No tags yet.
St. Petersburg is not the city that pops when you think of a young footballer from Cambridge, but for 20-year-old Jacob Gardiner-Smith, it is the city where he has started his professional career. We at FootyScouted contacted Zenit St. Petersburg and requested an interview with the lad. This interesting session gave us an insight into Jacob’s mind, career and personal life, as he talked about everything from his journey to Russia and his interesting background.
This article contains the interview as well as a short biography of Jacob’s life and career so far.
About Jacob Gardiner-Smith
Born in Cambridge, Jacob joined Zenit St. Petersburg in early 2017. As he had no prior
experience playing for a professional club, this move raised a few eyebrows and understandably so; but since then, the youngster has established himself at Zenit-2,
(Zenit’s second team, also a professional club) killing all doubt in his abilities and the transfer.
On the field, Jacob plays as a defensive midfielder, in a role similar to his grandfather who represented the Scottish national team. Nicknamed the ‘English bulldog’ at Zenit, he displays key attributes for his position such as aggression and a high work-rate. The 20-year-old also trained with prominent English clubs like Arsenal, Watford and Reading, but decided to shift to Russia in a bold but admirable move.
Gardiner-Smith’s background is also undeniably interesting. His father Barry Gardiner is a well-known Labour MP. This makes many people think of Jacob as a posh hotshot when in reality he comes across as a modest and down-to-earth guy. His grandfather John represented Queen’s Park in Scotland in the 1930’s and was also the first coach of a certain Alex Ferguson.
Off the field, the Englishman gives a lot of emphasis to being a good, humble person irrespective of what happens to it. Dedication and doing as well as possible is what Jacob holds paramount as a professional.
The Interview
Q: You had never played for a professional club until you signed for Zenit, how does it feel starting your career off at such a big club?
A: To start my professional career at such a big European club gives me great pride. Playing for Zenit comes with great expectation and responsibility, to train well and give my all in every match. I represent the club on and off the pitch. I want to achieve a lot in football so it’s important to concentrate on pushing on further as a footballer because this industry is ruthless.
Q: Obviously, moving from Cambridge to St. Petersburg wouldn’t have been the easiest, how was the transition and what are your thoughts on Russia?
A: As a kid, I think I got used to moving pretty early on. I was born in Cambridge but moved around a lot when I was younger. I learnt not to get attached to places, but nothing could prepare me for living in a country so different where so few people speak English. I remember crying on my first day alone here. But I really enjoy living here now, the football, the food and Russian rap music I really like. Russian people are very friendly and the culture here is one of sharing and being hospitable. I have made such close friends from all over the world. They are like family now and I’ve been to some amazing cities when playing away from home. All I’ve been through, moving away from home, living on my own, learning the language, it’s made me mentally strong. That is so important as a footballer. People think you have to just be physically strong as a footballer, but you have to be just as strong mentally.
Q: Apparently, you had offers and went on trial with clubs nearer to your home, such as Reading, Watford and Arsenal. Given this, why did you chose to come all the way to Russia?
A: I’ve always wanted to play abroad. When I got a trial here doubts didn’t even cross my mind. I knew it would make me mature and resilient in a way that staying at home wouldn’t. Here I can concentrate solely on football, without the distractions that exist at home. I think in England young players have to cope with a lot very early on and that holds some of them back from reaching their full potential. I am not interested in all that. I just want to be the best footballer I can be.
Q: Your father is a notable politician back in Britain, does this have any bearing on your football career?
A: No. My dad is actually clueless when it comes to football! I don’t really pay much attention to politics either. Only last year when I came back home from a tournament we played in Germany, he made me deliver leaflets! My family are very supportive of my career, but they don’t understand a lot about football. I have an agent who works with me and helps me with my career decisions.
Q: Sport, and football mostly, has ran in your family’s bloodline for generations, does this impact and benefit your career in particular?
A: To be honest, my mum and dad never watched football or were even interested in football at all until I started playing! My grandad used to play for Scotland and captain the best team there at the time (Queen’s Park), but honestly I don’t believe in a football gene or anything like that. I have a brilliant and unique personal coach in England who I really respect and work closely with in Ben Herd. He’s taught me that the most important thing is your mindset. People who are successful in life work harder than those who aren’t. He is an ex-professional so he’s been able to help my game a lot. He’s reinforced in me the knowledge that if I put in more hours focusing on my game than somebody else, then I will see better results on the pitch, that’s simply how it works. However, I do find it interesting that my grandad and I share a very similar play style. He was known as a ‘Jack Russell Terrier’ and my nickname out here is ‘English bulldog’. We both are aggressive players and fight for everything, so maybe there is something in your genes after all!
Q: Do you wish to treat Zenit as a stepping stone and move up the ladder up to the major European leagues, or would you rather establish yourself here in Russia?
A: Not at all, my main focus is to get to the first team here at Zenit. I firmly believe in myself. I’ve trained numerous times with the first team and I’ve played for them in a friendly. I know the standard required of me. If I weren’t to make it here at Zenit, I wouldn’t have any regrets because I know that I’ve given everything I can every single day.
Q: Did you know much about Russian football before coming to St. Petersburg, and now that you do, how do you find the Russian game as compared to the English one?
A: I’ve always known about Zenit due to the amount of world class players they have produced over the years. Arshavin played for Arsenal when I was growing up and Zhirkov who I’ve played with here also played in the Premier League at Chelsea. Russian teams have always done well in European competitions as well, so I think I knew a fair bit about Russian football before I first came here. David Bentley also went to Rostov and I remember that transfer! The football here isn’t played at 100 miles an hour, which I feel in England it is. In England, though, the technical standard is good and there are a lot of very intelligent players out here too who are very good technically on the ball. The coaches who I’ve worked under out here have been brilliant, I’ve learnt so much from them and I like their style of coaching. They take the session but when we play matches in training and games, they tend not to speak a lot and let us get on with it. I think that’s why my U21 team were so successful last season because we felt like we had freedom on the pitch, which I often think is coached out of players.
And that brings us to the end of a stimulating interview with Jacob Gardiner-Smith. We would like to thank Zenit St. Petersburg for all their cooperation, and also Jacob himself, for answering our questions.
Links to Jacob and Zenit: