Lee Trundle has never been your usual by-the-numbers footballer.
For a time, the former Swansea City favourite was one of the most recognisable players in English football, despite never making it to the Premier League, thanks largely to his regular appearances on Soccer AM's 'Showboat' segment throughout the mid-2000s.
The forward could never resist delving into his bag of tricks every week, but behind the grin and playmaking ability was a player who took an unconventional route to the professional game.
Trundle on the height of his fame
Trundle admits that his dazzling array of tricks, feints and dummies during his peak years made him box-office viewing.
“It was a mad time because there were many Premier League players, let alone Football League players, that didn’t have the level of fame I did,” Trundle recalls to FourFourTwo. “I was only playing for Swansea in League One but I was recognised all the time.”
Trundle insists that this level of freedom he played with was due to his late introduction to the professional game, given he didn't sign any professional papers until he joined Rhyl at the age of 24.
“I hadn’t had any of the coaching that might have knocked that part of my game out of me,” he says. “I was still essentially a street footballer. My coaches saw that as a good thing, thankfully, and just told me to go out and express myself. That’s what earned me my move to Wrexham and then to Swansea.”
Trundle scored 91 goals across two spells with the Swans, cementing himself as a club legend and still serving as an ambassador. “I still live in Wales, which is why I am still playing here now,” he says. “A lot of people just assume I’m Welsh. They’re shocked when they hear the scouse accent.”
As Trundle mentions, he is still playing now, turning out for Cwmbran Town in the Welsh League on a Saturday and for a veterans team on a Sunday, having just celebrated his 50th birthday.
“It’s amazing, I still love it,” says Trundle. “What’s mad is, I’m now playing with a lot of the kids of old team-mates of mine, so it’s kind of gone full circle. A lot of them know me already from old YouTube videos and things, which is nice.”
This begs the obvious question - will he still be playing when he turns 60?
“I’m not sure about that,” he laughs. “I kind of had 50 in my mind as a goal I wanted to reach, but who knows how much longer I can go on for? I look after myself very well. I have a cryo chamber at home. I eat well and keep myself in good shape.
"As long as I feel like I’m still able to make a difference and influence games, I’ll be up for staying on.”
