Wanderer O’Dea has found his passport to success
AT just 24, Darren O’Dea hopped across the pond to play for Toronto FC in the MLS. His next stop was Metalurh Donetsk in Ukraine. Most recently, he’s been earning a crust playing f or Mumbai City i n the Indian Super League.
It’s perhaps easy to deduce, then, that the former Celtic defender has been embracing the wilderness years rather ahead of his time. That financial reward has long been prioritised above his football development.
Upon signing for Dundee yesterday, however, the 28-year-old was only too happy to kick the legs from underneath t hat particular theory.
‘In Ukr aine, I felt I developed more as a player in my career than I have done elsewhere. But no one knew,’ said the Dubliner. ‘So I feel I am a better player. But there is no point in me telling people that. Hopefully I can show that.’
Signed by former Celtic team-mate Paul Hartley at short notice f ollowing James McPake’s seasonending knee injury in the Dundee derby, O’Dea is preparing to take his first steps on Scottish shores since leaving Parkhead in 2012.
It would be a gross mistake, though, to believe that it will take some time to reacquaint himself with the passion and fervour our game believes to be its own property.
‘At my first game in India, I played in front of 63,000 people,’ he said. ‘I was playing with players like (Nicolas) Anelka.
‘ There were a l ot of great players, some of them coming towards the end of their careers. It is a league that is growing. There is a lot of desire to do well out there. There is a lot of money. I really enjoyed my time there. ‘It was fantastic. What a pl ace. We were looked after better than I have ever been at any club. The people went out their way. It was a fantastic place to be. Very, very different obviously. But it was an experience I am delighted I had. It i s something I might revisit again.’
Clearly a man who enjoys broadening his life horizons, O’Dea harbours no regrets about spending much of the past four years away from the prying eyes of the British audience. Hi s colourful career to date has come from choice — not through necessity.
‘ For me, one of the big attractions was being able to see places like India,’ he explained. ‘I could potentially have stayed in England or Scotland and played the same teams every week, the same players. But I decided to go down a bit of a different route.
‘I would not say it is unique but it is not what a lot of British players do. It is something I have enjoyed. I have seen a lot of the world. And who knows, I might see a bit more.’
For the next five months, though, he is more than happy to drop anchor on the banks of the silvery Tay.
Hartley, whom he played with for two-and-a-half years in Glasgow, did not have to do too much to sell the move to him.
‘Yes, he was a big part,’ he said. ‘I’d say the main things were being able to be based in Scotland, the manager and, if you look at attendance records in Scotland, Dundee are near enough the top of it. So, all in all, it was a perfect fit for me.
‘Travelling is unsettling at times. I have certainly enjoyed it, I like the experience of different countries. It is a short career. I like to see different countries and cultures.
‘But for the family I leave behind most times, it’s hard. I wouldn’t have just come back for the sake of it. But when the manager phoned me, it was a pretty straightforward decision.
‘It’s great to be back in a league I know surrounded by people I know. I am just looking forward to getting started.’
As well as being a better footballer as a result of his travels, O’Dea contends he’s a better person for it.
‘I’m definitely more mentally strong, and more patient,’ he explained. ‘I used to be very hard on foreign players when they came into clubs. I used to go out of my way to make sure they fitted into the way our dressing room was. I would not do that any more. Because I was a foreigner in other dressing rooms.
‘It is difficult. And, from the way other people treated me, I would probably now be a lot more patient and welcoming. I have learnt a lot about myself.’
Mercifully, O’Dea is as forthright in expressing his opinions as he has ever been. As a player who faced Rangers at the end of the era in which the Ibrox club used EBTs, O’Dea recently stated title stripping should be considered if the scheme is eventually shown to be illegal. Those expecting a U-turn now he’s back on Scottish soil are bound to be disappointed.
‘I was asked the question and I answer questions,’ he said.
‘I think the majority of players go through the motions, and rightly so. They detach themselves from the media.
‘But if I am asked a question, then I’ll answer it and I give my opinion. It is one man’s opinion. In Glasgow, you get many opinions — well, in fact, you normally get two.
‘I was in India, so it was a good place to give my opinion!
‘I am a smart guy. Listen, I have grown up since I was 15 here and I have seen it all.
‘I have the utmost respect for everyone in Scotland, players and clubs.
‘I was on one side of the divide. I didn’t make the divide but I am on that side. It is not my fault.
‘ Everyone has opinions in Scotland and they are normally strong ones, which I think is a good thing.’