After bagging the Golden Boot award for two consecutive years in Europe, South African striker Darren Smith has revealed why he has no desire to play his football in Mzansi.
The 25-year-old South African made the move to Finland two seasons ago.
The Cape-Town born striker enjoyed a nomadic career in the country, and despite showing promising signs whenever given an opportunity, did not quite establish himself in the Premier Soccer League.
A change of scenery seemed to be the tonic Smith needed when he became an instant hit in the Finnish second division, finishing as the Ykkonen's Player of the Season and Golden Boot winner in his debut season, before securing a move to FC Honka in the Finnish Veikkausliiga, where he was once again crowned the club's top scorer.
Now, with Smith on the move again, he has opened up in Soccer Laduma edition 1255 on why he does not see a future for himself in the DStv Premiership, with offers streaming in for his services.
"To be honest with you, I haven't had any contact personally. I don't know about my agent, but he is aware that at this point, I don't have any desire to be in South Africa," Smith said.
"I want to climb the ladder and no disrespect to South African football, it's extremely high-level, but my main priority is to play abroad, and I just feel more like my ability is appreciated more over there.
"Nobody knows me, so nobody can speak in the other's ears. I don't have to go into that because I am sure you understand the politics of football. That is what I experienced in South Africa and many players experience it too where certain assumptions get placed on players and their football gets back to the ground because of these things and it is sad that this is happening, and it is something I want people to be aware of," he added.
So far, Smith has scored 31 goals in two seasons in Finland.
In this week's edition 1255 of Soccer Laduma, Smith also opens up on:
- Why he is leaving FC Honka
- His ambitions for Bafana Bafana
- Why he feels the Finnish League deserves more respect
Be sure to get your latest copy of Soccer Laduma available here and in stores now!
