Am I Too Old To Become A Pro Footballer

A common question we hear from young footballers playing in local or semi-professional leagues is ‘I’ve not not signed to a pro academy, is it too late for me to become a professional footballer?’

Of course, in answering this question it depends on your own perspective.

Are you talking about playing in the big international leagues like English Premier League, Serie A, or Bundesliga? Or do you just want to get paid to play football every week?

In any case, just because you haven’t signed to a pro academy as a teenager, doesn’t mean you’ll miss out on a career as a professional footballer.

While it’s true it does get harder to break through into the professional football scene as you get older, there are thousands of clubs around the world which play in semi-professional or professional football leagues, meaning there’s plenty of opportunities for players like you to sign a contract.

What’s more, there are numerous examples of players who didn’t sign their first professional contract, or play their first professional game of football until they were in their twenties.

Consider these famous footballers who started late, and became great.

Before he was setting goal-scoring records at Arsenal, Ian Wright was still plying his trade in Sunday league football until his early twenties.

It was just three months before his 22nd birthday that Wright signed his first professional contract, after being scouted by Crystal Palace, which were at that time competing in the second division.

The striker enjoyed a six-season stint at the London club before he made the move to Arsenal where he truly made a name for himself.

Though he’s now considered one of the greatest African players of the modern era – arguably even ever – Didier Drogba didn’t sign his first professional contract until he was 21.

Though born in Ivory Coast, Drogba moved to France as a child with his family.

When he was older, Drogba moved to Le Mans to study accounting at university, and though he pursued a senior contract for Ligue 2 side Le Mans, much of his early time at the club was marred by injury.

Ultimately, he made his way to Marseille where an impressive season caught the eye of Chelsea who signed him on for a record fee (at the time) of £24 million. He was 26 at the time.

There are few more famous stories in modern football than that of Jamie Vardy.

Now 34 years old, Vardy has amassed an impressive honours list – including an English Premier League title, English Premier League Player of the Season, English Premier League Golden Boot – when he was 24 years old, Vardy was playing in the 7th-tier league in England.