Some started at the bottom and worked their way up. Others dropped down later in their careers. All for the love of the game.
Either way, at one stage or another, non-league football has been home to some very famous footballers.
Here, a look at some of the high-profile players who featured for clubs at the bottom of the football pyramid…
32. Adam Webster
Before going on to become an important player for Brighton & Hove Albion, Adam Webster had spells at Portsmouth, Ipswich Town and Bristol City.
During his time at Pompey, the centre-back went out on loan to non-league Aldershot Town and made 24 appearances for the Shots in 2013/14.
31. Dave Beasant
Dave Beasant was part of England’s squad at the 1990 World Cup and became the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in an FA Cup final when he stopped John Aldridge’s spot-kick in a 1-0 win for Wimbledon over Liverpool in 1988.
Beasant spent nine years at Wimbledon and also had spells at Chelsea, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest and Southampton, among others. But his first and last appearances came in non-league football – at local club Edgware Town in 1978/79 and with North Greenford United in 2013.
30. Nacho Novo
Nacho Novo began his career in Spain but made his name in Scotland, where he impressed in two seasons at Dundee and in a six-year spell at Rangers,
Novo ended his career in 2017 after a season with Glentoran in Northern Ireland, but the Spanish forward came out of retirement in 2020 to play for non-league Biggleswade United.
29. Guy Whittingham
Guy Whittingham scored prolifically for Portmouth in two spells on the south coast, netting 42 league goals in 1992/93 as Pompey narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League.
Before joining Portsmouth, Whittingham played for non-league sides Waterlooville and Yeovil Town. After leaving Fratton Park the first time, the striker had spells at Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday in the Premier League.
28. Kevin Phillips
Kevin Phillips famously scored 30 Premier League goals for Sunderland in the 1999/2000 season. But earlier in his career, he was not even a striker.
At non-league Baldock Town, Phillips was playing as a defender when an injury crisis saw him move into the attack. He scored twice in his first game and went on to sign for Watford. During his time at Sunderland, Phillips played eight times for England.
27. Troy Deeney
Born in Birmingham, Troy Deeney was invited to a four-day trial by Aston Villa as a 15-year-old, but skipped three days as he knew there would be a game on the final day. He was not offered a contract.
While working as a bricklayer, Deeney played for non-league side Chelmsley Town for two years. He joined Walsall in 2006, but had a spell on loan in non-league again, this time with Halesowen Town. After leaving Walsall in 2010, he spent 11 years at Watford.
26. Trevor Brooking
Trevor Brooking is a West Ham legend and the former England midfielder spent his entire professional career at Upton Park, winning two FA Cups and making over 500 appearances.
Brooking, who was also capped 47 times by England, wound down his career in 1984 and appeared for a number of amateur sides. He played once for Manurewa in New Zealand, turned out for Blue Star in a Wearside League game, featured six times for Western Australian outfit Kelmscott and represented Cork City on two occasions.
25. Steve Bull
Steve Bull spent almost all of his career with Wolves and the former striker is a legend at Molineux, where he stayed loyal despite offers to play in the top flight.
Bull started out at non-league club Tipton Town, whose manager recommended him to West Brom. The former England striker signed for the Baggies, but was soon sold to their rivals Wolves in what turned out to be a huge error of judgement. Two years after leaving Molineux, Bull had a brief spell in the Conference with Hereford United.
24. Julian Dicks
Julian Dicks was a fan favourite at West Ham in two long spells at the club, either side of a short stint at Liverpool, and the left-back was unfortunate not to win an England cap in a successful career.
Two years after leaving West Ham for the second time in 1999, Dicks came out of retirement to play for non-league Canvey Island and helped the club knock two league teams, Wigan Athletic and Northampton Town, out of the FA Cup.
23. Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce came to prominence at Nottingham Forest in the mid-1980s, but the no-nonsense left-back had already been around for a few years by then.
Before joining Forest, Pearce spent two years at Coventry City. Prior to that, he had combined playing for non-league club Wealdstone with his training and work as an electrician. He went on to win 78 caps for England.
22. Julio Arca
Julio Arca was born in Argentina and represented his nation at youth level, but later settled in the northeast of England, where he played for long spells with Sunderland and Middlesbrough.
A wing-back or midfielder, Arca went on to play for non-league South Shields between 2015 and 2018 and later became manager of the sixth-tier club.
21. John Barnes
John Barnes was playing for Sudbury Court in the Middlesex League when he was spotted by a taxi driver, who alerted a scout. Soon, he was on his way to Watford.
After a successful trial game for Watford’s reserves, Barnes signed for the Hornets in 1981. The fee? A set of kits. The winger went on to become a legend at Watford, then at Liverpool, and one of England’s best players of the 1980s and 1990s.
20. Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling only made 19 appearances for Fulham, but the centre-back impressed enough to earn a move to Manchester United and spent 10 years at Old Trafford. He was also capped 31 times by England during that period.
Prior to his spell at Craven Cottage, Smalling had been playing for Maidstone United in the Isthmian League Premier Division. After leaving Manchester United, he signed for Roma and won the Europa Conference League with the Serie A side.
19. Gerry Armstrong
Gerry Armstrong won 63 caps for Northern Ireland and among his 12 goals was perhaps the most famous strike in the nation’s history – a winner against Spain at the 1982 World Cup.
At club level, the forward had spells at Tottenham, Watford, Real Madrid and Brighton. After leaving the Seagulls, he later returned to the area in the role of player-manager at non-league Worthing and ended his career with a short stint at Whitehawk.
18. Pascal Chimbonda
Pascal Chimbonda won a League Cup during his time at Tottenham and was part of the France squad which finished as runners-up in the 2006 World Cup.
After a long career spent in France and England, the left-back went on to represent a number of non-league teams, including Washington, Ashton Town and Skelmersdale United – the latter as player-manager.
17. Jermaine Pennant
Jermaine Pennant’s colourful career took him to Arsenal, Liverpool and Stoke; to India, Spain and Singapore; and finally to non-league Billericay Town.
“I’ve seen things I don’t think anyone else has seen in football,” he told The Guardian in 2017. The winger left the Essex-based club after four months and just 15 appearances.
16. Paul Merson
One of the most talented midfielders of his generation, Paul Merson helped Arsenal win two First Division titles in a successful spell at the club.
Merson, who also played for Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Portsmouth, won 21 caps for England. Later, he had brief stays at non-league sides Tamworth, Welshpool Town, Caerau and Hanworth Villa.
15. Joe Hart
Long before playing for England and winning the Premier League with Manchester City, Joe Hart started his career with hometown club Shrewsbury Town.
Hart’s first two appearances for the Shrews came in the Conference and he later established himself as first choice in League Two before a move to City in 2006.
14. Yannick Bolasie
Yannick Bolasie’s career has taken him to Malta, Turkey, Belgium and Portugal; to Crystal Palace, Everton, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough; and to non-league football.
The France-born winger, who represents DR Congo at international level, began his career at Hillingdon Borough and had spells on loan at Rushden & Diamonds (where he started out as a youth player) and Barnet during his time at Plymouth Argyle.
13. Jordan Pickford
During his early years at Sunderland, Jordan Pickford left the Stadium of Light for a number of loan spells, and among those were non-league Darlington and Alfreton Town.
The England goalkeeper made a combined 29 appearances for those clubs and speaking later about his Darlington debut in 2012, he said: “I started becoming a man from that day.”
12. Lee Sharpe
Lee Sharpe made 243 appearances for Manchester United in a hugely successful spell at Old Trafford, before moving to Leeds in 1996.
The winger’s later years were less successful and blighted by injuries and after a short stint in Iceland’s second tier with Grindavik, he played for Kidderminster Sunday League side Hoobrook Crown and finished his career at non-league Garforth Town in the Northern Counties East Premier League.
11. Tanguy Ndombele
Tanguy Ndombele was one of Europe’s most sought-after players during his time at Lyon, eventually moving to Tottenham as the club’s record signing for £63 million in the summer of 2019.
But between 2014 and 2016, the midfielder had been playing for Amiens B in the Championnat National 3, the fifth tier in France’s football pyramid.
10. Callum Wilson
Callum Wilson came through the youth system at Coventry City and was sent on loan by the Sky Blues to Conference Premier clubs Kettering Town and then Tamworth.
The England striker moved to Bournemouth in 2014 and after six years on the south coast, he signed for Newcastle United in 2020.
9. Matt Le Tissier
Matt Le Tissier rejected a number of offers from top Premier League clubs in his career, including Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool, to stay with Southampton.
After making more than 500 appearances for the Saints and scoring over 200 goals, Le Tissier left the club in 2002 and had a spell with fifth-tier club Eastleigh. He also played one game for Guernsey, where he was born and grew up, in 2013.
8. Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes spent the whole of his professional career at Manchester United, even coming out of retirement to help out the club in a second spell before eventually retiring in 2013.
The former England midfielder later played three matches for his son’s team Royton Town, in the Manchester Football League Premier Division, in 2018.
7. Les Ferdinand
Before spells at Queen’s Park Rangers, Newcastle and Tottenham, Les Ferdinand started his career in non-league football with Viking Sports.
The former England striker then moved to Southall and reached the FA Vase final in 1986. After scoring 20 goals in 42 games for Hayes, he was spotted by QPR and joined the Hoops for £50,000 in 1987.
6. Michail Antonio
Long before becoming West Ham’s all-time top scorer in the Premier League and a Europa Conference League winner with the Irons, Michail Antonio began his career in non-league football.
Antonio broke through at Tooting and Mitcham United at the age of 17 and signed for Reading in 2008. The Jamaican international had a number of spells out on loan, before playing for Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and then West Ham after a £7 million move.
5. George Best
George Best left Manchester in 1974 and played for a variety of clubs in different places – including Cork Celtic, Los Angeles Aztecs, Fulham, Hibenian, Brisbane Lions and Bournemouth.
But his first port of call was non-league Dunstable Town. With the club bottom of the Southern League Division One North and attendances below 50, manager Barry Fry invited Best to play for the non-league club and was stunned when he agreed to feature in two friendlies. The first was played against Manchester United’s reserves and the second versus Cork Celtic. Thousands watched in disbelief. Best later played a third game against Luton Town to raise money for the players.
4. Socrates
Socrates was an atypical footballer, a cult hero who is recalled for his central role in Brazil’s memorable 1982 World Cup side – and for his lax attitude towards training.
A heavy drinker and a smoker, Socrates was persuaded to play for non-league Garforth Town as a 50-year-old in 2004 by owner Simon Clifford. The legendary playmaker signed up for a month, but featured for only 12 minutes for the west Yorkshire club in a 2-2 draw against Tadcaster. “It was far too cold, the second I got out there I had an incredible headache. I’m just not used to it,” he said.
3. Chris Waddle
Chris Waddle won 62 caps for England in a successful career which featured spells at Newcastle, Tottenham, Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday. But he had to start at the bottom.
The winger was working in food processing at a seasoning factory while playing for non-league Tow Law Town. After unsuccessful trials with Sunderland and Coventry City, he signed for Newcastle as a 19-year-old in 1980 for £1,000. Later, he spent two seasons with non-league Worksop Town, before brief spells with Glapwell, Stocksbridge Park Steels and Hallam – the latter in English football’s 10th tier.
2. Jamie Vardy
Jamie Vardy played a starring role in Leicester City’s Premier League title triumph in 2015/16, but the England international had spent his entire career in non-league prior to signing for the Foxes in 2012.
After he was released by boyhood club Sheffield Wednesday, Vardy went on to play for Stocksbridge Park Steels, before spells at Halifax Town and Fleetwood Town. His transfer to Leicester from the Conference club, for a reported fee of £1 million, was a non-league record.
1. Ian Wright
Ian Wright hit 185 goals for Arsenal in 288 games in a successful seven-year spell with the Gunners, becoming a fan favourite and a legend at the north London club.
The former England striker spent seven seasons at Crystal Palace before that, but played for Sunday League side Ten-em-Bee up until the age of 21 and then signed for non-league Greenwich Borough in 1985. Paid £30 a week, he moved to Palace later in the year and never looked back.
