{"id":8174,"date":"2026-07-22T11:25:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T01:55:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?p=8174"},"modified":"2026-08-25T12:45:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T03:15:15","slug":"on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 id=\"stefan-mauk-has-built-a-career-by-embracing-what-comes-next-from-melbourne-and-adelaide-to-nijmegen-okayama-and-hanoi-the-australian-midfielder-has-learned-to-treat-climates-cultures-and-competitions-as-part-of-football-s-reward-rather-than-obstacles\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Stefan Mauk has built a career by embracing what comes next. From Melbourne and Adelaide to Nijmegen, Okayama and Hanoi, the Australian midfielder has learned to treat climates, cultures and competitions as part of football\u2019s reward, rather than obstacles.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That outlook led him to C\u00f4ng An H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i, where he became a V.League 1 champion and found a football environment full of ambition, fervour and change. It also set up a personal AFC Champions League Elite play-off against former club Adelaide United, staged in the city where his career began.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to Ryan Walters on Tunnel Vision before that match, Mauk discussed the heat of Hanoi, Vietnam\u2019s infrastructure challenge, the mentality behind his confrontational playing style and the less glamorous realities of professional football. He also reflected on how long he wants to keep playing \u2014 and why the experiences collected across Asia may matter as much as the trophies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Editor\u2019s note: This conversation was recorded before C\u00f4ng An H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i defeated Adelaide United 2\u20130 in the AFC Champions League Elite play-off.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify\" style=\"margin-bottom:0\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: Stefan Mauk | Why Vietnam Was the Right Move\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/episode\/18ucIJHg1FXaaFzD6ga97e?utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h6 id=\"view-the-full-episode\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-palette-color-1-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/audio\/stefan-mauk-tunnel-vision\/\">View the full episode \u2192<\/a><\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"how-are-you-finding-life-back-in-hanoi-and-the-start-of-pre-season\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How are you finding life back in Hanoi and the start of pre-season?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It has been a big climate adjustment. When I left here (Vietnam) it was hot, to winter in Australia, which was cold for Australian standards, then came back here to 30 to 35 degrees with the humidity through the roof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We signed a few foreign players and after the first session they asked me, \u201cHow are you running?\u201d I said, \u201cThis isn\u2019t even too hot yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve played in Asia for a long time, when I was in Japan, or junior national teams, you get used to the climate and you understand it and you know what to expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-2.webp?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8176\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-2.webp?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-2.webp?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-2.webp?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-2.webp?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-2.webp?resize=2048%2C1366&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-2.webp?resize=18%2C12&amp;ssl=1 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you haven\u2019t been to this part of the world, you don\u2019t know what to expect, but they\u2019ll acclimatise quickly, we&#8217;ve got five weeks before the (AFC) Champions League Elite playoff against my old team, Adelaide United.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So they better get in good shape nice and quick because I wanna win that one, that&#8217;s for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"what-was-your-reaction-when-the-draw-paired-you-with-adelaide\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What was your reaction when the draw paired you with Adelaide?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was really excited because I get to play in front of my family and friends. I wanted to go to Australia again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I think both teams would have wanted each other. No disrespect to either side, but the Korean and Japanese teams are probably a level above. This was the best match-up for us, and I\u2019m sure Adelaide would have said the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I wished it was two legs and they had to come to Hanoi because that would have been a big advantage for us. But it was a one-off play-off, so we had to see how we went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"how-different-are-the-conversations-around-football-in-australia-and-vietnam\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How different are the conversations around football in Australia and Vietnam?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Australia, fans often want to talk about the state of the game. We have enormous participation and millions watching the Socceroos, yet we struggle to grow football domestically. There are constant issues involving Football Australia, the state federations, A-League clubs and the semi-professional game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That was one reason I was happy to leave. It is tiring and frustrating as a player. I love the game and want it to get better, but when you\u2019re playing, you want to focus on playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here, fans come up and adore you. The excitement around the national team players is crazy. It feels like another world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-1.webp?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8178\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-1.webp?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-1.webp?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-1.webp?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-1.webp?resize=1536%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-1.webp?resize=2048%2C1366&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK-1.webp?resize=18%2C12&amp;ssl=1 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"you-have-said-infrastructure-is-the-next-big-step-for-vietnamese-football-what-needs-to-improve\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>You have said infrastructure is the next big step for Vietnamese football. What needs to improve?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a lot of good going on here. Clubs spend money on players and coaches, but infrastructure is probably the next step. The huge new stadium projects are great, but you also need 15,000- and 20,000-seat grounds for the smaller teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thailand is advanced in that area, and Japan has focused massively on it as well. Vietnam will get there because football is only going to grow, but it takes years of planning and investment from governments, owners and sponsors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The visual side matters, too. If somebody tunes in and sees a poor stadium, they immediately question the league and its players. You want to put the best of Vietnamese football on show. Once these stadiums are done, it will be amazing. I hope I get to enjoy it while I\u2019m still playing here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"if-a-scouting-report-described-someone-as-a-mauk-type-player-what-would-that-mean\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>If a scouting report described someone as a \u201cMauk-type player\u201d, what would that mean?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">High energy, aggressive, a desire to score and win, comfortable on the ball and not afraid to get his hands dirty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I keep telling myself I don\u2019t want to argue with opposition players or referees. I want to be calmer and more composed. But once I get out there, something takes over and I can\u2019t control myself. I am trying, because I don\u2019t want to be a bad influence on my son, but I don\u2019t know how well it\u2019s going to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People from other teams might say, \u201cI hate this guy,\u201d but whatever is said and done on the pitch is fine as long as it doesn\u2019t go too far. Afterwards, shake hands and go for a coffee or a beer. On the field I\u2019m not trying to be nice or make friends. I\u2019m trying to win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"what-is-the-biggest-misconception-about-being-a-professional-footballer\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the biggest misconception about being a professional footballer?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everybody thinks you\u2019re living your dream and getting paid a lot of money, so what more could you ask for? It is a good job, but it is very different from being a kid playing with your mates on the weekend. Once you become a professional, it is about winning and losing. There are politics, pressure and stress because jobs are on the line, and the fun can be taken out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3-points-2-goals-%F0%9F%98%ACHate-never-comes-from-the-top-baby-%F0%9F%99%8FLets-keep-going-9-games-to-go-%F0%9F%92%AA-%E2%9A%BD%EF%B8%8F-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8182\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3-points-2-goals-%F0%9F%98%ACHate-never-comes-from-the-top-baby-%F0%9F%99%8FLets-keep-going-9-games-to-go-%F0%9F%92%AA-%E2%9A%BD%EF%B8%8F-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3-points-2-goals-%F0%9F%98%ACHate-never-comes-from-the-top-baby-%F0%9F%99%8FLets-keep-going-9-games-to-go-%F0%9F%92%AA-%E2%9A%BD%EF%B8%8F-2.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3-points-2-goals-%F0%9F%98%ACHate-never-comes-from-the-top-baby-%F0%9F%99%8FLets-keep-going-9-games-to-go-%F0%9F%92%AA-%E2%9A%BD%EF%B8%8F-2.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3-points-2-goals-%F0%9F%98%ACHate-never-comes-from-the-top-baby-%F0%9F%99%8FLets-keep-going-9-games-to-go-%F0%9F%92%AA-%E2%9A%BD%EF%B8%8F-2.jpg?resize=18%2C12&amp;ssl=1 18w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3-points-2-goals-%F0%9F%98%ACHate-never-comes-from-the-top-baby-%F0%9F%99%8FLets-keep-going-9-games-to-go-%F0%9F%92%AA-%E2%9A%BD%EF%B8%8F-2.jpg?w=1170&amp;ssl=1 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Financially, people see the top one or two per cent in the major leagues, driving Ferraris and wearing Rolexes. They don\u2019t look at what players further down earn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You also have to move your family to the other side of the world, into a different climate, language and culture. It isn\u2019t all sunshine and rainbows, but I wouldn\u2019t trade it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As I\u2019ve got older, I\u2019ve realised that nothing is personal in football. It is business. I try to separate Stefan Mauk the person from Stefan Mauk the player. Plenty of people will tell you that you are not good enough, but you only need a few to say you are good enough to have a very good career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 id=\"if-your-career-were-a-90-minute-match-what-minute-would-you-be-in\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>If your career were a 90-minute match, what minute would you be in?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Probably the 60th \u2014 two-thirds of the way through. I\u2019m 30 and I started playing professionally at 16. If I could get another seven years out of myself, that would be good, although I don\u2019t know if I want to play for seven more years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You probably want to leave the game before you pick up injuries that stay with you for the rest of your life. I would hate to be a few years into retirement and struggle to go for a run, play padel or play football with my son or future children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The problem is that nobody knows. Some people finish at 33 and struggle; others finish at 40 and they\u2019re okay. It is about understanding where your body is at. So let\u2019s see.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Stefan Mauk has built a career by embracing what comes next. From Melbourne and Adelaide to Nijmegen, Okayama and Hanoi, the Australian midfielder has learned to treat climates, cultures and competitions as part of football\u2019s reward, rather than obstacles. That outlook led him to C\u00f4ng An H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i, where he became a V.League 1 champion [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":8181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_gspb_post_css":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[169,494,471,55],"class_list":["post-8174","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-a-league","tag-lens-3","tag-tunnel-vision","tag-vietnam"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia - The Asian Game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ro_RO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia - The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stefan Mauk has built a career by embracing what comes next. From Melbourne and Adelaide to Nijmegen, Okayama and Hanoi, the Australian midfielder has learned to treat climates, cultures and competitions as part of football\u2019s reward, rather than obstacles. That outlook led him to C\u00f4ng An H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i, where he became a V.League 1 champion [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-22T01:55:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-25T03:15:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"TAG Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"TAG Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"TAG Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/251af15c774e42b7a695c43b165cd080\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-22T01:55:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-25T03:15:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1275,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"A-League\",\"lens-3\",\"Tunnel Vision\",\"Vietnam\"],\"articleSection\":[\"INTERVIEW\"],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/\",\"name\":\"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia - The Asian Game\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-22T01:55:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-25T03:15:15+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Asian Game\",\"description\":\"Your home of Asian football\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Asian Game\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1\",\"width\":1755,\"height\":762,\"caption\":\"The Asian Game\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/251af15c774e42b7a695c43b165cd080\",\"name\":\"TAG Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/TAG-NEW.png?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/TAG-NEW.png?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/TAG-NEW.png?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1\",\"caption\":\"TAG Admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/ro\\\/author\\\/tag-admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia - The Asian Game","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/","og_locale":"ro_RO","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia - The Asian Game","og_description":"Stefan Mauk has built a career by embracing what comes next. From Melbourne and Adelaide to Nijmegen, Okayama and Hanoi, the Australian midfielder has learned to treat climates, cultures and competitions as part of football\u2019s reward, rather than obstacles. That outlook led him to C\u00f4ng An H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i, where he became a V.League 1 champion [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/","og_site_name":"The Asian Game","article_published_time":"2026-07-22T01:55:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-25T03:15:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"TAG Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"TAG Admin","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/"},"author":{"name":"TAG Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/person\/251af15c774e42b7a695c43b165cd080"},"headline":"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia","datePublished":"2026-07-22T01:55:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-25T03:15:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/"},"wordCount":1275,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","keywords":["A-League","lens-3","Tunnel Vision","Vietnam"],"articleSection":["INTERVIEW"],"inLanguage":"ro-RO"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/","url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/","name":"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia - The Asian Game","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-07-22T01:55:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-25T03:15:15+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"ro-RO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/on-the-field-im-not-trying-to-make-friends-stefan-mauk-on-life-across-asia\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u2018On the field, I\u2019m not trying to make friends\u2019: Stefan Mauk on life across Asia"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/","name":"The Asian Game","description":"Your home of Asian football","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"ro-RO"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#organization","name":"The Asian Game","url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1","width":1755,"height":762,"caption":"The Asian Game"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/person\/251af15c774e42b7a695c43b165cd080","name":"TAG Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TAG-NEW.png?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TAG-NEW.png?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TAG-NEW.png?fit=96%2C96&ssl=1","caption":"TAG Admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net"],"url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/author\/tag-admin\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/MAUK.png?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8174","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8174"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8174\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8191,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8174\/revisions\/8191"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8174"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8174"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8174"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}