The football world is full of inspiring stories. Still, few narratives capture the imagination like those of players who started in the rugged, unforgiving terrain of England’s Non-League and ascended to the big time. Current Brentford defender Ethan Pinnock once cut his teeth with Dulwich Hamlet and Forest Green Rovers, while West Ham talisman Jarrod Bowen made his name at Hereford United. However, some stars surpass even the Premier League, going on to feature under the bright lights of UEFA competition.
There is only one place to start, isn’t there? Few names are as synonymous with football’s Cinderella story as that of Jamie Vardy. The Leicester City forward’s rise from playing for Stocksbridge Park Steels to lifting the Premier League title and subsequently going on to grace the Champions League is the stuff of legend. The one-time Sheffield Wednesday trainee spent years balancing part-time goalscoring with a factory job, earning less than £40 a week for his footballing exploits.
Vardy’s leap to professional football came when Halifax Town spotted his talent. He made the move across Yorkshire for a paltry £15,000, going on to be a key figure for The Shaymen. He netted 25 goals as he led his new club to the Northern Premier League title, with his goalscoring exploits securing a move even further up the non-league system. Fleetwood Town paid £150,000 to take him across the Pennines and into the fifth tier, and he continued to bag with regular aplomb, resulting in Leicester City making him the first £1m non-league player in 2012.
The fairy tale didn’t stop there; after helping The Foxes gain promotion to the Premier League, Vardy was instrumental in their 2015–16 title-winning campaign as 5000/1 underdogs. Their unexpected triumph led Midlands-outfit into the Champions League, where Vardy netted a crucial away goal against Sevilla to set up a quarterfinal date with two-time finalists Atletico Madrid. Unfortunately, that was as good as it would get, and City bravely bowed out following a spirited 2-1 aggregate defeat, with Vardy netting Leicester’s only goal.
In the years since, the Sheffield-born striker has also played in the Europa League and the Conference League, as well as dropping down to the EFL Championship and immediately bouncing back to the top flight. For his conquerors Atletico however, they remain a European mainstay, and this season’s Champions League odds make them a 50/1 outsider to go all the way under Diego Simeone.
Chris Smalling’s footballing career began at Maidstone United, where he balanced schoolwork with the physical demands of Non-League football. At the time, he wasn’t the towering centre-back commanding a spot in England’s starting eleven. Instead, he was a young, lanky defender trying to make a name for himself. Ultimately, he would do exactly that.
Smalling’s big break came when scouts from Fulham recognized his potential and signed him in 2008. The deal was for an initial £10,000, plus an additional £10,000 for every Premier League appearance he made for the Cottagers. Ultimately, he wouldn’t make that many for them as his natural ability quickly shone through, triggering Manchester United to come calling.
The giant centre-half was thought to be the natural successor to Rio Ferdinand at the heart of the Red Devils’ defence, and he did his utmost to live up to the billing. He twice won the Premier League at Old Trafford, as well as reached the Champions League final in his maiden campaign with the club. That would ultimately end in defeat at the hands of Pep Guardiola’s prime Barcelona, but he would have his continental success years later.
Under Jose Mourinho, Smalling won the UEFA Europa League with United in 2017. The Special One would then be reunited with the Englishman in Roma, with the Italian faithful christening him “Smalldini.” The pair would win the Conference League together in 2022 before losing in controversial fashion in the Europa League final the following year.
