It was quite serious

When Samuel Gardner was busy trying to make something of his football talent back in Canada, little did he know he would one day end up in South Africa. This is the land on which his father’s umbilical cord lies buried. The lanky defender spent most of his youth forging out a career for himself abroad while maintaining an education. He was regarded as something of a phenomenon back in Canada, so when Cape Town Spurs recently captured his signature, they must have hoped they have landed a top talent to help them in their relegation fight this season. A recent car accident almost claimed his life though. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Delmain Faver, the 23-year-old reveals how he ended up in Cape Town and his impressions so far.

Delmain Faver: Sam, you recently signed for Cape Town Spurs and have an interesting journey of how you ended up back in the country of your birth. Can you give us a bit of background on your footballing journey?

Samuel Gardner:

My dad is South African and my mom is too, but she was born in Zambia – so they are both from here. My mom grew up in Cape Town, My dad is from Durban. He still lives in Port Shepstone in KZN, which is a small town and where not much happens. There is not, like, any big teams around there. So, I grew up just playing in the backyard and playing locally, in and around the street. I used to go to the golf club and play with the caddy. Football is a game that’s accessible to everyone. It’s not like North American sports, where you need a lot of money in order to play. If you’ve got a pair of shoes, you can play, or even barefoot. So, I think that was really what appealed to me growing up and also I’m very cultured. I’ve liked seeing different things and I think that’s also another thing that I want, to continue to grow as a person and not just a player. That’s sort of where my love kind of started with playing football. My dad then got a job in Canada, as a cameraman – he films television commercials. So, we moved there and I started playing there. As a teenager, I was getting to the point where I wasn’t really playing professionally. It was always something I wanted to do, but when you’re 15 or 16, especially in Canada, there’s not many opportunities. I got some scholarship offers to study business in the States in America, so I went there, studied business and played in the university’s teams – it’s called NCAA Division One. So, I played four years in America and that really helped

develop my game and my discipline as a person as well because it’s a hectic schedule going to classes during the day, you have weights in the morning or training. That’s where I really developed as a player. I started thinking I could take this to the next level now, so when I graduated, once I got my degree, I signed professionally in Canada for FC Edmonton, which is kind of on the west side. I spent a lot of time in Toronto, so that was also new for me. I played there for a season and there were some complications with the team. They sold the rights, gave them away to the league and now the league owns them. So, I thought to myself, ‘I want to challenge myself as a person as a player, I have South African citizenship and my passport was on the way. My dad lives there, I have all my family in South Africa, so let me go there to see what it’s about, challenge myself.’ That’s what I did.

DF: How was the move to Cape Town Spurs birthed?

SG:

So, I was in contact with a couple of agents who were contacting me and we decided that Cape Town Spurs was a good opportunity for me to get my foot in the door and to get started playing here in South Africa because, like I said, nobody knew me from before, right? Just that I played professionally, one season, in Canada. I wanted to come here to Spurs and it was the ideal opportunity. Since my first day at the club, everyone has been really welcoming. Alexi (Efsthatiou), who’s the CEO, has been really great with me, something that I appreciate. I originally came here for, like, a trial. They called it an assessment. I was here for about two or three weeks before they decided that they were going to sign me.

DF: You’re quite a big boy at 1.9m tall. How would you describe your playing style for those who haven’t seen you play yet?

SG:

When I was younger, I was always a central midfielder. I was actually like an attacking midfielder and then, as I got taller, I started moving back. I’m kind of, like, exotic in terms of my profile here in South Africa because there’s not a lot of big players that have my height and that are also left-footed. So, I think I definitely like to bring a technical side to the game. My passing ability is good and I try to think I’m a smart player. I try to read the game well and I try to communicate a lot to help my teammates and fizz out situations before there’s a problem.

DF: What is your perception of the game in South Africa and how does it differ to what you’ve been exposed to in Canada? SG:

We played a couple of friendlies as well against some top teams and one thing for sure is that they’re quick here on and off the ball and it doesn’t matter what you look at where you come from, you’ve got to be tough in order to crack it here. So, I’ve learned a lot already in my first four weeks and I hope I just can keep going.

DF: Your coach, Shaun Bartlett, is of course a legend in Mzansi. What have you made of your time working under his tutelage? SG:

Yeah, I mean, we’ve talked, especially after the first week and stuff. Yeah, it’s an honour for me to be coached by someone like him, who’s played and coached the game at the highest level and I thank him for keeping me around, because I think with his playing and coaching experience, he has a good eye for a player. He can see when a player is good enough or when a player has potential. The first few weeks, maybe the first week, I struggled with the pace a little bit, (it was) something I wasn’t quite used to, just the speed on and off the ball. But I think he could see that technically and tactically I was there, so I was getting feedback from him on what I could work on. Now that I’m going into the fourth week, I’m already fitter, I’ve lost a few pounds and I’m already quicker. My stamina and endurance is just getting better and better. So, yeah, I just want to keep pushing in the right direction, but I’m thankful that there’s a coach of his stature and reputation at the club.

“One thing for sure is that they are quick here on and off the ball.”

DF: While out in Canada, you were referred to as a soccer phenomenon. Do you think that places a bit more pressure on you when those titles are attached to you?

SG:

I’m a big student of the game and I know that a big part of the game is your mind, right? So, pressure is all mental. That’s something you have to be able to cope with, especially as you get older. When you’re younger… I mean, I’ve seen players that were better than me as youngsters that haven’t made it as far as me because maybe they lost their head a bit and they were involved in the wrong stuff. So, I think a big part of it is keeping focus and not letting that type of stuff get to your head or just focus on the football. We’re all players that go home after work and we all have outside lives and stuff like that, but when it’s time to work, it’s time to work and you just got to keep your head sharp and when your time comes, you’ll be ready.

“We’ve shared some stories and he’s always a nice guy to chat to.”

DF: We believe you were unfortunately involved in a serious car accident just days after signing for Spurs…

SG:

Yeah, I was driving home after training one evening, by about 19h30 and the lady in front of me… I still don’t know what happened because it was kind of, like, a hit and run. She was on a two-lane highway, she stopped all of a sudden. So, in order to prevent me from hitting her, I swerved out of the way to the right and obviously, my car lost traction and flipped over a couple of times. I was lucky there weren’t any serious injuries to my head, just my arms and stuff were banged up a bit. But yeah, I’m just very lucky and grateful to be alive because it was quite serious. Never been in a serious accident like that before. So, yeah, I think she was just scared that she may have done some serious damage to me, so maybe that’s why she drove off. But I mean, we thank God – I really believe He saved my life in that moment.

DF: We’re glad to hear that you didn’t suffer any serious damage. Are there any of your teammates that have stood out for you so far?

SG:

I chat a lot to Bevan Fransman, who’s another centre-back here at the club and he has been great with me. He’s done and seen it all. I think he’s 38 now, which is unbelievable. He’s still playing at the level he’s at and he’s played in Israel, in the PSL, all over. I think he’s a very professional player. He comes into training focused and he’s just a nice guy. We’ve shared some stories and he’s always a nice guy to chat to, so yeah, he’s definitely left a mark on me and is giving me advice here there. We talk a lot about the game. I think he’s going for his coaching badges as well, so I’m sure his story is nowhere near finished as well. ❐