Judging by his track record and impressive physique, South African premier soccer league club Santos have made a fantastic signing in Gambian goalkeeper Pa Dembo Touray - Football365.co.za chatted exclusively to him.

Dembo Touray is 1.98 metres tall - not a lanky 1.98 meters, but an extremely muscular 1.98 metres. He is taller than former Santos centre-back and now assistant coach Musa Otieno, and broader by some margin. The 31-year-old has vast experience - he made his senior national team debut for the small north-west African state of Gambia in 2001 and spent 11 years in Europe with Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish top division, playing nearly 200 games for the team.  During this time he won the league three times and the Swedish FA Cup twice and was twice nominated as goalkeeper of the year.

Football365.co.za chatted to the giant shot-stopper shortly after he was unveiled as the Peoples' Team latest signing, along with Matthew Pattison and Neo Segalo...this is what he had to say:

On his early years as a football player

"I came from Gambia where I started playing football all my life. When I was 16 I was already very big and so I started young as a

professional player. A year later I signed for one of Gambia's biggest sides - Real de Banjul F.C. - I became first choice  "After that, step by step I went into the national team, and in '99 I left for Sweden, where I stayed for 11 years."

On his time in Sweden

"I joined Djurgardens. When I first arrived I went out on loan to France because I was competing with the Swedish national team goalkeeper, Andreas Isaksson. "Playing in a country like Sweden and competing against their national team keeper was always going to be tough for me. When he left in 2004 I came back to the club and I have been there ever since."

Why the PSL?

"South African hosting the World Cup was a great achievement for South African and African football and is part of the reason I came.

"I know South African players are very fast, they are very skilful and technical. I have played with two South African players - Lance Davids and Siyabonga Nomvethe, who was in the team when we won the league in 2005

"I see the qualities in them, how good they were. I have known South Africa has good players and a good league. My contract was finished and I thought, why not, I'm an African and I have been overseas for 11 years so I decided to change."