He's still only 22 and recently became the youngest to captain the All Whites, eclipsing Malcolm Dunford, Danny Halligan and Ricki Herbert, who were all a year older.
Ryan Nelsen will reclaim the armband when he plays but Smith could be around the scene for at least another decade and could notch up a large number of caps. He will play his 14th international and fifth as captain against New Caledonia tomorrow in a game the All Whites must win to keep alive the hope of earning qualification for the Confederations Cup.
"It's immense pride," Smith said when explaining what it's like to lead New Zealand. "Growing up you dream of being the captain of your national team. I was no different. When Ricki told me it was the proudest moment of my career by far.
"I thought I might be [captaincy material] one day but not this early in my career. Centre-backs often get that role because they can see a lot and be quite influential. I believed I had that role in me.
"I try to be professional around the place, a role model. I try not to be too much of a shouter and screamer."
He still does his share of that in games but he has the respect of his teammates, even grizzled veterans like Ivan Vicelich and Ben Sigmund. He is also the only All White to have played every minute of New Zealand's games in the Oceania Nations Cup so far.
He admitted today he was feeling tired for the first time in this tournament but felt he was young enough to go again. His teammates and the situation demand it.
His performances on the field reflect his demeanour off it and he even bagged his first international goal earlier this week against Fiji.
"There's a real maturity to him, even at a young age," said Herbert, who played 84 times for New Zealand before retiring at the young age of 28. "He's a really balanced boy and very professional in everything he does. He's a good, strong leader. He could have a huge tenure in the role."
It might not have been in the shirt he had expected or hoped for when he was playing for England at under-17 and under-18 level. Smith, who was born in England but spent time growing up in New Zealand, played for England at the 2007 under-17 World Cup in Korea.
"I hit a few injury problems and fell off the radar a bit," he explained. "I had to get my career back on track. I missed about eight months one year so I just had to get back playing. Once I did that, Ricki gave me a call I had no hesitation.
"It wasn't a hard choice because most of my footballing education was in New Zealand by all the New Zealand coaches. I always had an affinity to New Zealand, even though I was born in England.
"I would never have experienced what I have done if I hadn't made that decision. I have never looked back. I am really proud of what I have achieved so far and what the team has as a whole. The World Cup was fantastic and now we need to build on that."
Just like Smith is doing in his career.
