Football's Next Star - Where are they now?
Let me paint you a picture;
You wake up on a Saturday in 2010 on your own accord, no alarm needed. You turn on the TV to witness some of the best Sports Television in history – Soccer AM, Wayne Rooney’s Street Striker and Football’s Next Star. They were all great shows, but Football’s Next Star was the greatest by far.
Football's Next Star was a British, competitive-reality TV series, broadcast on Sky 1 - in early 2010. The show aimed to find a young football player who could be the ‘next big thing’ and reward them with a 6 month professional contract with Italian giants; Inter Milan.
With the true element of uniqueness implemented within, FNS proved to be a one off show - so good that it may never be done again. Who doesn’t want to see little known players compete for a professional contract with Inter Milan?
With contestants competing each week in tough challenges during their quest to become a professional footballer, we eventually found our Winner.
So how did the Top 5 Shortlisted players get on after the show? Where are they now?
Fifth Place - Gavin Colton
After his elimination from the show, Gavin returned home to play for University College Dublin, before earning a Football Scholarship in America, at Northern Kentucky University.
Gavin Colton playing for Northern Kentucky University
Fourth Place - Hicham Abdellah
The player that the majority of fans believed would win the process.
It’s not difficult to comprehend why, as Hicham finished top scorer of the series.
After FNS had finalised, Hicham had a brief spell with Southend United, who were in NPower League 2, as it was called at the time.
After a few other spells, he found himself in the Cypriot Second Division, in which he scored 10 goals in 14 games. Nowadays though, he plays for Isthmian League South outfit; Uxbridge FC.
Not quite the heights that many expected him to reach.
Hicham Abdellah (right) playing for Southend United.
Third Place - Craig Walsh
Craig is an interesting one.
Before the show, he already played at a high level of football.
He put his career on hold in Ireland, to compete for the much sought after contract with the Nerazzurri.
However, through doing this, he missed out on a potential deal to join West Brom - a decision that is riddled with regret, he’s recently said.
After finishing third on the series, he signed for Shamrock Rovers which resulted in loan spells to Longford Town, UCD, Bohemians and Shelbourne - before ending up at Bray Wanderers - after rebuilding his career from a two year doping ban.
After recently transferring, he now finds himself at Crumlin United.
Craig Walsh (right) playing for Ireland.
Runner Up - Connor Smith
Connor’s story isn’t as crazy as Craig’s.
However, the future looked bright for the runner up of the series, as he found himself at Watford when the show finalised.
Unfortunately though, he gradually worked his way down the leagues of English football, with loan spells at; Wealdstone, Gillingham, Stevenage, Wimbledon, Plymouth and Yeovil - before finding himself at Wealdstone FC in the National League South.
Connor Smith playing for Watford.
Winner - Ben Greenhalgh
I think it’s safe to say, the majority of football fans have heard this name.
Of course, as the winner of the series, he secured a 6 month contract with Italian giants Inter Milan. What’s more, Ben even earned a contract extension, after seeing out his original 6 months.
After signing the extension, he was loaned to Como in Serie C, in which he scored 8 goals in 12 appearances for the club.
I wish I could tell you that he returned from his loan spell to make a shock appearance in the Inter first team and scored the winning goal on his debut. However, this is sadly not the case.
In fact, it’s nowhere near.
After his loan spell with Como, Ben returned to Inter and unfortunately didn’t make a single appearance for the first team.
As the player and club parted ways, Greenhalgh returned to Welling United (the club that he was at before the FNS Series).
His return to Welling followed spells at a range of National League South clubs, before a spell in Scotland with Inverness - perhaps his biggest opportunity since winning the contract with Inter.
Similarly, this move didn’t prosper in the way that both the club and player would have envisioned. As a result, Ben now finds himself back in the National League South, with Tonbridge Angels.
Of course, it’s definitely not the career that everyone imagined, but Football’s Next Star still played a big part in Greenhalgh’s career. Naturally, opportunities arise when you put yourself in the public eye. In Ben’s case, this was in the form of performing as a body double for Cristiano Ronaldo in well known adverts for Nike, as well as other big brands.
Here’s one for the pub quiz: Greenhalgh’s not just talented on the pitch, but also off it - with the now 27 year old registered as a professional golfer, after competing in PGA Competitions.
In conclusion, the contestants of the series definitely didn’t do as well as we all expected, but they’ve still managed to come out with careers in football.
Greenhalgh (left) pictured holding the shirt having signed with Inter Milan.
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Article by: Samuel Slaney
Thumbnail by: Samuel Slaney
Images interpreted from: Northern Kentucky University, Inter Milan & Getty Images
