Born on the 22nd of November 1999, the 25-year-old Englishman Matt Smith kicked off his career in the football realm primarily as a central midfielder. Happening to be in the possession of shirt number 22, Smith now spends most of his time cavorting about the field for St Johnstone. And let's not forget what a figure he cuts on the pitch, standing proud at a height of 5ft 8in (1.75m) and weighing in at 11st 2lb (71kg).
According to Transfermarkt, Smith's current market value is about £340k, and might I add, that's around the price of a decent flat in Glasgow. His sweetheart deal with St Johnstone, however, is about to run out of his 2-month grace period, and set to expire on 31 May 2025.
Now, let's not forget where it all begun. The year was 2013, when young Smith joined the renowned club Manchester City as a trainee. Rather remarkable for a lad barely 14, but let's not be swayed by exceptionalism.
Nobody knew the cold, hard reality of professional football until 2018 when our beloved Smith was shipped off to FC Twente on loan. Not bad for a first outing, he managed two goals in 34 appearances. But then again, it's FC Twente, a relatively obscure Dutch team that chances are you haven't heard of.
Lo and behold, in 2019 he was back on English shores, loaned to the illuminated Queens Park Rangers. However, the season proved to be unspectacular, with only eight league appearances. Following this, poor Smith was sent packing to Charlton Athletic for a bit, with a slow period of only two appearances. Not much to write home about there.
Next stops on the Smith journey were Doncaster Rovers and Hull City. He had a quiet season at Hull City, with just nine appearances, not the kind of form to incite lad's books like 'Keeper Killers' or 'Midfield Magicians'.
Finally, after languishing in Manchester City’s accounts for many a year, and with numerous loans, he made a permanent move to MK Dons in January 2022 for an undisclosed fee. Smith delivered a rather decent performance with 21 appearances and two goals.
However, in 2023, Smith decided he'd had enough of the dreary English weather, exchanging it for the even drearier Scottish weather, joining St Johnstone. He's managed to make a name for himself there with 34 appearances and one goal under his belt, seemingly finding his stride. In the current season, he’s already made 20 appearances and started in the League Cup four times, with one substitute appearance. A career move to Scotland that actually seems to be paying off, who would have thought?
