Hickey has no regrets over trying La Dolce Vita – or making that Ron al do tackle
Aaron Hickey hopes other young Scots take a gamble and try their luck abroad.
The defender believes he convinced football fans in Italy that we produce more than just hard men — even though he became known worldwide for body-checking Ronaldo at the start of this season.
Although question marks about the technical ability of players in Scotland is constantly questioned, Hickey – currently with the Scotland squad – prospered at Bologna and is now starring for Brentford in the top-half of England’s Premier League.
Lewis Ferguson, at Bologna, and Josh Doig, at Verona, followed Hickey’s path to Serie A, and he would encourage others to do likewise.
The 20-year-old said: “I’d definitely recommend going abroad to other players.
“Lewis Ferguson actually came up to me on the bus one day when we were with Scotland, and told me Bologna were interested in him.
“I thought: ‘What? Another Scottish guy in Bologna!’. But I told him to try it out because I was sure he’d like it.
“Me going over there has shown other people that they can also do it.
“Lewis and Josh are both doing really well, so I’m sure that will open doors for others.
“It’s funny watching Lewis play over there, and living the life that I used to.
“He’s always texting me: ‘Where’s good to eat?’, and I’m telling him all the good restaurants.”
Hickey admits that leaving Hearts for Italy when he was only 18 in 2020 was a daunting prospect, but one he felt was best for his career.
Last summer’s £18 million move to Brentford vindicated his decision.
“I knew myself I had to do it. I had to go away and learn a bit,” he said.
“I was in two minds of not really wanting to go, but knowing I had to do it for my football.
“I found it hard because when I went over it was in lockdown. There was nothing open, and you couldn’t really do very much.
“It was difficult for the first two, three months, and then it gradually got better.
“Then I had my injuries after the first couple of months, which was difficult, but I then managed to enjoy it the second year.
“I didn’t even learn any Italian over there, but it was a really good experience and I made a lot of friends.
“They don’t really know too much about Scottish football in Italy. They just think of aggression. They think you’re a hard man.
“They know a bit about Celtic and Rangers, but not too much.”
Hickey explained why he then chose to join Brentford, managed by Thomas Frank.
“They are a Premier League team, and my aim was to get there,” he said.
“The gaffer impressed me, and I felt it was the right move. The way he is on the telly is the way he is with us as well.
“He is a good guy, and he motivates the team really well.
“He has shown faith in me by putting me back in the team after being injured.”
New countries, new team-mates and different opponents have helped Hickey mature, on and off the field.
He added: “Sometimes you get a little bit nervous when you are up against wingers you have seen as a kid.
“I just try to get on with it.
“I played against Ronaldo at the start of the season but once the game kicked off the nerves disappeared.
“People are always bringing up the challenge on him. All my pals kept sending me clips of the tackle, saying it was brilliant.
“I guess you can’t really respect reputations too much. It’s a game of football, and you have got to do what you have to do.
“I saw out of the corner of my eye that it was him, and thought: ‘Leave one on him’.
“But right after it, I was making sure he was alright!”
Josh Doig admits he’s settled in so well to the Italian lifestyle, he can see himself playing in Serie A for the rest of his career.
The former Hibs star joined Verona in a £3 million move in the summer, and has enjoyed an excellent debut season in the Italian top flight.
Doig captained Scotland Under-21s in their midweek defeat to Sweden in Spain, and the young Scots face Wales today in another friendly in San Pedro del Pinatar.
His form has already led to him being promoted to the Scotland squad in September for the win against the Republic of Ireland.
Doig feels he’s improving rapidly – even though Verona are embroiled in a relegation dogfight.
He said: “It’s so different culturewise, the people, everything. But I have absolutely loved it, and embraced it so much.
“I really feel like it is home now. Whenever I leave my house in Verona, it does kind of feel like I am leaving home.
“I am really enjoying it. It’s been amazing. It’s my second home.
“It’s been my first-ever time moving out of my house and I’ve not got my mum to do my washing!
“Moving out of Edinburgh would have been hard enough. But moving out of the country, and living by yourself at first, was a huge shock to the system.
“It certainly makes you mature. I think I am a better person for it.
“It’s been quite difficult footballwise, and you can see where we are in the league. We just lost a big game to Sampdoria, so that was a big blow.
“But we are not out of the race yet, and there are still 10 games to go.
“It’s difficult because it’s new for me. I have never been in that position before. But it really motivates me.
“At Hibs, we were usually in third or fourth place. It’s different fighting for your lives.
“You don’t want to have a relegation on your CV.
“But just now, we have to deal with reality because we are where we are in the league, and there’s no getting away from it.”
Doig believes the Italian game has helped him because he’s had to grow up on the pitch quickly.
And his performances even led to praise from an unusual source.
He said: “Jose Mourinho just said to me: ‘Good luck for the season’, after we played Roma. It was a surreal moment.
“Things like that are what it’s all about. I am so lucky to be doing it. It was a cool wee thing to happen.
“I’d say my most-difficult opponent so far has been Manuel Lazzari, of Lazio. I played against him in my third game in Italy.
“That was when I realised I had to switch on a bit more defensively because he just ran me all over the pitch.
“I got a shock to the system after that, and the previous manager sat down with me and showed me what I needed to do better.
“He helped me with positioning, and showed me where I needed to be to stop the runs.
“There’s a lot of video analysis in Italy. Three days in a row before training, we are just sitting watching tapes to see what we could have done better defensively.
“Hopefully, we can come out the other end and learn from it, especially being a younger player.”
Meanwhile, Under-21s boss, Scot Gemmill, expects a tough game against the Welsh in high temperatures today, with a mid-day kick-off.
He said: “Wales are in a good place, with a big budget. They have been doing well, and they have obviously invested it well.
“It’s another big game to look forward to, and it will be another challenge for the players because it’s a lunchtime kick-off, and it will be very hot.
“But they will need to be able to cope in a different climate, and it will be a good experience for them.”