Q&AOlivia Smith interview: 'Signing for Liverpool is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity'

The Canada international became the Reds' first addition of the summer transfer window on Tuesday, subject to international clearance, arriving after a sensational first season as a professional at Sporting CP in Portugal.

Shortly after putting pen to paper on her contract at the AXA Melwood Training Centre, Liverpoolfc.com sat down with Smith to get her reaction to the move and discover what supporters can expect from her.

See the interview with the 19-year-old in full below…

Olivia, congratulations, you're a Liverpool player. Has that sunk in yet?

I think now that I'm finally here in the facility, I got to see a little bit of Liverpool, I absolutely love it and I'm super-excited.

It's a club that's really special to your family as well, isn't it?

It's definitely a prestigious club as a whole and also for my dad it's very important for him – this is the club he's been watching and following since he was younger. So, it's very cool to actually be a part of this thing and get this opportunity.

That can't have been the only influence, the fact your dad is a fan of the club. There's been interest in you from other clubs as well, so why was this the right opportunity for you? Why was this the right club for you right now?

I think the biggest thing for me is, 'Where can I grow?' And that comes down to the coach and the staff, and I think Matt [Beard] has proved that he's definitely someone who can help me grow and this is one of the best leagues in the world. Having come here after my first pro season is unbelievable and I'm very excited to learn and grow and become the best that I can be.

You had a wonderful first season at Sporting that has put you in a position like the one you're in now. What did you learn from last year?

I definitely learned that you have to sacrifice and I think it was a big decision for me to leave school early to then just jump into a pro season, not knowing what it would be like for me – whether I would get playing time. I think it really developed my game in terms of IQ and technical ability. I think that's something that's important to my game – technical ability, creativity, going one-v-one but also showing that I can score goals and create opportunities. I think it was the perfect place to start for me.

That's not overly traditional, is it? You come out of school and take the gamble that 'I'm going to be a professional footballer'...

Exactly. I think that's also something that's happening more often now after maybe one or two girls have done it in the past, maybe five years [ago]. Now it's starting to kind of become the norm. Girls are really thinking about, 'OK, now I can go pro, I don't really have to take the traditional route of going to school.' I think it's very interesting and cool for young girls growing up to know that they can really do whatever they want, the sky's the limit and if they're talented enough, if they work hard enough, they can just go straight to their dream.

Describe yourself as a player – what can we expect to see?

I would describe myself as a very creative player. I love to go one-v-one and with that I love to shoot and I have a very attacking mindset to create opportunities, not only for myself but for others.

Where do you see yourself best, then? What is your favourite position?

My favourite position is probably as a 10 or a winger. But realistically I can play anywhere in the front.

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This is a significant investment that Liverpool have made in you. But looking back in your career, everything has almost been firsts and you talked about the gamble you made on professional football. That won't weigh heavy on you, will it? You don't feel pressure from the looks of it...

I don't feel too much pressure. I think at the end of the day it's something that I love to do and I just find it fun and it's something that I love. I think that's super-important that I don't feel like it's a job. I love to get up in the morning and go to training and see everybody and work hard every day.

What about these surroundings? An historic place like Melwood that gives you the opportunity to prepare in the very best way...

I think it's amazing to have a facility like this. Five years ago, you wouldn't necessarily see a women's football team with a facility like this. To finally have something like this, we can definitely push and go really far.

We hear football is not the only sport you've excelled in – taekwondo as well...

I've been doing taekwondo since I was young. I was doing both sports at the time and then I had to come down to choosing one. But I loved taekwondo and I think that's something that impacted my game as well. I feel like the strength in my shot and also just the agility that I have came from taekwondo. But I also enjoyed fighting and that kind of stuff, so it was really fun for me.

This is a team in a great place at the moment, coming off a fourth-placed finish in the Barclays Women's Super League. That forms a basis in your decision in that you can hopefully take them on to an even higher finish next season…

Yeah, 100 per cent. I think it's super-exciting because we have such a young team and [last] season they were amazing. I'm excited to be a part of a squad like this. I definitely feel like I can contribute to the players and the team and the staff itself – just as a person but also as a player, pushing for that Champions League spot for next year.

We mentioned your dad is a Liverpool fan. This must be such an emotional day for him...

He's actually crying over there right now! We have a very close relationship and I think this move is not only important for me but also just for us as a family. It's just a dream for all of us and I'm very fortunate to have this opportunity to be able to bring him to see what this environment is like and hopefully one day at Anfield when we play this season.

What has he told you about Liverpool, about his club?

He just loves the club and he just watches TV all day and he's just like, 'Oh I love Liverpool.' He has jerseys, he has shirts, he went and bought one yesterday.

This is obviously an emotional day for him. You first started playing football at the age of three. This is a reward for him as well, the amount of times he'll have driven you to training, the pep talks. These opportunities that lay in front of you, this is for all of the family...

This is for everyone, not just even for my dad but it's important for my sister, for my mum. Just being a role model for my sister to see me come up from when I was young to now and just to show her it's not easy but it's definitely possible. But also just to show strength for my family that I'm doing OK even being away from home, you're only a flight away, you can come see me. But also giving them the opportunity just to see what this environment is like because I know they never had this opportunity, so they will be able to take full advantage of what it is and have them live it through me.

You had loads of assists last season and 16 goals – what targets do you set yourself for your first season in English football?

Again, I think I want to keep this similar to Sporting, I don't want to come in with too high expectations. I feel like when you set the bar too high, you kind of overthink everything. With this, I'm just coming in, doing what I can, working hard, not really setting any expectations for goals or assists. But whatever I contribute to, I'm happy as long as it's for the team, not only for myself.

The opportunity to play at Anfield, for dad to be there, the family to be there, You'll Never Walk Alone – these opportunities are life-changing...

Realistically, it's really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that's why I felt like I needed to make this the best one and I had to take advantage of this one. I'm super-excited.