Bernard Parker may not have been in Europe for too long, but will never forget being part of the golden generation at Dutch club FC Twente and how he missed out on an opportunity to play for Leicester City. 

Soccer Laduma caught up with the former Kaizer Chiefs striker to talk about his interesting journey abroad, which also saw him playing in the UEFA Champions League against Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan team and a Tottenham Hotspur side which had Gareth Bale in it.

The Seasons

I was at Red Star Belgrade for six months (in 2009) and then from there I went to FC Twente for two-and-a-half seasons and then I went to Greece (to play for Panserraikos) for a season. So, I was in Europe for about four years in total. The overall way of life was so different in Europe, especially on the football side. It's how they respect the game and being honest to the game and themselves. That's what I saw and learnt at every club I played for while I was in Europe. 

How the move happened

My move to Red Star Belgrade from Thanda Royal Zulu happened through me being recommended by Johan Eriksson. He recommended me to an agent that side and when I went to Red Star, they were impressed in the first week and they signed me. My time at Red Star was short because the club was going through financial struggles and they did not pay me for three months. My agent suggested that we should write to FIFA and then they dealt with the situation. Luckily when I was playing at the FIFA Confederations Cup, I caught the eye of Steve McClaren at Twente. When he heard about my situation, it was the best time to pounce. That's how I ended up joining FC Twente. During my first season at Twente, we won the league and we were the first generation in the club's history to win the league and the club had been in existence for over 50 years. We are still the golden generation to date. We won the league and we were competing with Ajax Amsterdam, who had Luis Suarez, (Christian) Eriksen and (Thomas) Vermaelen. So, Ajax were strong and we managed to overcome them and we won the league. We also won the Super Cup that season and beat Ajax, so it was a great season. We qualified for the UEFA Champions League, becoming the first generation to qualify and play in the Champions League. We had Inter Milan, Tottenham Hotspur and Werder Bremen in our Champions League group. Inter Milan went on to win the Champions League with Jose Mourinho. We finished third in our group and went to play in the Europa League. After that, a new coach came and he had other ideas. So, in the third year, I had to go on loan in Greece for Panserraikos.

Missing out on playing for Leicester City

The coach at Twente stood by his decision that I was not part of his play, so the club, together with my agent, organised for me to go out on loan. But before going to Greece, I went for a trial at Leicester City. They were in the English Championship. They were looking for a number 10 who could feed off the number nine. After the trial, FC Twente said I was too expensive. At the time, Leicester got the opportunity to take Yakubu (Aiyegbeni) on loan from Blackburn Rovers. Leicester did not want to take a loan move, but they wanted to buy me from Twente. So, they said it's too expensive, so they got Yakubu to join them. So, I missed out on Leicester. That's when I took the loan to go to Greece and I played the full season there. I played in midfield as an eight and sometimes I played at left back. I played most of the games. When I went back to Twente, it was the same coach and they said they can let me go on a free if there is any team that wants me. There was a chance to join Kaizer Chiefs and I took that option. 

The rands and cents

When I was playing for Thanda, I was earning R25 000 at the time and then I went on to earn R180 000 at Red Star Belgrade. It was a big jump for me. Also, the professionalism in terms of having training grounds was top class. The stadium was top class. It was life-changing for me. They also gave me a car to drive and an apartment. I was staying in this massive apartment by myself, so it was a life changing opportunity. It was even better when I went to Twente. They gave me a better car, better apartment and a whole lot of benefits in terms of plane tickets for my family. You get four plane tickets a year and you can bring whoever you want. You just give them names, ID numbers and they will do everything in terms of visa application and that type of stuff. In terms of jerseys, we used to take our jerseys home after every game. It was so crazy for me. You play with the jersey and you go home with your kit, which was a different experience for me. You don't always get that in SA. Only at the highest level. With Twente, you would get everything - your shorts, tights, socks, jersey.

My first day in Europe

It was crazy. Before landing, I was looking outside the window and the entire city was white. There was thick snow and it was the first time seeing snow. I only had thin layer jackets and when we got outside, I could feel the cold, so I had to put another jacket on top of the one I was wearing. I went straight to the stadium for me to do an induction. The team was on a camp in Cyprus. I went to the hotel and the channels on the TV were not in English and it was difficult to read anything because it was not in English. I slept in full kit that day because it was cold. I did not even change. It was a shock of the first day.

My debut

My debut? Let me think...I think I came on as a substitute, if I can remember. But I can't remember much about it. As far as I can remember, I came on as a sub. I don't remember if we won the game or not.

The best player I played with

It would be Bryan Ruiz. He was the Costa Rican captain. He just retired now. He played at the World Cup with Costa Rica. He was the best player I played with because he was instrumental in us winning the league. He was the top scorer and broke a lot of records. He also played in the Premier League for Fulham and in Spain. 

The best player I played against

It would have to be Mesut Ozil, when we played against Werder Bremen (in the Champions League). He killed us. He was not as well known back then. He was all over the show. He was terrorising us and only a few years later I got to realise that it was him who was terrorising us on that day. 

Biggest highlight

It was lifting the league trophy with Twente. That was my biggest highlight because it was tough, when you look who we were competing against.

Toughest moment

I started against Werder Bremen and I was so scared, looking at these big stars you are about to play against. At first, it was so tough and I was unproductive. It was the toughest moment for me when I played against Bremen.

Any current PSL player who can play in Europe?

I always felt Khune should have gone to Europe. I don't know why he never went. Themba Zwane is another one who I feel should have gone to Europe. I think Teboho Mokoena can go overseas.