South African striker Darren Smith is relishing the opportunity to play in Europe again after completing a return to the Finnish Veikkausliiga last week.
On Thursday, former SuperSport United striker Darren Smith completed a highly-anticipated return to European football after being signed by Finnish top-flight side FC Inter Turku on a two-year-deal.
The 26-year-old had been a free agent since August when he parted ways with Moroccan side AS FAR, with whom he had won the Moroccan Throne Cup, and returned to the country where he previously established himself as a something of a household name.
After being deemed surplus to requirements at SuperSport United, Smith joined Finnish second division Ekenäs IF in 2020 and went on to enjoy a stellar debut campaign in Europe, winning the league's Golden Boot, Best Player of the Season and Striker of the Season awards.
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That earned him a move to FC Honka the following year where he featured in the top-flight and in the UEFA Europa Conference League, playing a hand in 15 goals (10 goals and 5 assists) in 34 matches across all competitions before moving to North Africa.
Having been out of the game for just over four months, a period which included a trial at Kaizer Chiefs, Smith, whose success is rooted in his faith, is now relishing the opportunity to be playing in Europe again and helping his new side compete for silverware.
"First of all, I want to give all glory to God. I am humbled at the opportunity He has afforded me to be playing again and to be playing again in Europe," he tells tells KickOff.
"It's not every day that a South African gets to play in Europe so I am extremely grateful and extremely thankful to Him and the club for making this move possible. I am extremely excited for the upcoming season and hope to do well for the club that has brought me in.
"Of course, I want to score goals and help the team win silverware. It's a club that has ambition. Last season they were in two finals but unfortunately came second in both, but hopefully things will go a bit better next season.
"The club is optimistic and always pushing for silverware, so the project fits me perfectly. I love the warm welcome I received from the club and the supporters so far, I couldn't have asked for anything more.
READ | Inter Turku coach speaks highly of new recruit Darren Smith
"I want to get regular game time, score goals, get assists, help the club and the players around me win games and improve performances. I believe that football is a team sport, and that it's not so much about the individual.
"If you want to make a pot of food and you leave out certain ingredients, you're not going to get the tasty meal that would have had. I believe that each and every player in a team is extremely important so it's about the team and hoping the team does well holistically, and then everything else will follow.
"So, I'm looking forward to a new city in Finland with my wife. We are also really grateful that we get to experience different parts of the world and we're excited for this new journey.
"We're hopeful and trusting that things will go well because God has sent us here and we go where He wants us and with what He wants for us, so we're looking forward to it and we're excited."
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