Has anyone on here played professionally?

Ric said:
A friend of mine who played in the same junior side as me is probably the best natural talent I’ve ever shared a pitch with. It was obvious from a very young age that he was streets ahead of everyone. He was the best player in our league, and then for Stockport schoolboys, then his county, and then England u-15s. A long story short, despite his prodigious talent he didn’t make it as a pro and just ended up playing non-league for a while. Always makes me think just how fucking good even the very shittest players in the league must be though, relatively speaking. We scoff at some players, but football is an industry where you don’t simply fluke your way to the top. 99.9% of those in academies don’t make it, so anyone who goes on to play either professionally or even semi-professionally must be fucking brilliant.
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This. My young nephew is a great player. Hopefully joining counties academy when this is over.

Anyway... he was always by a million miles the best player for his sunday teams as a 11-12 year old. We all thought he had a ‘chance’. Eventually went for training with City and i went to watch him at the velodrome (dunno why there). He suddenly looked decidedly average amongst his peers. A good player but probs the most average on show.

So, hes a great little player, may make semi pro (hes still only 16) but was so far behind the better players it was startling
 
Ric said:
A friend of mine who played in the same junior side as me is probably the best natural talent I’ve ever shared a pitch with. It was obvious from a very young age that he was streets ahead of everyone. He was the best player in our league, and then for Stockport schoolboys, then his county, and then England u-15s. A long story short, despite his prodigious talent he didn’t make it as a pro and just ended up playing non-league for a while. Always makes me think just how fucking good even the very shittest players in the league must be though, relatively speaking. We scoff at some players, but football is an industry where you don’t simply fluke your way to the top. 99.9% of those in academies don’t make it, so anyone who goes on to play either professionally or even semi-professionally must be fucking brilliant.
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You have to be very good. When I was young my school team used to play against Yew Tree from Northernden and Paul Stewart was in there side, he was head and shoulders above anybody else in the two sides. We later were both at trials for Manchester boys in 1978. Unfortunately for me Paul played in my position so there was no way I was getting picked. I met him again in February, he was doing an after dinner and I had a brief chat about them school matches With him.
 
peoffrey said:
He can do all that after he retired. Playing football is the dream of many a man. I bet you’d have done it.
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I could have knuckled down playing for the youth team of a non-league side whose team often fed S****horpe United’s academy. On occasion had scouts from Doncaster, Hull and S****horpe watching me and several others.

I quit as the pressure was stinking even at that level. There was hardly any fun in it, coaches were arseholes and you were giving shit for every mistake. I was trained by S****horpe’s goalkeeper coach a couple times a week, and he outlined exactly what I’d have to do, and where I could end up. And that’s if I was very lucky.

Fair play to those who want to do it and can stick it, but as fit as I was and as much as I learned, I fucking hated playing and training for them and Saturday and Sunday matches turned me a ball of anxiety.

For me, I was out and went to play with my mates before failing to give a toss about playing again until my mid 20s. The only side I regret is fitness, nothing else.

Based on my rather small, low down the ladder experience, I’d never judge anyone for choosing their own path.
 
I knew a lad who's younger brother played for England school boys. He was at a premiere league academy and got 1 contract so left there at 17.

That was enough to set him up for a decent career in semi pro / non league and he was earning more than most of his mates through his 20s but never got back in the league. I think he just found his level and enjoyed it.
 
A mate at work won a scholarship to a college in Spartanburg, South Carolina, but had a bad injury (he fucked his ankle or knee n I can’t remember which) shortly after arriving there, and that was that.

I asked him if he thought he would have made it if he hadn’t sustained the injury, but he was not sure.
 
Had a friend at school who was far and away the best schoolboy player I ever saw, played for England Schoolboys (scoring a bunch of goals for them) ended up signing for Watford(when Graham Taylor was there the first time), had a major falling out with the club apparently had real attitude problems and felt as an England international he should not be treated like the other apprentices. Ended up leaving Watford for Layton Orient and hit the booze pretty hard and was out of the professional game before he was 20, really sad story to be honest, just goes to show you that talent only takes you so far.
 
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manimanc said:
I think 99.9% of us men are all failed footballers and rock stars to a certain degree.
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It’s a tough choice. Music is an abhorrent industry but a hit record will make you for life. Deep down, I’d like to have played slightly more but having tens of thousands of people singing your song at Wembley would be incredible too.
 
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