Olympic gold medalist Greg Rutherford MBE has revealed he nearly joined Aston Villa as a youngster after having had trials.
Speaking to the Telegraph, Rutherford admitted that he was never meant to be a footballer, regardless of the trials.
I had a football trial (at Aston Villa) when I was a kid but it didn’t work out. Football wasn’t the sport for me. We’d travel up on the train and then go home. I didn’t enjoy it and I never had the impetus to train.
Rutherford admits that looking back, he made the right decision to go with athletics.
Looking back as an adult, I know it would be great to be a professional footballer but I never would have enjoyed it in the way I love track and field.
The athlete is now more known for his long jumping ability, having won gold in London 2012 as well as winning a Bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Rutherford’s other notable achievements include winning gold at the 2014 and 2016 European Championships, as well as winning golf in the 2015 World Championships.
It is not uncommon for an athlete to have tested the water in other sports. Olympic sprinter Adam Gemili gave up a career as a footballer with Dagenham & Redbridge. During his youth career, Gemili spent seven years in Chelsea’s academy before moving to Reading back in 2008.
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