloran told www.a-league.com.au.

“After a few weeks off I knew pretty quickly I wanted to move to Australia, just as it was something more comfortable and more familiar.

“Adelaide was the perfect fit. It’s a great size city for me and I have some family there as well with some of my old man’s family coming from Kangaroo Island which is just off the coast of Adelaide.

“For me, it just ticked all the right boxes.”

Ben Halloran goal

Halloran has fitted into Marco Kurz’s Reds team fairly seamlessly, already helping the club lift the FFA Cup while he scored a brace in last Friday’s 2-1 win over Brisbane Roar.

He’s returned to Australia a far more well-rounded player than which last appeared in the Hyundai A-League back in 2013 with the Roar.

Halloran, who started his Hyundai A-League career as a teenager with Gold Coast United, spent one season with Brisbane before being signed by German club Fortuna Dusseldorf.

“I didn’t necessarily have any intentions of playing overseas at the time when I was at Brisbane,” Halloran explains.

“I got a call from my agent after my season at the Roar, he said there was interest from a Bundesliga club in Germany.

“Within the space of a week I packed up my bags and moved over there.

“I didn’t know what to expect but I definitely don’t regret it. I was there for four-and-a-half years…I would definitely say Germany is my second home now.”

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Hear more from Halloran’s EXCLUSIVE chat with www.a-league.com.au in the video player above.

You can watch Halloran in action when the Reds travel to take on Melbourne Victory on Saturday, December 8 at Marvel Stadium.

Also see the match LIVE and FREE on 10 Boss or tenplay, with kick off at 7.50pm (AEDT). You can also stream it live on the MyFootball Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers. Click here to purchase tickets.