The excitement builds in his voice as Declan McManus runs through the list of luminaries with which Viktoria Plzen have crossed swords.
“They have been to the Bernabeu, the Camp Nou, have played against Milan — and they’ve beaten Roma [2-1 in 2018],” says the former Dunfermline attacker.
You can add Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Napoli to that list, for those who enjoy name-checking.
And on Thursday evening, Plzen, bossed by former Czech Republic manager Michal Bilek, face The New Saints (TNS) of Wales.
McManus will seek to following the footsteps of Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gareth Bale by rippling the net against the Champions League and Europa League regulars.
He has already bagged three goals and two assists in the first two qualifying rounds of the Europa Conference League — 3-1 and 10-1 aggregate triumphs over Glentoran and Kauno Zalgiris, respectively — and will lead the line for TNS.
Momentum
“European football and playing in Wales is a totally new experience at this stage of my career and I’m loving every minute of it,” McManus told Courier Sport. “I’m enjoying playing up front again and finding the net. To do that in European competition is even sweeter.
“We’ve managed to build some real momentum in the competition so far and we don’t want the journey to stop now.
“You just need to have a look at Viktoria Plzen’s European games in previous seasons — playing in the Champions League against some of the biggest clubs in the world — to realise what a huge tie this.
“It’s a fantastic game to be involved in and a great experience for the boys.”
Dunfermline departure
Although no player is obliged to justify a career move, the way McManus has immediately embraced life in Oswestry and shone in UEFA’s new third tier competition is vindication of his decision to depart Dunfermline in search of a new challenge during the summer.
McManus continued: “I wasn’t looking to get away. It all came out the blue for me.
“I heard about a bit of interest but didn’t really give it much thought. I didn’t think any club would pay the money required to buy me.
“Then my agent called me and said a bid had been accepted. It was all systems go after that.”
TNS, bidding to reach the play-off round of a European competition for the first time in their history, will ‘host’ their esteemed opposition at the 33,280-capacity Cardiff City Stadium in the first leg, due to the superior facilities compared to their regular Park Hall home.
But regardless of the surroundings, or the stature of opposition, McManus firmly believes he can belatedly toast his 27th birthday — celebrated on Tuesday — with a landmark victory.
He smiled: “A couple of goals would be the perfect present…but as long as we win, I couldn’t care less who gets them!”
