Have you ever played with or against someone who's made it?

[Sifu]

My mate played with Anthony Stokes. Yeah.

[Away Toon]

At school played with Gary Rowell who you could tell was going to be very good and a professional when he was around 12-13. The best player we had was Neil Richardson who signed school boy terms with the mackems but who never played due to injuries.

[Consortium of one]

Shep Messing came and spoke at my high school's soccer club post season dinner in 1977.  He had done a photo shoot earlier that day in Manhattan with Christie Brinkley.  After the dinner we all went up and talked to him.  He was going on and on about what a great rack she had...

[Ketsbaia]

My mate's dad was Gazza's teacher and his mam went out with Bryan Robson.

 

Thats about it.

[SEMTEX]

Played football with Chopra once. I don't think he was really allowed to play at school so he was obviously rebelling at the time. He just blasted the ball from miles away whenever he got the ball.

 

Jumpers for goalposts too so there was no chance anyone was saying they went "under the bar".

[Newcastle Fan]

Not me but my Brother was playing in a random charity tournament here in Bahrain and Kevin Davis started upfront for the side playing against them, that was back when he was at his peak too, scored 4 goals.

[Ronaldo]

Sound more like a purple patch than his peak, that, like.

[Hughesy]

Played in a cup final down in South East against Shaun Wright-Phillips.  Ian Wright was watching.  Think we lost 3-1.

[powellnufc]

Trained with Steven Caulker a couple of times

[Kanj]

Played in a friendly against The American legend that is Freddy Adu. He was f***ing brilliant that day (then).

 

Good chance I played Graham Zusi as well...shiiet

[NEEJ]

Played against Kazenga Lua Lua when he was at Benfield school. We used to tonk them 10-0 every time and he's just sit on the sidelines talking to his mates while the game was in play. Had his name written on his boots in pen as well, classy.

Trained once with Sammy Ameobi when he was a lot smaller and playing for Walker Central and Brian Clark brought him along. Didn't do much. 

[Robbo]

Played against Kazenga Lua Lua when he was at Benfield school. We used to tonk them 10-0 every time and he's just sit on the sidelines talking to his mates while the game was in play. Had his name written on his boots in pen as well, classy.

Trained once with Sammy Ameobi when he was a lot smaller and playing for Walker Central and Brian Clark brought him along. Didn't do much. 

 

thought it was Wallsend, I obviously wasn't a very attentive kid 

[Guest dazzanufc1892]

i was lucky enough to play at  ahigh level and also attend the school where man utd send their youths.

 

So i played alongside Jonny evans, chris eagles, kieran richardson, danny drinkwater. Also danny rose who is at oxford, great players, highly under-rated.

[WarrenBartonCentrePartin]

Oh aye - and saw Lee Clark play against my school year (25 years ago) when I think he was playing for Walker HS? Ran the show for the first half (no-one could get near him)-  they were 2-1 up. His manager than took him off at HT as he was supposed to be playing for Newcastle reserves later that night and wor lot came back to win 5-2. Show how much of an influence he had. I used to go to Bedlingon HS, btw - had a canny team that year. I was never good enough to play, but I used to train with them, etc.

 

My grandad was Clark's headteacher at Walkergate Primary.

[LucaAltieri]

I used to be mates with a lad who was on the books at Darlington back when they were in the 3rd division. Don't think he ever made a first team appearance. Just as well, really, as I used to boss him. He was 5ft nowt.

[LucaAltieri]

Also think I might have come up against Ross Turnbull (formerly of Boro and Chelsea) before he started playing in goal.

[Kasper]

Just Joona Toivio as a kid, centerback who plays for Molde in Norway and Finnish national team.

[Boey_Jarton]

Grant Leadbitter.  Went to the same summer coaching school I did when I was a kid.

 

Regularly played 5-a-side against Michael Mackay who was playing for Consett at the time.  He then got picked up by Hartlepool.  He completely took the p*ss.

 

I played a few 5 a side matches against Michael Mackay at Chester le street on a Sunday morning. He took the piss out of all of us too- awesome pace. Mind you, I'm pretty sure he was the only player who hadn't spent the previous day on a 12 hour bender.

[Dyeyzzon]

Not me, though one of my best mates got a chance to train with the LA Galaxy squad during their preseason tour here in Manila. Included Beckham, Donovan, Keane, etc. Was proper envious, though it must be said he paid a hell of a fortune to get that chance.

[Mick]

Also think I might have come up against Ross Turnbull (formerly of Boro and Chelsea) before he started playing in goal.

 

I knew Ross, he used to come and watch a 5 a side team I played for because his cousin also played.  He wanted to play but Boro wouldn't let him and he would have been fined if he'd played.

 

I've played 11 and 5 a side with somebody who went on to play almost 300 games for us, I was trained by a World Cup winner, managed by a mackem who scored against us at St James' Park, I watched a future England keeper and played Pool regularly with a Spurs footballer from the 80's.

 

I think that's about it.

[Sifu]

Ah just remembered, I did actually play with Jamie Mole back at primary school, mainly at the football parties we used to have back in the day.

[Fenham Mag]

Had a kickabout with Neymar on a school trip to Brazil.

[Tooj]

Knew you were a posh kernt like.

[Pixelphish]

[madras]

played a bit in kids knock about games with shaun murray (once just about the most sought after schoolboy footballer in the country), went to spurs straight from school, then to pompey, for whom he played at SJP, then drifted to scarbrough, blackpool, notts county I think, real nice lad.

 

chris basham when he was about 14 or 15 for his dads works team, he was probably the best on the pitch even at that age.