PADRAIG Amond will be a goldmine of knowledge for pub quiz aficionados one day.
You can see it now: “Who are the five Irish players to have played in the Portuguese Premier League?” (Phil Babb, Alan Mahon, Dominic Foley, Mickey Walsh and Padraig); “Who had the highest goal-scoring ratio in Sligo Rovers’ history?” and “Who was the first Carlow hurler and footballer to play against Porto, Benfica and Braga and Sporting Lisbon?”
There’ll be some head scratching at that quiz (unless it’s in Ballinabranna clubhouse).
For Padraig the move to Pacos Ferreira is the culmination of a life’s work. His parents Pat and Patty ferried him up to Dublin every weekend along with his brother John for Shamrock Rovers training sessions since he was 11.
Since then he’s had huge knocks. A cruciate knee ligament tear when he was 20, frozen out of a Rovers side under new management and the daunting trek to Sligo to restart a career.
12 months on and it’s an entirely different picture. 27 league appearances, 2085 minutes of action (thanks Pat), 17 league goals, six more in the cup and just two away from a 70-year club record what happened next was the first predictable thing in his career – the big boys came hunting his signature.
Derby manager Nigel Clough, son of the legendary Brian, was in the stands one night. Several other English clubs followed suite but when he scored two against Shamrock Rovers in front of the Pacos Ferreira representatives he was only going to one club. “It’s a lifetime in the making this move,” he said.
“To be able to share the pitch with the likes of Porto, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica and Braga who already beat Celtic and beat Sevilla last week. It’s a dream come true.
“It’s probably a bigger thing for my family because my Mam and Dad have put a lot in taking me up and down to Dublin for ten or 11 years and this is more for them than anyone else. Hopefully I can do myself justice out here and if that means I’m out here for longer than three years I’ll be happy with that.”
Making his debut last Friday night in a friendly (he can’t remember who was against), he received a huge ovation from the crowd.
“After training out here I’ve done a few press conferences so far. I think they think they’re after signing a superstar so they’ll be in for big shock when they see me on the pitch,” he laughed.
But on a serious note he realises this is another crossing point in his life. Do well and there’s more rewards to follow, fail and he’s back to Ireland.
“I’ll do the best I can do for Padraig Amond because at the end of the day it’s my career and it’s not a long one so you have to make as much money as you can. It sounds selfish but that’s the way football is. You have to work really hard when you have the chance, before you know it it’s gone.”
Living out of a hotel until the club finds a suitable apartment he is adjusting to the language and the weather. His future is in his hands and goals will open doors for him, a door to Giovanni Trapattoni’s team will be his ultimate goal.
“One of the things I looked at when I moved to Sligo was that I needed to be able to move away from home. If I couldn’t move away to Sligo I’d never manage anywhere else,” he said.
“This opportunity came at a time which didn’t suit Sligo Rovers but it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. I didn’t want to turn around in five years and say I wish I went to Portugal.
“It was a decision I knew in the bottom of my heart would be a good one. I’ve scored goals wherever I went and although I’d have liked to finish the season with Sligo with the cup final, a quarter-final and pushing for Europe in the league, it was not my fault the way the leagues go differently and obviously it’s going well when a Premier Portuguese club came in for me.
“There was interest from a few different places but there were people coming over every couple of weeks but when you’ve a concrete offer on the table, the only concrete offer, you have to look at it. I could have waited until the end of the season and a good few English clubs would have been in after me but realistically would I have been going to the Premiership?
“Probably not so a move to the Portuguese Premier league was too good to turn down rather than League 1 or League 2.
“There’s a lot of strikers here (seven) and I don’t see myself starting in the first game but obviously they have faith in me because they don’t buy players normally they try to sign players on loan from bigger clubs or get them for free so it was rare to spend money and it shows they want me.
“Whether that means I go straight into the first team squad who knows. I’ll give it my all and see where it takes me. This could be a massive stepping stone to Irish teams and Premier League who knows.”
With the foundation of a strong family and good friends backing him though he knows his best is all he can give. And that’s all he’s hoping to give.
“Everyone’s ambition is to be the best at what they do,” he said. “I’m never going to be a Cristiano Ronaldo and I know that but the hard work pays off. There are probably more players talented than me but dedication and being in the right place at the right time got me scoring goals and get further than others. Everyone wants to be the best.
“If this is the best I do then so be it, if I get to play for Ireland that’d be fantastic. It’s a dream but sometimes dreams come true. You just have to wait and see what happened.
“Hopefully this will be the start of things and I can keep my head down because I haven’t made it yet. I’ve to get out there and start scoring goals for myself and my family.”
Knowing his drive, he’s sure to give it his best and knowing Pat and Patty that’ll be good enough. Knowing John, Aaron, Jason and Dale though, he better score 50 this season!