Ipswich and Republic of Ireland forward Sammie Szmodics is determined to keep following in the footsteps of Jamie Vardy and prove he is no one-season wonder in the Premier League.
Szmodics realised a childhood dream this summer when he signed for newly-promoted Town and became a top-flight player.
A first start at champions Manchester City was followed by a first Premier League goal which means, like Leicester forward Vardy, he has scored in the top five divisions of English football, while both men were 28 when making their international debuts.
"What Jamie has done is obviously amazing and at his age now to still be doing it," Szmodics said ahead of Saturday's trip to Southampton.
"I had a good chat with him last year at the end of the season, obviously we played against Leicester. He congratulated me on the goals.
"It is quite a similar story. He worked his way up. Maybe he was a bit later than me but he worked up and has done it week in, week out in the Premier League now. It’s something ultimately I want to achieve. This is my first season but our journeys are very similar.
"He gave me a bottle of champagne that said congratulations for the season I had. It was something he didn’t need to do. Obviously I don’t know him on a personal level but it shows the character he is."
"I've played and scored in every league, but if you said to me at 19 years old when I was on loan at Braintree under the Cowley brothers that in 10 years you will be in Premier League and would have just scored at Man City, I would have laughed."
Szmodics is no stranger to being written off, with a difficult spell at Bristol City in 2019 not enough to dissuade his belief that he could be a Premier League player.
It was a similar story when the former Colchester attacker was relegated from the Sky Bet Championship with Peterborough in 2022.
While Ipswich will be backed to go straight back down, Szmodics is determined to build on his 33 goals for Blackburn last season to clinch survival for Kieran McKenna’s men.
He added: "I’ve played and scored in every league, but if you said to me at 19 years old when I was on loan at Braintree under the Cowley brothers that in 10 years you will be in Premier League and would have just scored at Man City, I would have laughed.
"But that’s been the journey I have been on and I’ve enjoyed the journey because I love playing football.
"It’s taken me from one step to another. Now I’m in the Premier League I just need to grab hold of it and stay here for as long as I can.
"I love having a point to prove. People always doubt you, people will doubt us now. I went to Bristol and it didn’t work out. First year at Blackburn, I struggled to get going and people questioned if I was good enough.
"Like I say, I have always felt I was good enough for the level and it is proving people wrong.
"I’ve worked all my life to get to this stage so I’d be stupid not to take it all in. Now is probably the time in my career where I need to work the hardest and learn the most.
"I have got to where I want to be and I want to stay here. I don’t want to be going back down to the Championship, you want to stay in this league and at the level we’re at.
"We are not here to make the numbers up. We are here to compete."
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