The footballer's journey: Are there any true rag to riches stories?

[steve zizou]

Inspired by the Jamie Vardy story.​

You may have struggled to miss it recently, but as the media countlessly reminded us; 3 years ago, Vardy was playing for Fleetwood Mac in the conference. Yet there he was, strutting his stuff in the premier league, and scoring against Manchester United! The ultimate rags to riches story. Or is it?

You hear about such stories in football like Chris Smalling's* rise through the leagues, or Dwight Gayle, who used to play for Stansted Airport 11. As impressive as they sound, none of them will ever match that of Santiago Munez. Well, that's because he's fictional! Also because the afore mentioned players are all bang average. This goes to show that there are no "real" rags to riches football stories.

But alas, I could wrong. In which case, has there been a player who has risen from the doldrums of mediocrity to becoming a elite footballer?

The best example I can give is Robert Lewandowski. From the Polish 3rd division to Bayern Munich.
*Also, although Smalling moved from Maidstone United to Manchester United (via Fulham), we cannot really count him as an elite player (yet).

So, are there any others? Feel free to chronicle the player's playing history.

 

[acnumber9]

Ian Wright played non league until his early twenties if I remember right.

 

[Dans]

Cantona played for Leeds and then joined us.

 

[Deleted member 78215]

Van Persie?

 

[17Larsson]

Paul McGraths story is amazing

 

[Balu]

Ribery still worked construction to earn additional money when he was 19 or 20 and played for a team in the 5th division in France.

 

[Welsh Wonder]

Klose didn't play professionally until he was like 20 did he? World Cup all time top scorer, not bad going.

 

[thelemon]

Cantona played for Leeds and then joined us.

 

[GloryHunter07]

Wasnt Stuart Pearce a non league footballer and Electrician until his mid twenties?

 

[Lothar]

I vaguely remember some carpenter in Italy who got his break at 25-26 or something in Serie A.

 

[Eboue]

Koscielny was in ligue 2 at 24.

 

[steve zizou]

Cantona played for Leeds and then joined us.

No really, it would be nice if you could list their career journey. For E.g I checked up on Ribery and his career goes: Boulogne > Alès > Stade Brestois > Metz > Galatasaray > Marseille > Bayern Munich. This is the perfect scenario I was seeking where every subsequent club is of relatively higher quality.

 

[Hound Dog]

I think it's disrespectful to call anyone playing in the Premier League average. Ok, Gayle, Vardy etc are far from being at the elite level but, looking at their profession as a whole, they have both had amazing careers, and playing in the top flight is a huge success.

When it comes to the subject of the thread, I am amazed no one has mentioned Ricky Lambert.

 

[|Neo|x]

Steve Finnan was playing in league 2 at the age of 22 and went on to win the Champions League just after turning 29.

 

[Shaydee]

Maybe no riches but Thiago Martins went from sleeping on the beach in California to playing in MLS and Norway.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thiago_Martins

 

[HabeasC]

As someone said above, Ricky Lambert is a pretty good example - although I am not sure you can call playing for Liverpool 'riches'.

 

[Dans]

Bebe?

 

[Mr Pigeon]

Cantona played for Leeds and then joined us.

Quality.

 

[Vooon]

I vaguely remember some carpenter in Italy who got his break at 25-26 or something in Serie A.

It could be you're thinking of Moreno Torricelli. The guy went from playing in an amateur league and working in a factory at the age of 22, to winning the UEFA-cup with Juventus in his debut season. Later the CL and pretty much everything else there is to win at club level, also got ten caps for Italy, including making the squads for the Euro 96 and the 98 WC. How does Vardy like them apples?

 

[thepolice123]

Bebe?

Wasn't Bebe like homeless a few months before he joined us?

That is what you'd call a meteoric rise.

 

[jim]

I vaguely remember when we played Leverkusen in the Champions League, many many years ago (possibly when Ballack played for them), a commentator mentioning that one of the Leverkusen players had been a decorator or something until a couple of years earlier.

I emphasise the word vaguely, but maybe someone else recalls?

 

[Sixpence]

Hardly rags. Fleetwood spent the most money on wages ever seen in the Conference, they literally came from the pub leagues to the Conference within 5 years. Vardy was hot property at Halifax, went for megabucks in terms of Non League and was then on a small fortune at Fleetwood. Teams wanted him in January 2012 but Fleetwood had that much money they could afford to turn down offers approaching a million for him, then sold him in that summer.

 

[Mr Anderson]

Charlie Austin was a brickey at 21 wasn't he?

 

[limerickcitykid]

Joe Lolley moved up like 9 divisions in 18 months. He actually had thousands of posts on a Villa forum and played kick-about with the forum team.

 

[Ibi Dreams]

Wasn't Bebe like homeless a few months before he joined us?

That is what you'd call a meteoric rise.

I think that was exaggerated a bit. He is an orphan and lived in the care of the church and then in an orphanage, not on the streets or anything. Still certainly coming from very humble and hard beginnings though

 

[gormless]

Evra played for Monza in Serie C1 club called Masarala or something like that.
And didn't Drogba spend the first 5 or so years of his career bopping around the French lower leagues being fairly shit?

 

[Grib]

Klose didn't play professionally until he was like 20 did he? World Cup all time top scorer, not bad going.

Don't know about Klose, but the man himself Jaap Stam didn't sign for a professional club until he was 24 I think, he's done alright for himself

*edit* 20 is seems, still impressive enough

 

[MTR]

I think that was exaggerated a bit. He is an orphan and lived in the care of the church and then in an orphanage, not on the streets or anything. Still certainly coming from very humble and hard beginnings though

Wasn't Nani actually the same?

 

[Blackwidow]

Jose Holebas

Stopped football with 19 because he got his girlfriend pregnant. Then started football again after a year in really the lowest league in which clubs of one small town play the club of their neighbour town.

With 21/22 he played in the Landesliga Bayern - fifth league. Then switched to 1860 into their second team, 4th league - a year later to their first team in the second league. From 1860 he went to Olympiakos Piräus with 26, made his debut for the Greek national team (his father is Greek, his mother from Uruguay, he grew up in Germany) with 27, participated in the European Cup and the World Cup, the Champions League - and this season with 30 he transferred to AS Rome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Holebas

 

[Q80]

Grant Holt - part time factory worker to premiere league player (well, for a season)

 

[Bole Top]

Bebe, ofc.

 

[Dirty Schwein]

Wasn't Bebe like homeless a few months before he joined us?

That is what you'd call a meteoric rise.

Nope. A metoric rise is my cock when I saw those nude pics of Jennifer Lawrence

 

[dwd]

Geoff Horsfield was a part-time bricklayer whilst playing in the Conference for Halifax Town at the age of 25. He worked his way up the leagues with Fulham and Birmingham City, eventually playing in the Premier League with the latter.

 

[AKDevil]

Charlie Austin, rickie lambert.

 

[Glanville95]

As someone said above, Ricky Lambert is a pretty good example - although I am not sure you can call playing for Liverpool 'riches'.

He went from non-league football, to Southampton and then to Liverpool. Must be the only player to go full circle.

I know he played for clubs inbetween non-league football and Southampton, Liverpool fans.

 

[BorisontheRock]

Evra played for Monza in Serie C1 club called Masarala or something like that.
And didn't Drogba spend the first 5 or so years of his career bopping around the French lower leagues being fairly shit?

Drogba is a great shout, started late, at 21, in French league 2 (Le Mans) at knocked about there until Chelsea plucked him from virtual obscurity, obvious a nice twist with Mourinho bringing him back to Chelsea after his champions league audition last season!

 

[BorisontheRock]

Riches to rags story - Ravel Morrison

 

[Snow]

Lewandowski isn't a rag to riches kind of dude. Went from the biggest team in Poland (or one of the biggest) to the Bundesliga. Not everyone grows up at a premier league club but that hardly makes them rags. If that's the case then every player from Iceland would fit this kind of story. There's one Icelander that certainly does fit this bill.

Hermann Hreiðarsson didn't have a youth career. He only first took up football when he was about 17. Played his first game for ÍBV when he was 19 and went straight from the small island to Crystal Palace in the PL at 23. No player in Iceland makes that kind of jump.

Guðjohnsen was younger when he went to England but he had a dad that was a pro, played football all his life, was expected to do good things (alongside a young Ronaldo at PSV) but injuries stopped him for a bit. Also helped that Guðni Bergsson was at Bolton and knew who he was. They signed him despite him being fat and unfit.

 

[cesc's_mullet]

Inspired by the Jamie Vardy story.​

You may have struggled to miss it recently, but as the media countlessly reminded us; 3 years ago, Vardy was playing for Fleetwood Mac in the conference. Yet there he was, strutting his stuff in the premier league, and scoring against Manchester United! The ultimate rags to riches story. Or is it?

You hear about such stories in football like Chris Smalling's* rise through the leagues, or Dwight Gayle, who used to play for Stansted Airport 11. As impressive as they sound, none of them will ever match that of Santiago Munez. Well, that's because he's fictional! Also because the afore mentioned players are all bang average. This goes to show that there are no "real" rags to riches football stories.

But alas, I could wrong. In which case, has there been a player who has risen from the doldrums of mediocrity to becoming a elite footballer?

The best example I can give is Robert Lewandowski. From the Polish 3rd division to Bayern Munich.
*Also, although Smalling moved from Maidstone United to Manchester United (via Fulham), we cannot really count him as an elite player (yet).

So, are there any others? Feel free to chronicle the player's playing history.

Ian Wright, playing for lower leagues until he was 24 I believe.

Edit: Signed by Crystal Palace at 22, after previously playing for Greenwich Borough.

 

[cesc's_mullet]

Drogba is a great shout, started late, at 21, in French league 2 (Le Mans) at knocked about there until Chelsea plucked him from virtual obscurity, obvious a nice twist with Mourinho bringing him back to Chelsea after his champions league audition last season!

Drogba has a huge season at Marseille (I think) before being signed by Chelsea. A lot of teams were interested in him at the time.