Even as the children of German emigrants, Mark Schwarzer found life in Germany in the mid-1990s difficult.
A 21-year-old Schwarzer moved halfway across the world to join Dynamo Dresden from the Sydney-based Marconi Stallions in 1994, but played just twice before making the move west to Kaiserslautern the following season.
That gave Schwarzer a glimpse of life in both sides of what was then still a newly-reunified country - and he admits it was an eye-opening experience for a young man.
Schwarzer told FourFourTwo: "I loved parts of it, I hated others.
"It was 1994, only four years after unification between East and West Germany. Dresden was a beautiful city but very run down, with a huge period of rebuilding going on.
"There was still a real divide between East and West, and it could be difficult to fit in.
"I was a foreigner – I was German, but I wasn’t, because I was born in Australia. I was kind of in no man’s land.
"I spoke a little German, but the local dialect was really difficult to understand.
"Australians weren’t regarded that highly as footballers either. We had the odd good player, but we weren’t really respected.
"I only played two games that season, but in hindsight the experiences I gained were invaluable.
"Kaiserslautern was similar and there was still a lack of acceptance because of where I came from.
"I played four games, did well in two, but my last was definitely my worst performance.
"Then Otto Rehhagel came in. He wasn’t a fan of young players and didn’t rate me. After two-and-a-half years in Germany, I knew I needed to find a club where the manager wanted me.
"I’d always wanted to play in England, and my wife could work there more easily, so when Bradford came along in November 1996, it was a no-brainer."
