Back Quote by Vinnie Jones

I played for Middlesbrough's youth team. At the age of 16, I went into a shed at the training ground and was told that…

— Bob Mortimer

Many clubs rejected me, but I wanted to be a footballer and to learn as quickly as possible, so I persisted until I got…

— Antoine Griezmann

I just loved kicking a ball but I was determined to be a footballer and I wanted a professional contract, I would go to…

— Demba Ba

I was at Watford and got a knock-back when I was 16 and didn't get a YTS contract. They said I could find another…

— Ashley Young

I went to every game at Ayresome Park until I joined Leeds as a schoolboy. I had to be ballboy and stuff at Leeds,…

— Jonathan Woodgate

When I was growing up they didn't want me to do it because my mother was a teacher - they wanted me to go…

— Kelechi Iheanacho

When I got cut from the National Football League, I had nowhere to go. I moved in with my parents until I got on…

— John Layfield

My parents wanted me to have a good education, so I finished school, and at the same time I was able to play football.

— Ilkay Gundogan

When I was 14, I started playing for Taye Academy in the city of Owerri, and then my whole life became football. I dreamed…

— Kelechi Iheanacho

I only started concentrating on football as a career when I left school at 18. I played golf for the Scottish and British boys' teams.

— Alan Hansen

My brother-in-law was a Tottenham fan. He introduced me to football and brought me to Tottenham. At the time I just wanted to play…

— Reiss Nelson

I started to play football when I was about 10; my father brought me to one school because there were more pitches where we…

— Edin Dzeko