Graham Carey was beginning to feel as if his time was running out to achieve a life-long ambition of playing football abroad.
Then, the 31-time Bulgarian champions CSKA Sofia came calling from across the continent.
It was a move the Irishman couldn’t turn down.
After playing 197 games for Plymouth Argyle between 2015-2019, the winger – who previously had spells with Celtic, St Mirren and Ross County – had other offers on the table.
However, Carey took the gamble that others are afraid to do and the Irishman is now lighting it up in Sofia.
He has enjoyed big moments on the European stage, recently scoring an absolute stunner against Jose Mourinho’s Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.
Having chipped in with an assist on Sunday against Botev Plovdiv, the 32-year-old insists footballers in the Scottish leagues must take the opportunity to move abroad and embrace a new culture.
Carey said: “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do from a young age, but the opportunity to do so had never come.
"When I was leaving Plymouth, I had a few offers to stay in England but having been so close with the fans, I didn’t really fancy playing against them.
"The opportunity to join CSKA came around and with my kids being so young, it was probably the last chance I would’ve had to go abroad. I’ve loved every moment here so far and it’s been fantastic.
“It’s been amazing to play in Europe. It’s very difficult to get European football in England and Scotland and not many footballers from the United Kingdom get the chance to experience it.
“The goal at the Stadio Olimpico was very, very special because my mum and grandfather came to that game and I hadn’t seen them for close to two years due to the pandemic.
"We’d played in Rome the previous year, but with no fans, so getting to score in front of the fans was amazing. It wasn’t the result that we were looking for on the night but from a personal point of view it was a special moment scoring at such an iconic stadium.
“I’ve tried learning Bulgarian, but I’ve already gave up. I try to listen and learn from the players on the training pitch every single day and still can’t seem to get the hang of it. Thankfully everyone here speaks English.
"I think more players should definitely take the risk and go abroad to play their football.
"You’ve seen over the last four or five years that a lot more players are going to the likes of Germany and Italy to play their football and it definitely helps as you get to see the game from a different tactical point of view.
"Since I’ve arrived in Bulgaria, it's been brilliant to work under a few different managers from all different footballing backgrounds and that definitely helps you grow up and develop parts of your game even more.
"I’m enjoying playing 35-40 games a season rather than 50-60 in England, so that’s probably helped me prolong my career by an extra year as well and it’ll also help me in my future career after football when I hope to become a coach.”
The Irishman admitted that he has his sights set on coming home this summer, but after helping CSKA to their first major trophy in five years earlier in the year, he was offered a new one-year deal which he decided to accept despite numerous interest from the UK.
He continued: “It was great to help the club win their first major trophy in five years and that’s one of the main reasons why I came here, because I want to win the leagues and the cups.
“It was strange the way it all happened because I was set on going home as my kids were returning to school.
"The club asked me to sign a one-year extension just before the cup final and after speaking with my family, we decided it was the best decision as we had the opportunity to play European football for another season and I really want to push on more this season and try help the team win the league.”
