Schmeichel and Stam both spent time in the army, Schmeichel not turning professional until he was 24, while Stam didn’t play in the Eredivisie until he was 23. Irwin was given a free transfer by Leeds; Keane learnt that he was too small, writing to, and unwanted by, every top division English club, only signing for semi-professional Cobh Ramblers at the age of 18, before suffering a career-threatening injury as he reached his peak. Cole was released by Arsenal, rejected by Fulham, then ridiculed by the media and the England manager; Sheringham didn’t play in the top division until he was 26 and Europe until he was 31. Before signing for United, Solskjaer was turned down by Hamburg, Cagliari, Manchester City and Everton, while Yorke, born in a non-footballing country, sold land crabs to tourists to pay for boots, saw the game as a “way out” of his overcrowded home and slept with a football in his bed until he was 25. They played like they could not believe their good fortune.
Even among the homegrown players, there was a mental toughness and an appreciation. The Neville brothers, dubbed the Nervous Brothers by Scholes, doubted themselves and devoted their lives accordingly, and though Giggs and Beckham were always going to make it, both suffered formative and exceptional adversity; not just the most fortunate natural talents of their generation, but also the most determined.
