You would be hard-pressed to find a passport with more stamps that Tosaint Ricketts'.
The 12-year veteran spoke with Halford & Brough on TSN 1040 last week, discussing a long and winding journey before joining the ‘Caps in 2019.
- FULL INTERVIEW: Tosaint Ricketts on Halford & Brough
“It wasn’t the easiest journey and not the most ideal, but it was a great experience,” said Ricketts. "It has kind of molded me, to the person I am today, it really molded my character and made me stronger in many ways."
With over 250 professional appearances in his career, in addition to 61 caps for Canada men's national team, Ricketts' journey has seen him make overseas stops in Finland, Romania, Norway, Turkey, Israel, and Lithuania.
“I gained a lot of experience in these trips, going to different countries, experiencing so many different cultures and I have now these experiences which I can take for the rest of my life.”
Ricketts started his professional career in Finland in 2009 with Veikkausliiga club MYPA. After spending two years there, he moved on to Romanian club Politehnica Timișoara. Thereafter, he moved on to Norway, Turkey, and Israel until in 2016, where he came back to Canada with Toronto FC. Ricketts most recently played with Lithuanian side FK Sūduva in the top tier A Lyga before his move to Vancouver in 2019.
Constantly playing through different teams and moving to countries away from your family has certainly not been easy for the Edmonton native. But, there was one country that stood out to him.
“Biggest culture shock would probably be just arriving in Turkey, arriving in Istanbul and just seeing the magnitude of the city, the huge population, the language barrier and the immerse culture,” said Ricketts. “It was definitely the destination that gave me the biggest culture shock.”
Ricketts says that coming back to Canada is something that was always in the back of his mind after his time with Toronto FC. Now, the 32-year-old striker is back in his home country again, closer to his family than ever before.
“The idea of playing at home, the idea of my family being able to come to matches and see me on a regular basis was something I was longing for. Especially after the stints in many different countries and being away from such a young age,” said Ricketts. “Now being here in Vancouver, which is really close to my home city Edmonton, it’s a great honour and I’m happy to be here.”
Growing up in Edmonton, Ricketts was a track and field athlete, and now his tireless runs show that they have value on the pitch. This was evident in the 'Caps final match prior to the season coming to a pause, when Ricketts scored the game-winning goal in the 74th minute on the road at LA Galaxy.
Regarding what he does for the team, Ricketts says that he’s a selfless type of player.
“I like to work for my team, I like to press from the front and really put their defence on the backfoot, really put pressure on them at all times,” said Ricketts. “You really have to give whatever’s in the tank and it’s all about trusting your team and trusting the next man up. If everyone’s on the same page, and if everyone is working for the man next to him it shows wonders and you can get big results like we did that night.”
