From the Championship to Stardom – Players You Forgot Played in the EFL
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From the Championship to Stardom – Players You Forgot Played in the EFL

From the Championship to Stardom – Players You Forgot Played in the EFL

The English Football League has long been a breeding ground for talent, a place where raw potential is either polished into brilliance or lost in the shuffle of midweek fixtures and muddy pitches. For every player who stagnates, there’s another who uses it as a springboard to greatness.

Some of today’s global stars once toiled in the unforgiving arenas of the Championship, League One, or even League Two. Whether it was on loan to gain experience, or breaking through in those divisions during their formative years, the EFL has shaped more elite careers than many realise.

Here are some players you probably forgot once laced up their boots in England’s lower leagues – long before the limelight found them.

Andy Robertson – Hull City (Championship)

Before he was galloping down the left flank at Anfield, winning Premier Leagues and Champions Leagues, Andy Robertson was a relatively unheralded full-back at Hull City. Signed from Dundee United in 2014, he played two full seasons in the Championship, developing his relentless energy and pinpoint delivery. His time with the Tigers wasn’t glamorous, but it laid the foundations for his meteoric rise under Jürgen Klopp.

Gareth Bale – Southampton (Championship)

Gareth Bale made 40 league appearances and scored 5 goals for Southampton during the 2006–07 Championship season, his breakthrough campaign as a teenager. Operating primarily as a left-back, Bale impressed with his blistering pace, powerful shooting, and ability to influence games both defensively and offensively.

That season, Southampton finished mid-table after securing promotion from League One the previous year. Bale’s performances stood out amid the club’s transitional phase, attracting attention from Premier League clubs eager to secure his services.

In May 2007, Bale completed a £5 million transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, becoming one of the most promising young talents in English football. His time in the Championship provided the vital experience and platform to showcase his talent against seasoned professionals, setting the stage for his later success in the Premier League and beyond.

Bale’s career trajectory—from a teenage defender in the EFL Championship to one of the world’s most celebrated attacking players—highlights the crucial role the Championship plays in developing future stars.

Riyad Mahrez – Leicester City (Championship)

Long before lifting the Champions League with Manchester City or dazzling with Algeria at AFCON, Riyad Mahrez was lighting up the Championship for Leicester. Signed from Le Havre in 2014, few could have predicted just how high his ceiling was. He played a key role in the Foxes’ promotion, then their Premier League title-winning miracle. One of the greatest EFL bargains of all time.

John Stones – Barnsley (League One & Championship)

Before winning the Champions League and redefining the modern centre-back role under Pep Guardiola, John Stones was quietly making his mark in the lower leagues with Barnsley. Born in nearby Barnsley itself, Stones came through the club’s academy and made his senior debut in the 2011–12 Championship season at just 17 years old.

By the following campaign, he had become a regular in the side — showing not just defensive awareness but composure on the ball that was rare at that level. His elegant style stood out in a league known more for directness and grit, and it wasn't long before Premier League clubs took notice.

Ademola Lookman – Charlton Athletic (League One)

Europa League final hat-trick hero for Atalanta, and a breakout name across Europe, Ademola Lookman first made waves in League One with Charlton. He joined from Sunday League side Waterloo FC and quickly became one of the EFL’s most exciting teenagers. His raw pace and fearlessness earned a move to Everton, but his journey began in front of modest crowds in South London.

James Maddison - Coventry City (League One)

Long before pulling the strings for Tottenham Hotspur or being touted as one of England’s most gifted playmakers, James Maddison was cutting his teeth at Coventry City in League One.

Born in Coventry, Maddison joined the club’s academy at the age of six and rose through the ranks. He made his senior debut on August 13, 2014, in a League Cup match against Cardiff City, aged just 17. His league debut followed later that month. Even in his teenage years, Maddison’s technical ability, balance, and eye for a killer pass stood out in a physically demanding league.

He featured regularly in the 2015–16 season, earning plaudits for his creativity and confidence. Despite Coventry’s struggles in the table, Maddison remained a bright spark — so much so that Norwich City signed him in February 2016 for around £2.5 million, before loaning him back to Coventry to complete the season.

Ollie Watkins – Exeter City (League Two)

Now a trusted striker for Aston Villa and England, Watkins was once working through the ranks at Exeter City in League Two. His work rate and ability to play across the front line stood out. Brentford saw the potential, brought him into the Championship — and the rest is Premier League history.

Harry Kane – Millwall, Norwich & Leicester (Championship loans)

While Harry Kane will forever be associated with Tottenham Hotspur, the Premier League golden boots and the England captaincy, his early career was anything but straightforward. In fact, Kane’s path to stardom took him through several loan spells in the Championship, where he was often written off as “not quite ready” or “not quick enough.”

Kane’s most formative lower-league experience came at Millwall in the 2011–12 Championship season, where he scored 9 goals in 27 appearances. It was at The Den where he began to find consistency, even winning Millwall's Young Player of the Season award. Kane later admitted that his time there "toughened him up" and gave him the belief that he could handle senior football.

In the 2012–13 season, Kane had shorter, less successful stints with Norwich City and Leicester City, also in the Championship. An injury shortened his time with The Canaries, while his spell at Leicester provided just 2 goals in 13 appearances. But even then, flashes of his hold-up play and finishing instincts were evident.

Kane returned to Spurs battle-tested and better for it. By 2014–15, he exploded onto the Premier League scene, scoring 31 goals in all competitions, and the rest is history — now Tottenham’s all-time leading scorer, with similarly mind-boggling scoring antics continuing at Bayern Munich.

His story remains a reminder that even England’s most prolific striker needed the grind of the EFL to build the foundations of greatness.

Joe Gomez - Charlton Athletic (Championship)

Now a seasoned Liverpool defender and England international, Gomez made his professional debut at 17 for Charlton Athletic. Calm under pressure and mature beyond his years, that one Championship season in 2014/15 caught Liverpool’s eye and set him on the path to domestic and European trophies.

Wilfried Zaha – Crystal Palace (Championship)

Zaha’s second act at Palace is well known — but his first? That’s where the star was born. In 2012/13, Zaha was a force of nature in the Championship, blending flair and fearlessness to push Palace into the Premier League. A brief move to Manchester United followed, but his true emergence began with stepover-heavy chaos in the second tier.

Ezri Konsa – Charlton Athletic & Brentford (Championship)

Starting his career in the Charlton Athletic academy, Konsa made his senior debut with Charlton in League One before moving to Brentford in the Championship. Between 2017 and 2019, he amassed over 50 Championship appearances for Brentford, earning a reputation as a composed, athletic centre-back with strong positional awareness.

His performances attracted the attention of Premier League clubs, leading to a £12 million move to Aston Villa in January 2019. Since then, Konsa has established himself as a reliable Premier League defender and earned his first senior England cap in 2021.

Ivan Toney – Scunthorpe, Wigan, Barnsley (League One)

Before earning his England call-up and showcasing his talent in the Premier League at Brentford, Ivan Toney grafted his way through League One. Loan spells at Scunthorpe, Barnsley, and Wigan offered little glamour but plenty of education. His breakout came at Brentford in the Championship, where he scored 31 goals in a single season — and announced himself as the complete modern striker.

Kyle Walker – Sheffield United & Queens Park Rangers (Championship loans)

Before becoming a Premier League champion with Manchester City and a regular England international, Kyle Walker developed through loan spells in the Championship.

Walker started at Tottenham Hotspur’s academy, but to gain first-team experience, he spent the 2010–11 season on loan at Sheffield United, then in the Championship. During this spell, he made 44 appearances and impressed with his pace, defensive solidity, and attacking runs from right-back.

The following season, he had another Championship loan at Queens Park Rangers, featuring regularly as Spurs prepared to integrate him into their first team. These experiences gave Walker the resilience and adaptability needed for top-flight football.

His ability to blend speed, defensive awareness, and offensive support was honed in the rough-and-tumble Championship before establishing himself as one of the Premier League’s best full-backs.

Jude Bellingham – Birmingham City (Championship)

Before becoming a Galáctico at Real Madrid, and one of the most complete midfielders in world football, Jude Bellingham was already making waves in the Championship as a teenager with Birmingham City.

Born in Stourbridge, Bellingham joined Birmingham's academy at the age of 8, and by 16 years and 38 days old, he became the club’s youngest ever first-team player — breaking a record that had stood since 1970. That debut came on 6 August 2019 in a Carabao Cup match, and his Championship debut followed just four days later.

Despite his age, Bellingham quickly became a regular in the 2019–20 campaign, making 41 league appearances and scoring 4 goals. His maturity, tactical awareness, and physical readiness drew comparisons to players far beyond his years — and caught the attention of Europe's elite.

In July 2020, he signed for Borussia Dortmund in a deal worth up to £30 million, becoming the most expensive 17-year-old in history at the time. The move came just weeks after Birmingham retired his No. 22 shirt in a symbolic gesture recognising his impact and potential — a rare honour for someone with just one season of senior football.

Bellingham continued his meteoric rise in Germany before sealing a blockbuster move to Real Madrid in 2023. Today, he’s a Champions League winner, a Ballon d’Or nominee, and England’s midfield centrepiece — all built on the fearless foundation laid in the Championship.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Callum Gill

Writer

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