Offered the chance to play for Arsenal or Colchester United, most young footballers would not think twice. Why bother with your local team when you could play for one of the most successful clubs in England?
Sammie Szmodics saw it differently. The top scorer in the Championship this season, the Blackburn Rovers midfielder is one of English football’s unsung heroes of 2023-24. In an age of fewer and fewer authentic footballers, Szmodics is antidote, and it is as engaging to listen to him speak as it is to watch him play.
The 1995 Premier League champions have fallen on harder times yet despite a budget that belongs in the relegation zone, Szmodics’ 14 goals have helped push Rovers to the brink of the play-offs – as well as earning him the Sky Bet Championship player of the month for November.