Dado Prsho: an auto mechanic who designed poker in the Champions League match.

Croatian footballer Dado Prsho moved to France in 1993, where his family was rescued from the war in their homeland. Playing in Croatia in youth teams and the club "Pazinka" a tall 19-year-old striker settled into the third-league "Rouen", but for two seasons he played a few games and scored just one goal. He was put out of the club, and Prsho decided to hang his boots on a nail and got a job as an auto mechanic. In the evenings, he drank in a bar, on weekends he ran for the local amateur club "Saint-Raphael" and thought about returning to his homeland. The real salvation was for Prsho acquaintance with the girl Carol, on which he married a year later. Dado stopped drinking, became the "star" of his amateur club and was noticed by the coach of "Monaco". He offered the forward a transfer with the condition that several seasons will have to be rented in Ajaccio. Prsho agreed, went this way, won a place in the "Monaco" and on the day of his 29th birthday he scored four goals against the goal of "Deportivo" in the Champions League. This was his moment of glory, after which the dream of a football player was fulfilled - he was invited to the Croatian national team, for which he played 32 matches and scored 9 goals, including the ball in the final stage of Euro 2004 against France that sheltered him.


Jay Demeter: a bartender who played at the World Championships and became a hero of the film.

The history of this American football player is impressive. At school, he played basketball and ran, and when he entered the University of Illinois in Chicago, at the age of 18 he got into the football team of this school and began to learn how to play in defense. Jay progressed and even got into the youth team "Chicago Fire", but the draft after his graduation, no one chose. Demerit got a job as a bartender, and at the age of 24 he saved up 1,800 dollars and went to England hoping to find a club in the foggy Albion. J lived with a friend, and when the money ran out, he worked part-time wherever. For a long time no club wanted to take an American when he finally liked the amateur "Southall" from the ninth division in the English football system. There, the future player of the national team was paid 40 pounds a week. A year later, Demerit went to the promotion - in the club already the seventh league "Northwood", and from there a career lift sent a 25-year-old guy to "Watford", with whom he signed the first professional contract and for which he played six seasons and almost 200 matches. At 28 he was called to the US team, for which he played 25 fights, including four - at the 2010 World Cup, all - in the starting lineup. He completed his career as JD Demerit in the native MLS league.

In 2011, about the American defender came the film "Get up and shine: The story of Jay DeMerita." 223 thousand dollars, needed for filming, were collected with the help of crowdfinding. Jay Demerit became the real embodiment of the American dream, gaining recognition from scratch.


Miroslav Klose: bricklayer, who became the best scorer in the history of world championships

Klose's parents were athletes (father - footballer, mother - handball player), emigrated from Poland to Germany and wanted to give his son a working profession. At the age of 20 he worked as a bricklayer, and at that age most of the players are already revealed. But our hero in his spare time from construction played in the amateur club of the fifth German division. When he was invited to the second team of "Kaiserslautern" - he still continued to work as a mason. But the success on the field allowed to move first to the first team, and then there were transfers to Werder Bremen, Bavaria and Lazio. Miroslav Klose began to play late at a high level and did not manage to play for the youth teams of his new country, but spent 137 games for the national team of Germany and scored 71 goals. He is the only football player in history who won four World Championship medals ("silver" in 2002, "bronze" in 2006 and 2010, "gold" in 2014), he is the best scorer in the history of world championships and in the history of the German national team.


Luca Toni: the best "scored" Italy in 38 years

The striker, who scored two goals in Ukraine in the quarterfinals of the 2006 World Cup, began his career in Serie S. Sam Luka admitted that he played poorly and even fought with the coach, and then got injured by the knee and thought about the end of his career, which really never started . He changed seven different clubs until he "broke" in "Palermo", where he for two seasons pounded 50 goals and was called to the Italian team and became world champion in 2006. Coming out of the gloom, he for several seasons ball one of the most formidable forwards in Europe. In the career of Luke Toni there were 15 different teams, and the best scorer of Serie A he became in the last - in "Verona" at the age of 38 years.


Ricky Lambert: the beet seller played the first match in the Premier League in 30 years

Do you want to - believe it or not - but the first match in the English Premier League Ricky Lambert spent at the age of 30! It was a game against Man City in the 2012/13 season with Southampton. Before that, most of his career, Ricky spent in semiprofessional clubs and in the lower divisions, and at some point even traded beets. At age 31, he first received a challenge to the England squad and scored a goal in the opening match - as well as a year earlier in the debut game in the Premier League. Interestingly, the call to the team he received on his daughter's birthday, and his goal in the gate of the national team of Scotland in a friendly match designed the first touch on the ball - Ricky replaced as Wayne Rooney. The dream came true when, in 2014, Ricky Lamburt played at the World Championships in Brazil.


Javi Varas: he made his debut at the age of 27 and beat off a penalty against Leo Messi

Goalkeeper Javi Varas moved to Sevilla at the age of 23, before speaking only for amateur teams. Three seasons he spent in team "B", when before the 27th anniversary debuted in the first team in the match of the top division of the championship of Spain. The best moment of his career was a penalty from Leo Messi in the last minute of the match at the legendary "Camp Nou" in the 2011/12 season. Xavi beat off the blow and kept his team a draw - 0: 0. Today, the 35-year-old goalkeeper represents Granada from the Segund Division.


Milivoje Novakovich: from an amateur in Austria to top-scorer in Germany

Forward Milivoje Novakovich is the second in the list of the best scorers in the history of the Slovenian national team (32 goals). At the same time, before the call to the national team, he never played in the highest league of his country, and in "Olympia" from Ljubljana he was also called a "mediocre" footballer. Then at the age of 20 he went to Austria and settled into an amateur team. He regularly riveted goals and at 25 years for the first time played in the top division of Austria, and then moved to the German "Cologne", where he became the top scorer of the Second Bundesliga (16 goals), and then the most productive in his team in the German championship. At the 2010 World Cup Novakovich played all three matches of his team from whistle to whistle, but could not score a goal. Last year, Milivoe for the first time in his career spent the season in the top flight in his homeland and hung the boots on the nail.


Sergio Torres: a brick worker worked at Old Trafford

Argentine midfielder started at home, working in parallel at a family brick factory. After several years, he said: "I do not want to do this my whole life." Later Sergio recalled: "I suffered from cold, hunger, slept under the stands, but never stopped dreaming." At 23, he decided to move to England, having $ 300 in his pocket, hoping to get into one of the professional clubs. But it did not work, Torres got a job at the store and went to work on a bicycle. Sergio still did not give up, he got into the amateur team, progressed step by step and eventually played more than 200 matches in League 1 and League 2 of the championship of England, although he did not reach the top division. The top of the career was the opening of the League Cup semi-final and a match against Manchester United at the legendary Old Trafford stadium. In 2013, he published his autobiography entitled "History of Sergio Torres: from the brick factory to Old Trafford." Today you can buy it for 13 pounds.


Ian Wright: England player almost became a plasterer

The striker became a professional football player relatively late - three months before his 22nd birthday Ian signed his first contract with a salary of 400 pounds a month. Prior to this, the future England player played in amateur teams and thought to become a plasterer, and also served two weeks in jail for driving without rights. But fate was different. For five seasons in "Crystal Palace" he scored 89 goals and led the team to the Premier League. The footballer's hour of glory fell on 1991-1998, when he shone in the composition of London's Arsenal and played 33 games for the national team of England.


Oule Gunnar Solskjaer: from military to star Manchester United

The Norwegian striker started as a fighter, combining training in the hall with a game in the amateur football team. He served in the Norwegian army for a year, and at the age of 21 he moved to the Molde club. There, a footballer nicknamed "The killer with the face of an infant" scored 31 years in 38 games and was bought by Manchester United for 1.5 million pounds. For 11 years in Manchester, won six league titles, defeated in the Champions League, played more than 200 matches in the highest English division. Completed his career because of a serious leg injury. Now Sulsher is the head coach of the Norwegian club "Molde", who gave him a ticket to a big football.