In the club
A who’s who of football’s journey men
All hail the footballing journeyman. Not in the US sense of the word, where the term refers to a talented sportsman who cannot for whatever reason make the most of their natural gifts, but in the British usage of a much-travelled professional who has, as the former Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty put it, “had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus.”
Just last week, Jefferson Louis made the 37th move of his 20 years in the game and in signing for Oxford City pulled on the 33rd club crest of his career. The London-born Dominica international has plied his trade in the world of the lower leagues and the semi-pro game, playing in the Football League for Oxford United, Bristol Rovers and Mansfield Town. While 33 clubs might seem excessive, in the world of non-league football it’s not that unusual where FIFA’s limits on the clubs a player can play for in a calendar year don’t apply and a few pounds extra in your appearance fee can make a massive difference.
The pro game is a different story but there are journeymen even there. And some of them have played at the very highest level there is. Here are 10 of the more colorful characters who have racked up the air miles.
John Burridge
Budgie as the goalkeeper was known was on the books of 29 different clubs, although it turns out he only made an appearance for 20 of them in a career that spanned three decades. The most frenzied period of his travels was when he was transferred 22 times in just two years. He became the oldest player to play in the Premier League when he played for Manchester City in 1995. He was 43.
Lutz Pfannenstiel
The German was goalkeeper for 25 different teams during his 21 years as a professional and is the only footballer to have played professionally in every FIFA confederation. Jailed for match-fixing (wrongly) and once the custodian of a penguin, his final club was Ramblers FC in Namibia. Perhaps the most interesting playing career ever, Pfannenstiel technically “died” while playing Bradford Park Avenue in the English lower leagues.
Steve Claridge
The pundit turned out for 19 clubs in a 24-year playing career that peaked with lifting the Coca Cola Cup at Leicester City in 1997. Interestingly the striker enjoyed two spells at Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Weymouth and Cambridge United while he managed to sign for Millwall on three separate occasions.
Ben Smith
You may have never heard of Ben Smith but when it comes to journeymen of football he wrote the book. Literally. Smith’s Journeyman: One Man’s Odyssey Through the Lower Leagues of English Football documents his time from being let go by Arsenal as a teenager to forging a living playing for the likes of Reading, Yeovil, Southend and Hereford.
Andrew Cole
The man so long known as Andy was also let go by Arsenal, but after a spell at Bristol City earned him a move to Newcastle United, he never looked back. The England international won the treble with Manchester United and is the second-highest Premier League scorer after another Newcastle legend, Alan Shearer. Like Shearer, Cole also played for Blackburn Rovers but he also turned out for Manchester City and Sunderland among his 12 clubs.
Nicolas Anelka
The Frenchman played for some of the biggest clubs in the game, counting PSG, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Juventus among a glittering CV. But Anelka also played for Bolton Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Shanghai Shenhua and Mumbai City in a career that despite the trophies never quite lived up to the expectations he set as a teenager.
Christian Vieri
Travel was in the striker’s blood, growing up in Australia before returning to his native Italy as a child. His career followed suit. Three stints at Atalanta, both Milan sides, Juventus and Lazio, who made him the most expensive player on the planet, were among his Italian sides. Vieri, Italy’s record scorer at World Cups, also played for Monaco and Atletico Madrid in a career that started at Prato under the guidance of Luciano Diamanti, the father of the equally wandering Alessandro Diamanti. Rivaldo A winner of the World Cup with Brazil in 2002, Rivaldo also won the Ballon d’Or and was named FIFA World Player of the Year in 1999. Probably best known for his time at Barcelona, his five-year stay at the Camp Nou was the longest period he spent at any one club in a career that took him from Brazil to Uzbekistan, Angola and Greece. He’s currently president of Mogi Mirim, the final club he played for, back in his homeland. So long was his career that in his last season he played alongside his son Rivaldinho, with both scoring in a win over Macae.
Andros Townsend
The England international wingerw currently plays for Crystal PalaceP but the Eagles are his 12th ssT side and he is only recently 25. TechnicallyT Townsend has only beenbe signed to three clubs but he waswa loaned out to nine different tea teams during his time at Tottenham Hotspur before being sold to New Newcastle United earlier this year and retu returning to London with Palace in the s summer.
EidurEidu Gudjohnsen
Growing up in Iceland, it was obvious that Gudjohnsen would have to leave home to fulfill his potential, but mov moving seemed to be in his blood. In total the Icelander played for 17 teams inclu including Barcelona, Chelsea and Mon Monaco. He also played for Shijiazhua zhuang Everbright in the Chinese Supe Super League and Pune City in the Indi Indian Super League. Despite lifting the European Champions League, he will continue to be known for playing in th the same international side as his fathe father when Iceland played Estonia in 1996 1996.