"Given the eventful nature of Troy Deeney's professional career, it should not come as a surprise that his pathway into the game did not always follow the conventional route. The 37-year-old hung up his boots in 2024, having made more than 700 professional appearances, with more than 200 goals to his name, via a spell in prison and a four-day spell on a ventilator during the COVID-19 pandemic."
"At 15, yeah, he explains. I was trying to be the cool kid. My mates were down at the local park playing football, a few of them smoked. I knew all of the birds were there and it was summer holidays, so I didn't want to go to Villa. I knew on the last day of the trial that there was a match, so I turned up on the first day and the last day, that was it."
Troy Deeney retired in 2024 after more than 700 professional appearances and over 200 goals. His career included time at Watford and Birmingham City where he became one of English football's most prolific strikers. Deeney experienced significant personal adversity, including a spell in prison and a four-day period on a ventilator during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was expelled from school as a teenager and missed a potential four-day trial at Aston Villa due to social pressures. Deeney developed his game in non-league Chelmsley Town, initially playing central midfield, learning physical aspects and 'the dark arts' of the adult game, which shaped his career.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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