These are the stars who have beaten the odds to go from cleaning their own boots in non-league football to cleaning up in the top flight.
The Premier League is built up of some of the world’s most talented players but very few achieve their childhood dreams to become one of them.
With free bets available for football betting from some of the UK’s biggest bookmakers, these stars have some lively odds available for the remainder of the season and indeed, for the World Cup.
It would certainly be worth taking a punt on Jamie Vardy, to head to Russia with England this summer, to cap off his fairy-tale career.
Here are five Premier League players who strived to climb the ranks from the lowly leagues to do battle with the world’s greatest teams:
Chris Smalling
One of the highest profile rises from non-league football is that of Manchester United defender, Chris Smalling.
The central defender started his professional career at Maidstone United in 2007, making 11 appearances before impressing the scouts at Fulham and signing for them in 2008.
After two years, with 13 first team appearances to his name, Sir Alex Ferguson signed Smalling for Manchester United for a fee believed to be around £8 million.
Since signing for the Red Devils, Smalling has won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, one League Cup as well as the Europa League. Smalling was an unused in United’s 2011 Champions League final defeat to Barcelona at Wembley Stadium.
To date, Smalling has 31 England caps to his name, and was part of the unsuccessful squads at both the 2014 World Cup and Euro 2016.
Transfer odds are currently highlighting that Smalling could be heading for the Emirates in the summer transfer window.
Yannick Bolasie
Born in France, DR Congo international Yannick Bolasie has taken a long journey to the Premier League.
After starting out in Rushden & Diamonds’ youth team at the tender age of 16, the tricky winger was soon heading for Hillingdon Borough in the Southern Football league before flying off to Malta to play for semi-professional side, Floriana.
Once he returned to England he began to make a name for himself at Plymouth Argyle, before moving to Bristol City in 2011.
A written transfer request helped him secure a move back to London with Crystal Palace. In 2013, Palace were promoted, and Bolasie had reached England’s top division.
After many glittering performances for Palace in the Premier League, Bolasie was transferred to Everton for a reported £25 million and is yet to make a big impression at Goodison Park after spending around a year out injured with cruciate knee ligament damage.
Michail Antonio
At the age of 27, Michail Antonio has already played for nine clubs across England.
Starting off at Tooting & Mitcham United, Antonio earned a move to Championship side Reading in 2008, where he was loaned out to five different clubs up until he left the club in 2012 to join Sheffield Wednesday on a permanent basis.
From there Antonio headed to Nottingham Forest in 2014, where he really began to make a name for himself, being hailed player of the season in his first and only campaign for the club.
West Ham made him a Premier League player the following summer, where he’s shown his versatility as a full back, winger and makeshift striker.
Antonio has been such a success, that he was called up for England squad under former manager Sam Allardyce and current gaffer Gareth Southgate, as well winning the Hammer of the Year award in 2016/17.
Antonio is yet to win an international cap, and England World Cup Squad betting would suggest that he’s unlikely to make the flight to Russia this summer.
Jamie Vardy
Arguably one of the most inspirational rises English football has ever seen, Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy started his professional career at non-league Stocksbridge Park Steels after being released by Sheffield Wednesday in his youth.
Over the years his persistence led him to Halifax Town and Fleetwood Town, before he secured a move to then Championship side, Leicester City, for £1 million.
What a bargain the striker has proved to be, helping The Foxes win promotion to the Premier League in 2014 – just a year after being convinced to not leave the game for good by his former boss Nigel Pearson.
Fast forward to now and Vardy is still at Leicester as a Premier League winner and former Football Writers’ Footballer of the year.
Vardy has represented England on 19 occasions and was a member of the Euro 2016 squad.
Charlie Austin
Released from Reading’s youth system in 2005 for being too small, Charlie Austin took the non-league route to help propel back into the big time.
Between 2006 and 2009, Austin played for four different non-league sides, but it was at Poole Town where he made a real name for himself, scoring 46 goals in 46 appearances whilst working as bricklayer at the same time.
Austin joined Swindon in 2009 where his goal-scoring exploits continued. He was part of the Swindon side that lost the 2010 League One playoff final.
The following season, Austin was off to Burnley in the Championship, before signing for Queens Park Rangers after failing a medical with Hull City.
With QPR he was promoted with them in 2014, and scored 18 league goals in his first Premier League campaign.
Today, he is a forward with Southampton, still plying his trade in the Premier League, helping them fight off relegation back to the Championship.
Football betting odds suggest that Southampton are one of the leading candidates for relegation this season, and they will be reliant upon the goals of Austin to keep them out of trouble.