Jobs4Football meets Sammie McLeod
Jobs4Football spoke to Sammie McLeod, an English Midfielder, currently residing in Iceland playing for Þór Akureyri. Sammie has been a rising powerhouse from the academy at Leicester City in 2017, to making his professional debut with Colchester United only 3 years later. At age 21 he has already played in 4 different leagues in Europe, I was eager to hear how youngsters like Sammie are able to learn and adapt in different leagues to grow into their desired potential.
McLeod made the move to the Icelandic side only a couple weeks prior, so initially I wanted to hear how he was settling in. “The team have had a 6-month preseason, so they are all fit for the season which is a month away. I’ve got the ball rolling now and things are going well.”
After an initial discussion with Sammie on time zones due to Iceland not observing the Daylight-Saving Time, I wanted to see if McLeod compares Icelandic football to anywhere else, he has played previously in his career: “I’d say it’s similar to when I was at Leicester with the U18s and U23s, the quality is there and they have some technical players too. It’s quick and sharp compared to the likes of Northern Ireland it was a bloodbath, strong tackles, very aggressive and not much possession of the ball.”
It is common practice for English youngsters to move to Scandanavia to gain experience, learn the game and find out who they are as a footballer as well as a person. Sammie was presented with a perfect opportunity and took it. “I’ve always said to my family that I’d love to number 1, play football and number two, travel and this is an opportunity to do both. It’s a new experience, meeting new people, playing in a different league and its full time. I’ve got the gym next door, training dome pitch as well, I feel like I’ll improve here massively. I’ve come over here to improve as a player with full time training and I am glad to be here getting fitter and improving my game.”
From Maidstone United to now, I was intrigued to enquire on Sammie’s play style and how it has evolved or been moulded over the years. Sammie promptly exclaimed: “I think it’s been all over the place, it started when I was a kid at Maidstone, they had a 3G pitch so I was getting the ball and moving up, same as Leicester. It completely changed when I went to Colchester, they had a different philosophy of getting the ball into the striker and the wingers as quick as possible and the same at Portadown. It’s split between the technical side of getting the ball down and playing it around the back or getting it to the front man as quickly as possible.”
Throughout his career so far, Sammie has showcased his football ability time and time again at each club. Watching his highlight reel, I wondered was there a constant in Sammie’s performance no matter where he is or who is playing against. “As a Midfielder, I have a really good engine I can run for 120 minutes if needed. I am technically good as a player; I am able to play with my left and my right and I can score goals. If I’m more consistent at that, then things will really improve.”
Sammie is a Chelsea supporter and has said to have based his game off Frank Lampard and looks up to him as an idol. “Chelsea and Frank Lampard are the main reasons I got into loving football and wanting to be a fulltime professional.”
Staying motivated at 21; away from home, family and friends is tough for any profession, but for McLeod the only way is forward. “I think about making my family proud, there’s obviously been thoughts of oh, should I knock this on the head but I always keep going. Football gets me through it, family gets me through it, I’m not the one to give up. I have heard so many stories of guys giving up at an early age and getting a 9-5 job and I just couldn’t see myself doing that.” I wanted Sammie to voice what he would say to any youngsters starting out or staying motivated.
“Stick at it, do what you love, do what you’re good at and work hard. There are no magic words or saying, just do what you love. Football is about luck as well, impressing someone at the right time or being somewhere at the right time but if it doesn’t happen, you keep going until you can’t give anymore. At the end of the day, you can say you never gave up.”
Sammie is determined to follow his dream and wants to eventually return to England to play in the Premier League. I pressed McLeod on his future plans beyond Iceland, Sammie claimed; “The dream is to play for England and to play in the best league in the World, which is the Premier League. I’ve always wanted to play in Sweden and Germany, but of course the main goal since I was a little boy, is to represent my Country and play on home soil.”