Jantscher’s father, Harald, took his own life in October 2011. The gifted forward was 22 and lighting up Austrian football with RB Salzburg.

While he “does not have any answers about what happened” on that day 12 years ago, Jantscher feared something was wrong because he could not contact his father on the telephone.

“If I had any decision to make, I would call my dad,” Jantscher said. “He was the person who knew me best. It was a very difficult time, especially with how it happened.

“But I would go to training and, for three hours every day, think only about football, not the situation at home. I could forget what was around me.

“Some people might not want to play football any more. Others think, ‘I will show that life goes on’. My family and I united even more: my mum, sister, brother and wife.”

Jantscher, the youngest of three siblings, had “a different position in the family” following his father’s death.

“He looked after me, he paid for things for all of us and organised our house, then one day he was not there any more, and everything changed: I took responsibility for lots of things,” he said.

“My dad was honest, and would tell me what I could improve, he always pushed me to my highest level. If he had seen me two seasons ago - I played 41 games and was involved in 42 goals.

“He is not here, but I know my dad is really proud of me.”

Jantscher does not know why the 2011-12 season directly after losing his dad was his best, but “something changed in me, something in my body, or the way I was thinking, I do not know”.

That year, he scored a joint-high 14 Austrian Bundesliga goals and won the domestic league and cup double with Salzburg, who he joined from boyhood club Sturm Graz in 2010.

The Austrian, who has 23 international caps, spent the following season on loan with Dynamo Moscow in Russia, where the alien environment provided “an important step to develop my personality”.

He then played in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey, and planned to finish his career with Sturm Graz, who he rejoined eight years after leaving.

But limited playing opportunities forced a rethink, and the 34-year-old left the club “where I am a legend”, upping sticks for Hong Kong with wife Andrada and the couple’s two young children.

A desire to “challenge myself every week, and play football for as long as possible” brought him to Kitchee, where the immediate priority is victory over Bangkok United on Wednesday to resuscitate the club’s AFC Champions League campaign

There have been numerous changes within the game since Jantscher made his debut, and not necessarily for the better in his opinion.

“I am really happy to play, but also a bit sad about how football has changed,” he said.

“Here [Kitchee training headquarters], they have everything: the gym, great pitches, the restaurant. Honestly, I think it takes away their hunger. I had to work hard for all these things.

“I see the passion of the Brazilian guys here, sometimes, too much passion. But they grew up with nothing. I look at some young players and think, ‘guys, you have to do more’.”

Jantscher does not regret the move, despite Kitchee’s poor start, and believes beating Bangkok, after two successive Champions League defeats, could “transform our season”.

While Jantscher was moving to Kitchee, Manchester United were shelling out a reported £72m (HK$682,408,701) to buy former Sturm Graz teammate Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta.

“I have played with a lot of big, quality players, but Rasmus Hojlund is something different,” Jantscher said. “The first day I met him, I felt something outstanding: the way he acts and plays.

“He is strong and fast, with good mobility, and an excellent left foot, a special football player. Believe me, in the next two years, he will be one of the best strikers in the world.”

When it comes for opinions on his own form, the family is still Jantscher’s first port of call.

“Without them, I would not have reached where I am,” he said. “Now, I want to achieve more.”