5 Players Who Started From The Bottom But Rose To Stardom Featuring Arsenal And Chelsea Stars

The Premier League is the home ground for some of the top players in the world. The money, fame and adulation might make it an attractive option for most of the top players in the world but some of these stars actually had to work extremely hard to ensure they made it to the top.

Rags to riches stories they might not be but the Premier League does have many players who spent a few formative years in the lower leagues. There are players who are born with natural talent and then there are those who work their socks off to ensure they end up getting better and playing better.

Here is a list of five players who started at the bottom but made it to the top.

Jamie Vardy

Well, no list can be complete without the current top scorer in this season’s Premier League. Vardy scored his 15^th goal of the league campaign against Chelsea. Vardy started his career for Stocksbridge Park Steels as a 16-year-old and was making just £30 per week.

Vardy then was signed for £15,000 by FC Halifax Town where he banged in 29 goals in just 41 appearances. Vardy’s goal scoring exploits got him a move to Fleetwood Town and then to Leicester City and it is this season where he has shown just what he is capable off and his game isn’t just about the goals, it is about the running around and giving defenders a really hard time.

Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud might now be banging the goals in for Arsenal but his start to football wasn’t the greatest. He was part of the Grenoble academy in Ligue 2 and he signed his first professional contract when he was 21-years-old, certainly unheard of nowadays.

He even spent a year on loan at Istres in a lower French league before making a return to Ligue 2 with Tours and then signing for Montpellier where he made his name. Giroud’s development was a little late compared to many other strikers but Arsenal fans; at least a few of them certainly are happy with his performances for the club and the important goals he has gotten for them.

Joe Hart

The current England number one and Manchester City number one might be one of the best goalkeepers in the world but his start in the footballing world wasn’t with the biggest club and was sent out on various loan deals to hone his skills.

He started his career with Shrewsbury Town before he was snapped up by Manchester City in 2006 but the English star spent a few years out on loan at Tranmere Rovers, Blackpool and Birmingham City before he got his big break at Manchester City and hasn’t looked back since.

Diego Costa

The much maligned striker really has had a crazy journey to the top of the Premier League. Costa started his career playing in the second division in Portugal with Penafiel before he got a big move to Braga in the Portuguese first division.

He then had to move a division down in Spain when playing in the Segunda Division with Celta Vigo before his star finally struck with a move to Atletico Madrid and now with Chelsea, guess now we know the real reason for all his toughness, he really did start from the bottom.

Riyad Mahrez

The other Leicester forward who is going great guns started playing in the fourth tier of French football with Quimper, we kid you not, and that is a real team. He then moved to Le Havre to play in the French second division before he was signed by Leicester City.

Mahrez has been exceptional this season and has banged in the goals and assists to push Leicester to the top of the league and highlighting that hard work does pay off, well at least in most cases it does.