Gary Neville: Promising cricketer turned football legend

Gary Neville (R) played alongside Matthew Hayden during his time as a cricketer.

Manchester United veteran Gary Neville maybe an iconic figure in the world of football, but there is one side to him people are completely unaware of. Not many know that Gary was an excellent cricketer before he joined Old Trafford to make his mark as a footballer.

As a teenager, Neville was a part of the Greenmount Cricket Club and quickly made his way up the ranks to join the first team and participated in the Bolton League. Many of his peers still insist that had he not chosen a career in football, he would have become a great club cricketer. He had a very attacking style of batting, was a useful medium pace bowler and also an excellent fielder.

Around the age of 15, Neville made a name for himself as a promising cricketer and also played for the Lancashire under-14 team. As he improved his skills, he joined club cricket and played with cricket legend Matthew Hayden and West Indian great Franklyn Stephenson. During the Hamer Cup semi finals in 1992, Neville, in a partnership with Hayden, scored 109 runs.

But during the under-15 Bunbury cricket festival, he injured his finger. After this incident, Neville slowly moved on to follow his dream of playing football for his dream club, Manchester United.