Matthew Booth was one of the first South African players to play in Russia and helped open the door to others such as Bennett Mnguni, Macbeth Sibaya and Stanton Fredericks. The former Bafana Bafana international spoke to Soccer Laduma about the six years he spent in Russia, which saw him playing a key role in saving FC Rostov from relegation.
Clubs played for
I played for FC Rostov from 2002 to 2004 and then I went to Krylia Sovetov from 2004 to 2008. I enjoyed my time at both clubs, especially Rostov because myself and Gift Kampamba arrived and we had a good two seasons. We helped save them from relegation in the first season and we endeared ourselves to the fans immediately and, the following season, four or five South Africans arrived at the club. It was in south, so it was a bit warmer and it suited the guys from Africa. The four years at Krylia, which was a prestigious club at the time, was a good move but it was a lot colder.
How the deal was done
Two words; Victor Bondarenko. He was coaching at Sundowns when I was there and Natasha Tsichlas was keen to sell me because my contract was running out. Victor actually comes from Rostov and he knew the president of the club. The team was struggling and they were bottom of the log with 10 games to go and, through his connect, myself and Gift Kampamba left. We were signed without even a trial. It was purely on Victor's word. I remember sitting in a restaurant with Victor and he was shouting at me really loudly when I was just a metre away, as he was explaining with great enthusiasm about the city and the football. He was trying to convince me to go because I did not know anything about the club or city, or the level of play in the Russian Premier League. It was not easy for him to convince me. It took a lot of convincing, knowing that I was going to go to Russia for the last four or five months of the season and leave my family. It was a tough decision. Back then, it was limited on what you could find out. It was quite a risk, but a good one.
The rands and cents
At the time, I did not know how much Natasha got for me from Rostov. It was very private and, in Russia, those sorts of things are not revealed. It was the same when I moved to Krylia. Often in Russia, it's not even money exchanged. It can be a favour or a business deal that has nothing to do with football. I am quite private with salary, but I will say my salary from Sundowns to Rostov probably increased by 10 folds. It was a mixture of wanting to make more money, but I also realised that I was running out of time if I wanted to make a move to Europe. Going from Rostov to Krylia probably increased my salary by three times.
My first day in Europe
What they do in Russia is that they make sure that they bring the players in summer, especially the South American and African players, so that they don't get too much of a shock in winter. It was during summer and we got introduced to the players and we had a training session. Myself and Gift had just gotten off the airplane and went to the training ground, so there was no time wasted. We hit the ground running and we were very much welcomed. I was the second South African to go to Russia after the great late Jacob Lekgetho, a move also made by Victor Bondarenko.
My debut
I can't remember who it was against, but we were at the bottom of the table with 10 games to go. Myself and Gift started the game after we had a couple of days training. The coach obviously took a bit of a gamble by putting us in, but it was a good risk. We won our first game and only lost our last game, but we were already safe by then. It was a great feeling to have had such a positive impact on the team.
Best player I played with
It was Jan Koller. He was a Czech Republic international who also played for Borussia Dortmund. He played with me at Krylia Sovetov for a couple of seasons.
Best player I played against
That was probably (Ivica) Olic. He was a Croatian striker. Another player was Vagner Love, the Brazilian international who was a striker. He had a low centre of gravity and he had a good left foot. He was always tough to come up against.
Biggest difference between European and SA football
I think the atmosphere at stadiums helped us to produce better football. I think the training and match facilities were better, which again allowed for better football. I think it was tougher, faster and the South Americans brought a lot of flair to the Russian Premier League. But, as I said many times, I think our technical ability in the PSL is a 1000 times better, from a skills level.
Biggest highlight
Saving Rostov from relegation and then getting to the cup final the following season, which was unheard of for a team like Rostov. We lost 1-0 to Spartak Moscow in Moscow. We played a cup final on their doorstep. That was a great period, but I thoroughly enjoyed my six years in Russia.
Toughest moment
Krylia Sovetov, in their second season, ran into some financial troubles. Being a foreigner in that environment and being by yourself was not nice. I returned home for three months in protest. That period was tough and going back there and proving yourself again was tough.
Any current PSL players good enough to play in Europe
I think Teboho Mokoena at Sundowns is ready to go overseas. I think Mailula needs one more good season. If you are moving from Sundowns, it has to be a big move to one of the top five established leagues in Europe.
