“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
More after the break
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