Smalling living the dream
Premierleague.co.uk
Quote:
Chris Smalling cannot believe his rapid rise in the game
"If you had told me that I'd be in a European final back when I was at Maidstone then I wouldn't have believed you"
- Chris Smalling
|
Fulham defender Chris Smalling admits he is struggling to come to terms with his meteoric rise.
The big centre-back has gone from non-league footballer to Europa League finalist in the space of two years. Smalling's strong displays for Fulham have also paved the way for a big-money move to Manchester United this summer after he caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson.
He is set to travel out to Hamburg with the squad for Wednesday's Europa League final against Atletico Madrid, although he is likely to start on the bench, with Brede Handeland and Aaron Hughes preferred.
It is all a world away from where the 20-year-old was two years ago when he was turning out for Isthmian League side Maidstone United.
Great Journey
"If you would have told me that I'd be in a European final back when I was at Maidstone then I wouldn't have believed you," the England Under-21 defender said. "This is the sort of thing that I used to dream of when I went to bed at night back then. This has been a great journey for us. We just have to kick on now and come away with a winners medal.
"Atletico have been regulars in the Champions League over the last few years and they have been up there in the top half of the Spanish league, but I think some of the teams that we have knocked out have been very much elite in their own countries so we have no fear.
"The management have put that belief into us that whoever we play and whoever is in our path we can get past them."