Aaron Cresswell: Bouncing back from rejection

“I’ve been released by a pro academy and 
I’m finding it hard to deal with the rejection. How did you get back into the game?”

David Gibson, via Facebook

Aaron Cresswell says:

“I joined Liverpool’s academy when I was 12 but got released after just a couple of years, so 
I know how you feel. I found it very difficult to deal with – it was devastating. When you’re that age, you just want to enjoy your football; you don’t see 
it as something you’re going to do as a job for the rest of your life.When I told my dad I’d been let go he said, ‘It’s not the end of the world’ – but it was to me. 

To help me recover my confidence he encouraged me to get out there and carry on playing, so the next day I was out in the streets playing football with my mates, really enjoying the game again.

I never stopped believing in myself. I knew I had to keep going. The main thing I focused on was enjoyment and working hard. 

Eventually this paid off and 
I joined up with Tranmere Rovers 
and started working my way up. Now I’m where I want to be and 
I want to keep playing at this level 
for the rest of my career. I want to create some great memories. 

I wouldn’t change my journey. Everything I’ve been through helped me get to where I am today.”

For football tips see:

How to become a professional footballer

How to catch Wenger's eye
Harry Kane: How to make it pro
Toni Duggan: How to make it pro
Kieran Gibbs: How to make it pro
Theo Walcott: How to make it pro