Farense winger Marco Matias has revealed how the big desire of his career to date was to get Sheffield Wednesday into the Premier League.
The 34-year-old has been speaking to A Bola in Portugal regarding his so far, which included a spell at Sheffield Wednesday.
He joined the Owls in a €3.1m deal from Nacional in 2015 and would spend the next four years at the club, managing 11 goals and seven assists in 72 games, before departing on a free transfer in 2019.
He joined the club at arguably their best point in a number of years, with his first season seeing them finish sixth in the Championship and beat Brighton 3-1 on aggregate in their play-off semi final before a defeat to Hull City.
They bounced back from that disappointment the following year with a fourth placed finish, but again suffered heartbreak in the play-offs as they were beaten 4-3 in a shootout by Huddersfield Town following a 1-1 draw in their semi-final meeting.
Things took a turn downwards from that point as Sheffield Wednesday finished 15th, 12th, 16th and then 24th last season, dropping into League One as a result.
It’s been a steady decline for a side who were once one step away from the Premier League, a step Matias is still disappointed they could not make.
“It was another reality, which was to play in England and, if possible, at the highest level,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t achieve that step and I would have liked to have done it for Sheffield and we had some chances of reaching the Premier League, but we always lost in the play-offs.
“It was a huge pain, because a club of that size, with fantastic fans and a spectacular structure, deserved to be in the Premier League.
“At the time I had some clubs which I could have chosen, but my dream was to play in England, and I am very happy with the experience I had there.”
