Matthew Booth was one of the first South African players to play in Russia and helped open the door to others such as Bennett Mnguni, Macbeth Sibaya and Stanton Fredericks. The former Bafana Bafana international spoke to Soccer Laduma about the six years he spent in Russia, which saw him playing a key role in saving FC Rostov from relegation.
Clubs played for
I played for FC Rostov from 2002 to 2004 and then I went to Krylia Sovetov from 2004 to 2008. I enjoyed my time at both clubs, especially Rostov because myself and Gift Kampamba arrived and we had a good two seasons. We helped save them from relegation in the first season and we endeared ourselves to the fans immediately and, the following season, four or five South Africans arrived at the club. It was in south, so it was a bit warmer and it suited the guys from Africa. The four years at Krylia, which was a prestigious club at the time, was a good move but it was a lot colder.
