Rory Fallon believes that he would not have made the World Cup finals if it was not for Swansea

The former Swansea City striker scored the goal that took his native New Zealand to South Africa last week and now he will line up alongside some of the game's biggest superstars next summer.

And Fallon - now plying his trade at Plymouth - has cited his move to Swansea as pivotal in taking him to this stage.

He told Wales on Sunday “Without going to Swansea I don’t think I would ever have got to this World Cup

“Everything I went through there played a big part in what has happened and, with the way my life is now, it was definitely worth it.

“That’s why I don’t hate Swansea. Without going there I wouldn’t be where I am now.

“There was massive pressure on me at Swansea because of my price tag,

“I think they were expecting Ronaldinho for £300,000.

“But the real problem was my lifestyle outside of football. It disrupted my game and I never really kicked on because my head wasn’t in the right place.

“I felt I was so far away from God when I was there. I didn’t feel right and I just thought that everything was against me so I needed to get away.

“But I’m still so happy I went there because otherwise I would never have met my wife. If I hadn’t met her I would never have come back to God and turned my life around.

“The turning point was leaving Swansea. I needed to settle down, set out my stall at Plymouth and just turn my back against the life I was living.

“The nightlife and all that wasn’t making me happy. Carly and I were living for the weekend and it wasn’t good.

“Nowadays I don’t really like to talk about it because I have been through it all and that stage of my life is over. Now my focus is on how good God has been to me.

“But I’m still not the geeky guy in the corner with my Bible.

“The lads know I will still be involved in the banter. Gone are the days when I will go to the Christmas party and get smashed or things like that."

Photo: Action Images

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