Smith’s soccer journey started aged 5 when she joined Whitby Iroquois SC, and she or he made her debut within the Canada youth set-up at 12.
Quick ahead three years to 2019 and she or he was catapulted on to the worldwide stage, that includes towards Brazil and New Zealand at an invitational event in Chongqing, China.
Smith went on to characterize Canada at two Concacaf Ladies’s U20 Championships (2022, 2023) and two Ladies’s U20 World Cups (2022, 2024), and returned to the senior facet in 2023, incomes choice for that yr’s World Cup.
She scored her first worldwide purpose in a 6-0 victory over El Salvador on the 2024 Gold Cup and was named the event’s finest younger participant.
Smith is seen not solely because the successor to talismanic report goalscorer Christine Sinclair however the important thing to Canada’s hopes of profitable worldwide honours.
At membership stage, Smith started her profession in 2022 with North Toronto Nitros in League 1 Ontario, profitable the golden boot in her debut marketing campaign with 18 targets in 11 video games.
She then spent one season within the NCAA enjoying school soccer for Penn State Nittany Lions earlier than forgoing the remainder of her college eligibility to show skilled, signing a three-year contract with Sporting in July 2023.
They fought off competitors from Chelsea and PSG, and, for then head coach Mariana Cabral, Smith’s potential was clear.
“Thirty seconds into the video we have been like, ‘yep, let’s signal her’. She was clearly a complete bundle, which may be very uncommon,” Cabral instructed BBC Sport.
“Not solely did she have the technical means, however she additionally had the physicality. She’s explosive and powerful, good on the ball and may nutmeg you to get previous you want that.
“She wished to get her skilled profession began and that is why she got here to us. She favored us due to the best way we performed on the time – very possession-based, very attacking – and she or he wanted minutes to develop.
“However we knew Portugal was a stepping stone for her; she would go on to greater locations.”
In her first season in Europe, Smith amassed 22 targets involvements (13 targets, 9 assists) in 18 league appearances as she collected one other finest younger participant gong and Sporting completed second within the desk.
She additionally caught the eye of Liverpool, signing earlier than the 2024-25 season.
