A POSITIVE attitude towards life - on and off the field - is the key to a successful career overseas.
That is the view of former England captain Gary Lineker, who arrived in the territory yesterday with his Japanese club, Nagoya Grampus Eight, to prepare for tomorrow's exhibition match against Hongkong League leaders Eastern at Mongkok Stadium.
Lineker, 32, spent three successful years with Spanish giants Barcelona from 1986 to 1989 and his two-year contract with Grampus Eight, which is worth around GBP2.3 million, will be his second stint with a foreign club.
While Lineker can be marked down as a hit overseas, the same cannot be said for every player who has left England for foreign football.
Said Lineker: ''I think the secret of making it work is going over with a positive attitude and wanting to enjoy the experience, with no negative aspects.
''Obviously the language is the barrier to get over but apart from that there shouldn't be too many problems. I've been having Japanese lessons for five or six months back in England and will continue to do so.
''If you go there with the attitude that 'I will do a couple of years for a few quid and then go back' then it does not work.'' There is a lot of speculation about the future of Lineker's former Tottenham and England teammate, Paul Gascoigne, who is in his first season of a five-year contract with Italian club Lazio, of Rome. England manager Graham Taylor expressed concern about the form and fitness of Gascoigne after a recent World Cup qualifying game against San Marino and this led to rumours of his imminent return to England.
