11 former pros we can’t believe are still playing in non-league in 2026-27
Former Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United players are among professional footballers refusing to succumb to the passage of time and continuing their careers below the EFL in 2026-27.
While many professionals fall out of love with football after years in the profession – which is bonkers to us, but there are surely several reasons why it happens – others are hopeless addicts that need to get their fix wherever possible.
Here are 11 former pros who all share an undying love for the game and are rolling back the years in non-league football.
Andy Carroll (Dagenham & Redbridge)
You’ve probably heard of this one – Carroll joined Dagenham & Redbridge last summer after a spell at fallen French giants Bordeaux.
“It doesn’t matter the level, or anything, as long as I get on the pitch and play football, that’s all that matters,” Carroll said at his unveiling.
“Coming here and showing people I am just playing for the love of football rather than the money and the level is something I wanted to do.
“This is something which could be fantastic. We have a project to get them out of non-league and back up the leagues.”
Carroll scored six goals in 12 appearances last season. He was also interim manager of the Daggers back in March, appointed by owner KSI after the sacking of Lee Bradbury.
Charlie Austin (Hungerford Town)
After 18 months back at Swindon and helping AFC Totton reach the National League South for the first time, Austin headed to Hampshire to sign for Basingstoke Town last summer
The club revealed that they asked their fans to help fund the high-profile transfer.
“We were nervous about even sending the email [to our members] to see if there was an appetite to help make it happen,” Basingstoke manager Dan Brownlie said.
“It’s not how things are usually done, but it proved the power of this football club.
“That mix of willingness, positivity, and a shared sense of responsibility turned the seemingly impossible into reality.”
But Austin only lasted at Basingstoke until October, leaving for Hungerford Town in a bid to stop their relegation from the Southern League Premier Division.
This was unsuccessful, but the former Southampton and QPR striker remains at the club as of writing.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson (Macclesfield)
Borthwick-Jackson made his Manchester United debut in 2015 and made 14 appearances for the club under the management of Louis van Gaal.
After enjoying spells in the EFL with Oldham Athletic and Burton Albion, the full-back struggled to find regular first-team minutes elsewhere.
He spent time in Poland with Slask Wroclaw, before going 17 months without a club.
He joined National League North outfit Macclesfield in January 2026 and was part of the squad that shocked Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.
Adam Le Fondre (FC United of Manchester)
Having recently enjoyed spells in Australia, India and Scotland, Le Fondre returned to England last summer and joined FC United of Manchester in the seventh tier.
The 39-year-old still seems to have a sharp eye for goal, having scored 17 goals for the club in both 2024-25 and 2025-26.
Interestingly, alongside his playing career, the former Reading forward also works as a video scout for the City Football Group.
Andre Wisdom (FC United of Manchester)
Wisdom was handed his Liverpool debut by Brendan Rodgers and made 14 Premier League appearances for the club amid a series of loans away.
The defender joined Derby in 2017 and was part of Frank Lampard’s squad that reached the play-off final and was later relegated under Wayne Rooney.
Wisdom later admitted that he’s not been the same since suffering a stabbing after leaving a house party in 2020.
“It was frustrating as when I’ve come out of hospital after like three days, I had a couple of operations, it was like my body just wasn’t the same,” he told the Beautiful Game Podcast.
“I tried to get back into football and it wasn’t the same, I wasn’t getting the same output in terms of power or speed.”
Now aged 33, Wisdom is also at FC United of Manchester.
Frank Nouble (Stockton Town)
Nouble started his career in Chelsea’s youth system, before making his first-team debut at West Ham in the late 2000s.
The striker has enjoyed a nomadic career since at 14 different clubs, including an intriguing spell out in China, and now currently plays for Stockton Town in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
Nile Ranger (Chatham Town)
“I know I have baggage,” Ranger told BBC Sport in 2024. “If I had behaved I would have stayed at the top, but I was too unruly.”
After some notable moments in the Premier League and EFL, Ranger now plays in the seventh tier of English football at Chatham Town.
Still just 35 years old, Ranger possesses the natural ability to play at a higher level, but off-field issues have consistently hindered his professional career.
Joe Bennett (Walton & Hersham)
Formerly of Middlesbrough and Aston Villa, Bennett is now turning out for National League South club Walton & Hersham at the age of 36.
It’s a testament to both the player’s commitment and passion for the game to be playing non-league football deep into the autumn of their career.
Freddie Sears (Maldon & Tiptree)
Sears broke into the national consciousness by scoring on his West Ham debut aged 17 in 2008, reducing Cockney skinheads to tears.
He returned to national attention after scoring for Crystal Palace against Bristol City, but the ball bounced straight back out of the goal and the ref didn’t give it.
Sears now plays for Maldon & Tiptree in the Isthmian League Premier Division after productive spells at Ipswich and Colchester.
Marvin Sordell (Uxbridge)
Sordell made 17 Premier League appearances in his heyday, but never managed to score a goal in the top flight. He was an Olympian in 2012, though.
The former Watford and Bolton forward enjoyed his most prolific years when playing in the Championship and he’s still got some magic left in his boots yet.
After initially retiring from professional football at the age of 28 due to mental health reasons, he came out of retirement earlier this year to join Kettering Town.
He has since played for Rayners Lane and AS London, but is now at Uxbridge in the Southern League Premier Division South.
Gavin Hoyte (Sittingbourne)
Son of British Olympian sprinter Wendy Hoyte and younger brother of Invincibles fringe player Justin, Hale End graduate Gavin broke through in the late noughties and made four Premier League appearances for Arsene Wenger’s Gunners.
The defender was frequently loaned away and eventually joined Dagenham & Redbridge after being released by his parent club in 2012.
That kicked off a respectable career in the lower reaches of the English football pyramid, culminating in him earning three caps for Trinidad and Tobago a decade ago.
After moving around, he spent a settled five years with Maidstone United, making over 150 appearances for the club and captaining the side as they flitted between the National League South and National League.
The 36-year-old is now at Sittingbourne in the Isthmian League South East Division.
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