TYRONE MINGS never takes being a Premier League footballer for granted – he and his parents know all about the pain of rejection.
Though he has reached the pinnacle – as one of almost 1,300 people in 152 years who have represented England at senior level – he remembers what it was like to be at the bottom.
And as he makes a slow return to the Aston Villa first team following a horror ACL injury that sidelined him for 14 months, he can take pride in the perseverance he showed during an unorthodox journey.
It was 15 years ago that Mings was released by Southampton‘s academy as the club struggled financially and slashed their youth budget.
From there, he toiled away in the lower depths of the pyramid, earned a scholarship to prestigious Millfield School in Somerset and then paid his way by working in a BAR and as a MORTGAGE ADVISOR.
In a new Sky Sports documentary – Chasing the Dream – Mings talks about his background in pubs, offices and non-league dressing rooms.
He recalled: “I joined Southampton’s academy at the age of eight, right until 15 or 16. Then got released.
“It probably hit my parents harder than me. They were never pushy parents.
“But as a parent, you want to see your child fulfil their dreams and be happy. At the time, I was physically weak. But mentally I’ve always been quite strong.
“So, I never begrudged the decision they (Southampton) made. I never think they made a mistake.
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“My mum wrote to every one of the 72 clubs in the Football league. I got trials at 4-5 different clubs.
“Being at Millfield was amazing. I got a mixture of a football scholarship and a bursary. It was really comprehensive.
“It put me in some real uncomfortable situations. My family didn’t have much money growing up.
“But the wealth at the school meant you had to find something else to make you cool. I always had football.
“We trained 4-5 times a week, played once or twice. I probably got a better education than if I had been just at a football club.
“I left school and worked in a pub first. Did a bit of labouring. Realised that wasn’t for me. I worked in field sales. Then I went to become a mortgage advisor.”
His first Sliding Doors moment came in a charity game aged 18 alongside his dad – Mings played at left-back – when he was spotted by the boss of Yate Town, based in Gloucestershire.
Mings recalled: “I had no idea what was going on. The shirt didn’t fit. Shorts didn’t fit.
“But playing against seasoned professionals taught me a lot about looking after yourself. I was there for just over a year before I moved to Chippenham Town.”
The next pivotal occasion came in a trial game at Ipswich in late 2012 when they were managed by Mick McCarthy – and within days he was moving to Suffolk.
Mings, 31, said: “I rocked up with my Chippenham kitbag. They must have thought: ‘Who on earth is this?’
“My mentality and the fact I didn’t really care who I was playing alongside – I could hold my own in men’s football – was probably the deciding factor for him signing me.
“It all happened within the space of two days. I went from being a mortgage advisor to training with the Ipswich first team.
“It was a bit of a whirlwind, the first two years of being a professional footballer.”
Mings tells his story to former Stoke boss Tony Pulis, who is raising concerns about the welfare of young academy footballers and the failure rate.
An investigation by Sky Sports News claims 1.65m boys play the national sport but less than one per cent make it into a professional club academy.
Mings said: “My best piece of advice I’d give is to keep it fun for as long as possible.
“Sometimes the pressures of academies, if you aren’t enjoying it, it’s a really tough place to be.
“If you love what you do, of course, you’ll be able to get through the tougher times.”
Chasing the Dream is available on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Football, with all episodes on demand from Sunday November 24.
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