JAMAICA’S promising footballer Kaheem Parris has been making waves in the Slovenian second division, netting another hat-trick that propels him to the top of the goalscoring chart with 11 goals.

The 20-year-old Parris scored in the 34th, 64th and 84th minutes as NK Krka beat NK Smartno 4-0 on Tuesday.

The talented midfielder, who was signed by top division team NK Domzale in July 2020 before being loaned to Krka, told the Jamaica Observer he is happy with his form.

“It’s a great feeling to be the current leading scorer of the league…it’s still a long season to go so I just have to be consistent and give my best on the pitch every week,” said Parris.

Parris, who hails from St Ann, actually represented Dinthill Technical High School in St Catherine. He then moved to Cavalier FC in St Andrew and is now thousands of miles away in a city called Novo Mesto — a city on the bend of the Krka River.

The municipality of Novo Mesto is in southern Slovenia and is close to the border with Croatia. It is now a hub for wine tasting by tourists.

But living over five thousand miles from Jamaica, young Parris is not perturbed as he has adapted well to football, food and culture.

“It took time to really adapt to the European style of football because it’s [a] totally different style of football. You just have to be patient and prepare yourself mentally,” the skilful player explained.

“You have really good food here. It’s not the same as in Jamaica, but is food that any Jamaican can adapt to easily,” Parris pointed out.

Slovenia is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the north-east, Croatia to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the south-west, and has a population of just over two million. It is mostly mountainous with a climate similar to Jamaica.

Slovenia, which gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, is one of the most water-rich countries in Europe with a dense river network, a rich aquifer system, and significant underground watercourses.

Parris, who made his senior team debut for Jamaica as a teenager, is the only foreign player on his club’s team, but he has settled in well.

“Here is a totally different environment from Jamaica but here they speak good English, especially the players, so I have good communication with everyone,” said Parris.