Saints defender Thierry Small revealed he isn’t afraid to make sacrifices in his bid to forge a path to the very top of the game.
And the confident teenager believes being handed a record-breaking debut for Everton by legendary manager Carlo Ancelotti when he was just 16 proves that in football it’s very much a case of who dares wins.
Small, who joined St Mirren on loan on deadline day from English Premier League side Southampton, has packed a lot into his fledgling career so far.
Coming through the youth ranks at West Brom, he made the gutsy move north to join Everton when he was just 11; leaving his home behind to move in with a host family.
That tough decision paid off when former Real Madrid, Juventus and AC Milan boss Ancelotti handed him a memorable debut against Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup when he was 16 – becoming the youngest player in Everton’s entire history in the process.
Still just 18, Small is determined to keep taking risks to further his development – including his switch north of the border to continue his football education in Paisley.
Small told Renfrewshire Live Sport: “One hundred per cent it’s great to have that record at Everton. It was one of the best moments of my life. I can genuinely say that because all the sacrifices I’d made paid off at that moment. It was unbelievable.
“I’ve made a lot of big decisions for my age. When I initially moved to Everton I was only 11 and I moved to a host family by myself. Change is something that I like and I gravitate towards it.
“You have to make sacrifices to get where you need to get. I’m not scared to do that.
“It was an unbelievable experience working under Ancelotti. He’s someone with so much class, that’s won so much at the very top level. It was a great feeling and a big confidence boost for him to put his faith in me.
“He’s so cool, calm and collected. The way he integrated me into the team was brilliant, he made it feel like I’d been there for years. He didn’t have to say that much. He had everyone’s respect.
“The manager asked me if I was ready for it [before my debut] and then he said to me, ‘go and get a goal.’
“Because of the circumstances of the game, we were just seeing the game out. We weren’t on the attack that much.
“I was always optimistic about getting on. Despite my age, I thought if I was on the bench he clearly saw something in me that he would want to use.
“I’ve just got to keep my head down and keep working hard and hopefully I can break some records here too. I’ve got a great manager here and great people that can develop me further.”
After fearing first-team opportunities would be hard to come by at Goodison Park, Small made another bold decision to move away from Everton and join Southampton.
A disappointing loan spell at Port Vale followed in the first half of the current season, but the talented teen believes he can enjoy a more productive spell at St Mirren as he looks to keep learning from every different environment he comes into.
Small said: “Every situation I’ve been in, I’ve had to learn and adapt at a very young age. I’ve learned a lot under Ralph Hasenhuttl too and these different experiences under different managers help mould and shape you into the player you want to become.
“My contract is up in 18 months so this loan spell is crucial for me to do well in.
“I didn’t play as much [at Port Vale] as I’d hoped, but that’s part of the game, isn’t it? It was a great learning experience for me and I took a lot of things on board from it when I was there.
“Now it’s all about building as a player. You have to go through tough patches to grow as a player. I took a lot from it.”
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