5 greatest rags-to-riches stories in football history
They say football is a beautiful game, but not all world-class footballers have privileged and beautiful beginnings.
The beautiful game is replete with several classic rags-to-riches stories, especially of players with humble beginnings going on to thrive at some of the biggest leagues and competitions in the game.
Over the years, football has been the gateway to a better life for many such players, some of them going on to etch their names in the history of the sport. On that note, here's a look at five such players in no particular order:
#5 Alphonso Davies
Alphonso Davies is a classic rags-to-riches story. Born to Liberian parents in a refugee camp in Canada, Davies impressed in the MLS and was soon spotted by European giants Bayern Munich.
But the Bavarian giants had to stave off competition from Manchester United, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain to land the precocious teenager in 2019. Bayern's sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said after signing Davies:
"Alphonso Davies is a very big talent, and has huge potential at just 17. Alphonso already possesses great ability, which is why a lot of top clubs were keen on him, and I'm delighted he has chosen FC Bayern."
Davies made just six appearances in 2019-20 before announcing himself the next season. The left-back, who was one of the standout performers in Bayern's treble-winning campaign that season, excelled at both ends of the field
Alphonso Davies wishes to captain Bayern Munich and also emulate his idol Lionel Messi and win the Ballon d'Or award, saying:
"To be Bayern captain would be unbelievable, but I have a lot still to learn, I have to play consistently to a top level. I've learned a lot already in terms of being a leader, but there's still more - I'm working on it. I'd also like to be a Ballon d'Or contender."
#4 Jamie Vardy
Leicester City scripted one of the most improbable league triumphs in the game's history when they won the 2015-16 Premier League title. The Foxes' triumph, after they struggled to escape relegation the previous season, was scripted by an unlikely protagonist, Jamie Vardy, who scored 24 league goals.
Vardy, who was rejected by Sheffield United as a 16-year-old, used to work at a carbon fibre factory during the day and play non-league football with Halifax Town at night, to make ends meet. The 34-year-old once said about those days:
“I worked as a carbon fibre technician. My work included the workers who made supporting tools for people with fractures. We worked hard and continued to lift items hundreds of times a day. The job really damaged my back. During the day I worked for hours then played football at night.”
He moved on to Fleetwood, where his goalscoring exploits caught the attention of then-Championship side Leicester City. The Foxes dished out £1 million - a record for a non-league player - in 2012 to land Vardy. Suffice to say, Vardy hasn't looked back after that.
After helping Leicester City win the 2013-14 Championship and gain promotion to the top tier, Vardy landed a bigger prize two years later when he became a Premier League champion.
The 34-year-old Vardy, who won the FA Cup this year, has scored an impressive 148 times for Leicester City, winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2019-20.