Non-League to National Team: 10 Players That Have Appeared on Both Stages

Non-League to National Team: 10 Players That Have Appeared on Both Stages

One of the highest honours in football is getting to represent your country. Young players all dream of being able to walk out in front of their fellow countrymen, donning the colours of national identity.

Whether it be simply running out onto the grass at the national stadium in preparation for a Friendly or travelling the world competing in the majors with hopes of bringing silverware back to home soil, there is immense pride all the same.

There have been plenty of impressive examples of players plying their trade at both English Non-League level and on the international stage, for different countries and at different stages of their careers.

Football Park has compiled some of these; some may come as a surprise:

Michael Antonio – Tooting & Mitcham United

A rare example of a player getting called up for two different national teams in both England and Jamaica, but only getting game time for the latter. The robust striker’s impressive form for West Ham United earned him England call-ups in 2016 and 2017, but his inaugural recruitment for Jamaica in 2021 is what kick-started his international career.

🗣" He was probably a rough diamond but he was always known to have raw talent and destined for success."

Tooting and Mitcham joint manager Ashley Bosah speaks highly of Michail Antonio pic.twitter.com/34CXKFt4iC

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) August 24, 2021

After a six-year-long stint through South London club Tooting & Mitcham’s youth system, Antonio accumulated four goals in four appearances in his first adventure into the senior team before getting picked up by then Championship side Reading.

Antonio has accumulated five goals in 24 appearances for The Reggae Boyz.

Matt Le Tissier – Eastleigh

The first midfielder to reach 100 Premier League goals, the Guernsey-born crowd-pleaser earned his first call-up for England in 1994, joining the list of players to play for England despite being born elsewhere.

After Le Tissier’s legend status was solidified at Southampton, making over 400 appearances and scoring 161 goals for The Saints, he joined another Hampshire club in Eastleigh, who played in the Wessex Football League Premier, before ending his career at the age of 44 in his native Guernsey, 10 years after retirement, helping his childhood club through tough fixture congestion.

Le Tissier made eight appearances for England over three years.

Jamie Vardy – Stocksbridge Park Steels and Halifax Town

Spearheading what was the most impressive and unpredictable Premier League feat we will likely ever witness, Jamie Vardy earned himself a call-up for England in games against Ireland and Slovenia.

From the 8th division for Stocksbridge Park Steels, to a Premier League and FA Cup winner with Leicester.

Happy birthday to Jamie Vardy, his journey is an inspiration for all lower league footballers. 🦊🏆 pic.twitter.com/7AwHiC7PZF

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) January 11, 2025

Before making what would be a life-changing move to Leicester, the nomadic forward played for Yorkshire Non-League clubs Stocksbridge Park Steels and Halifax Town, scoring 66 goals across five seasons before moving on to Fleetwood, then making his £1 million move to The Foxes in May 2012 at the ripe age of 24.

Vardy aided England's qualification for EURO 2016 and 2018 World Cup with goals against Wales and Lithuania.

David Raya – Southport

Currently high-flying Arsenal's and Spain's number one alike David Raya, received his first international call-up for La Roja following impressive displays at Thomas Frank's Brentford in 2022. Last season, Raya, alongside Nottingham Forest's Mats Sels, achieved 13 clean sheets over the season, earning him the Premier League Golden Glove award.

The Spaniard was sent out on loan to National League club Southport at the beginning of the 2014/2015 season in search of first-team football, achieving four clean sheets in 16 National League games.

Raya has accumulated an admirable six clean sheets in his 11 international appearances.

Sorba Thomas – Boreham Wood and Cheshunt

The London-born winger is eligible to play for the Welsh national team due to his mother being born in Newport and received his maiden call-up in September 2021. The current Stoke wide player has scored two goals in the opening four games, putting The Potters amongst the front-runners.

“He’s one of our own, he’s one of our own. Sorba Thomas, he’s one of our own.”

Congratulations, @SorbaThomas! Keep it up, you’re doing everyone at @BOREHAM_WOODFC proud! #WeAreTheWood https://t.co/qzL9wMVff5

— Boreham Wood FC (@BOREHAM_WOODFC) August 28, 2021

Just five years ago, Thomas played out of North-West London for Boreham Wood, playing 77 games in his spell at The Wood, with the majority being in the National League. The Welshman also endured a short spell at Isthmian Premier League side Cheshunt FC.

Thomas has scored one goal in 19 appearances for The Dragons, coming against Belgium during their current bid for the 2026 World Cup.

Jordan Pickford – Darlington and Alfreton Town

The 31-year-old England stalwart has 325 Premier League appearances for Everton, making him at minimum a hero on the blue half of Merseyside. In that time, the mischievous man between the sticks has amassed four player of the season awards for The Toffees, and despite Everton's woes, the England number one shirt has been firmly his.

Before getting picked up by Everton, Pickford played just shy of 30 appearances for Non-League clubs Darlington and Alfreton Town whilst out on loan from his Boyhood club Sunderland. He later described this time in his career in an interview with the Premier League as "making him the man that he is today."

His 77 appearances and crucial penalty shootout saves make Pickford a trusty starter for Thomas Tuchel going forward.

Ollie Watkins – Weston-Super-Mare

A crucial forward in Aston Villa's resounding resurgence in recent years, Watkins joined from Brentford for a then club record fee of £28 million, and the Midlands club has never looked back since. England has a lot to choose from regarding iconic major tournament moments in the last few tournaments, but Watkins' late winner against the Netherlands last year in the EURO 2024 semi-final.

The Ollie Watkins post.

Dreams do come true 🤍🖤 https://t.co/KKF10fDKor pic.twitter.com/Y89bGeIrtk

— Weston-super-Mare AFC (@WSM_AFCOfficial) July 10, 2024

At his childhood club Exeter, Watkins was sent out on loan to current National League South second-placed Weston-super-Mare, where in the 2014/15 season where he registered 10 goals in his 24 games for the Somerset club.

A call-up for Ollie this international break could help add to his five-goal collection in 18 games for The Three Lions.

Ethan Pinnock – Dulwich Hamlet

The Jamaican international won promotion to the Premier League with Brentford in 2021 through the playoffs in a campaign that saw him make the Championship team of the season and receive his first call-up to the national team for a friendly against the USA, and was named in Jamaica's 2024 Copa America squad three years on.

Isthmian Premier League's Dulwich Hamlet was the Jamaican's home for the first six years of his career, in which he made nearly 200 appearances before an eventual move to Forest Green Rovers and plied his trade in the National League.

Pinnock now has 22 appearances for Jamaica but is currently out of favour at Keith Andrews' Brentford.

Dan Burn - Blyth Spartans

Newcastle's Carabao Cup hero last season (less said about the other goalscorer, the better) in a 2-1 victory over Liverpool, securing their first major trophy in 70 years. Burn's impressive performances for Brighton and Hove Albion earned him a £13 million move to Tyneside, where he hastily became a cult hero. The towering fullback made his international debut against Albania in March earlier this year.

Congratulations to former Spartans Junior Dan Burn@Carabao_Cup final win, goal and Man of the match https://t.co/itPzR5Wm6n

— Blyth Spartans (@Blyth_Spartans) March 16, 2025

Heard in Newcastle's humorous rendition of club classic 'Pretty Green Eyes', Dan Burn is from Blyth, and it is also where he ended his youth career before being brought into the first team by Darlington, who were relegated to the National League in 2010. Burn made 15 appearances spanning two years for The Quakers.

Burn has so far only made three international appearances, but with Burn now being deployed as a central defender by Eddie Howe, how will this affect Tuchel's decision for next year's World Cup squad?

Che Adams - Ilkeston Town

Now an Italian import from the Premier League, Che Adams racked up 45 goals over spells at both Birmingham City and Southampton before making a move to Torino in the 2024 summer transfer window, scoring 10 goals across all competitions. Adams was able to represent both England and Antigua and Barbuda, but settled on playing for Scotland.

The Scotsman began his career at his home county, Leicestershire's Oadby Town, before a short journey north to Ilkeston Town, where he made his debut against Stocksbridge Park Steelers, Jamie Vardy's former club, in the Northern Premier League.

Since 2021, Adams has made 40 appearances for The Tartan Army and scored a hat-trick in their most recent outing against Liechtenstein.