Current EPL footballers who started in non-league football

The English Premier League is arguably the best football league in the world, and to make it to the top of the English football pyramid requires talent, dedication, and some luck. Some footballers have had to work through greater obstacles than most to get to the very top. 

The English Football League (EFL) consists of three divisions, with the leagues below considered non-league. Here are some of the most recognizable footballers in the Premier League who started their journeys in non-league football.

Jamie Vardy

The Leicester City legend is still going strong as a 35-year-old. While he may not be among the most prolific scorers at the top level right now, he still features among the names to win the top EPL scorer award with odds of 251.00 on the futures betting list at BetBuq, which is among the many sportsbooks powered by casino software provider PlaylogiQ. Those familiar with football betting will know how vital it is to have reliable futures markets alongside the regular weekly ones, and PlaylogiQ’s technical solutions have powered several new sportsbooks to offer them with ease and flexibility.

Before joining the Foxes in 2012 at the age of 25, he represented Stocksbridge Park Steels, FC Halifax Town, and Fleetwood Town. His transfer from Fleetwood Town to Leicester City was a non-league record transfer at the time. 

Having bagged goals at all of his former clubs, Vardy would go on to do the same for Leicester City. He helped the team win the Championship in 2014, and helped them survive in the Premier League in the next season, before playing a key part in Leicester City landing the most improbable Premier League title in the competition’s history in the 2015-16 season. 

Vardy’s goals in 11 consecutive games in that season is a Premier League record, and he has since gone on to become the oldest player to win the golden boot award in the side 2019-20. Vardy has also won the FA Cup with Leicester City and represented the England men’s team 26 times. 

Michail Antonio 

A real wayfarer, Michail Antonio is currently West Ham United’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League. Antonio started his football journey with non-league side Tooting & Mitcham United. He then earned a move to Reading in the Championship with the club sending him on multiple loan spells, which included spells at Cheltenham Town, Tooting & Mitcham for a second time, Southampton, Colchester United, and Sheffield Wednesday.

He got his big break at Sheffield Wednesday, who signed him in 2012. He was picked up by Nottingham Forest two years later, before signing for West Ham United in 2015. Initially used all over the pitch, Antonio cemented himself as a centre-forward with the arrival of David Moyes at the London Stadium. 

Jarrod Bowen

Another West Ham United player, Jarrod Bowen started his footballing journey with Hereford United in the Football Conference. The club was expelled after his first season at the club, which led to Hull City picking him up. At Hull, Bowen slowly grew into a top player before landing a move to West Ham United in January 2020.  

Bowen has since gone on to establish himself as one of the best left-footed wide players in the league. He ended the 2021-22 season as the Hammers’ top goalscorer in all competitions. This rapid rise has resulted in four England caps as well, although Bowen narrowly missed out on World Cup selection in November.