So many of the best forward players in the Premier League have grown up in academies from an early age. Catching the eye of a scout, they have been guided by top coaches and fast-tracked to make it on the biggest stage. However, for some players, the route to superstardom is a longer one and plenty of strikers have started their footballing career in non-League.
Clubs competing below the Football League in England have produced their fair share of talent with strikers operating at that level making the step up to play for the most famous sides in this country. This article will profile the strikers who have gone from playing in front of hundreds to thousands every week after climbing the pyramid.
Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy is perhaps the most well-known player to make the jump from non-League to the Premier League after being the talisman in Leicester’s extraordinary title triumph in 2016. Not only did he lead the club to lift the main prize in England having been tipped for relegation that season but the success also meant the Foxes played in the Champions League the following year.
Vardy was released by boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday at the age of 16 and dropped down to play for Stockbridge Steelers and was earning just £30 per week. Getting his real first-team chance in 2007, he went on to score 40 goals in 88 matches, From there he earned move to Halifax Town and then Fleetwood before Leicester, then in the second tier, broke the non-League record to sign him for £1million in 2012. The rest, as they say, is history.
Still doing the business in the top-flight of English football at the age of 37 having helped Leicester to promotion from the Championship last season, Vardy is again the favourite to score the most goals for his side this season. In November, the forward topped the charts with four strikes. Football fans looking to add an extra layer of excitement to games will be backing Vardy to find the net while exploring real money casino games for British players like poker and roulette. If you too are considering placing football wagers in addition to your usual gambling pursuits, be sure to check out a range of bonuses and promotions as such offers can enhance your gaming experience.
Ian Wright
Ian Wright is second only to Thierry Henry on the all-time list of Arsenal goalscorers but started out in non-League before making it in the big time at Highbury, the former ground of the Gunners, in the 1990s.
During his teenage years up to the age of 21, Wright played for amateur side and was the top scorer in the London and Kent Border Sunday League. It was only in 1985 when Wright was 22, that he signed a semi-pro deal with Greenwich Borough and it was here that he was spotted by a Crystal Palace scout. The young forward would go on to net 90 league goals for the Eagles, helping the club reach the 1990 FA Cup final where they lost to Manchester United in a replay at Wembley.
It was at Arsenal where Wright truly shined. The attacker scored a massive 185 goals in all competitions in 288 appearances and wrote his name into Gunners history. Not only that, but he also won the Premier League title in 1998, the FA Cup twice, the League and the Cup Winners’ Cup to become one of the most decorated strikers to play for Arsenal.
Les Ferdinand
The centre forward scored 149 goals in the Premier League era having played in the maiden campaign for Queens Park Rangers in 1992 and sits 12th in the all-time list of scorers. Also appearing for Newcastle, where he netted 25 times in 1995/96, Tottenham, West Ham, Leicester and Bolton, Ferdinand enjoyed a fine career in the top-flight. However, he didn’t make the leap to QPR until he was 20 having spent his formative football years in non-League.
Ferdinand, who was born in Acton, London started out with Viking Sports based in Middlesex before moving to Southall and making his debut in 1984 at the age of 17, and would later help the club reach the FA Vase final in 1986. Moving to Hayes that same year, the striker scored 19 goals in 33 league games which was enough to be spotted by The Hoops who signed Ferdinand for £50,000.
Having a long and storied Premier League career, Ferdinand won the League Cup with Spurs in 1997 and was named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 1996.
Wrapping Up
There have been plenty of iconic players down the years who have made the step up from non-League to the Premier League. As well as Wright, Vardy and Ferdinand, Kevin Phillips, who scored 30 goals in one season for Sunderland, is another who made the leap. Originally a defender for Southampton reserves, he was released and later played upfront for Baldock Town only because of an injury crisis. Troy Deeney, meanwhile, established himself as the top scorer in Watford history but spent the first two years with Chelmsley Town before another four seasons with Walsall.
So, next time you are watching you local non-League club, keep an eye on the main man leading the line as you never know, there is a chance they could be facing Manchester United and Liverpool in the big time in the not-too-distance future.
