A lot of people will remember the name Sonny Pike and his trademark curly hair.
In the mid-nineties, the teenager was viewed as English football's big next thing. He often appeared in the media and had several sponsorship deals with the likes of McDonalds, Mizuno and Paul Smith. His legs were even insured for £1million, such was his promise.
By the new millennium, though, Pike's love for the game had evaporated. He never became a pro footballer, instead pursuing an ordinary life out of the limelight. Yet doing that has rekindled his passion for football - and he's now helping hundreds of youngsters.
Pike's fascinating story - which was made public in his autobiography 'The Greatest Footballer That Never Was' - started around 30 years ago when coaches started noticing he was special. "I think I had a different mindset," Pike tells Mirror Football.
"Quite a lot of people would say to me that, technically, I was probably too advanced for the game at that point - if that makes sense? I was into all the stuff you're seeing now, all the technical stuff, I was loving that 25 years ago when the game was a little bit different.
"Technically, I thought I was definitely good enough, if not one of the best [at my age group]. Anyone that I've ever played with, I didn't see anyone that I thought was better. But maybe I lacked in other departments... like physicality and everything else."
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And that's saying something. Pike played alongside the likes of David Bentley and Ashley Young as a teenager and even had a trial at Ajax, where he got the chance to come up against future World Cup runners-up Wesley Sneijder and Rafael van der Vaart.
Ajax offered Pike the chance to join the club permanently, but he chose to sign for Leyton Orient instead - a club just down the road from his hometown of Enfield, London. Yet the youngster remained under the media's harsh, glaring spotlight.
He added: "For a few years between eight and 10, I was getting a lot of local press - like advertisers, independents, this sort of stuff - being known as the local wonderkid, let's say. Then it just built into something when I got asked to go on to London Tonight."
The TV show filmed Pike playing for his local side. He scored four goals in the game - including one where he took the ball around the goalkeeper - before revealing his favourite players were Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona and Pele. Not many English lads say that.
He said: "They were like, 'Really? You should be talking about certain other players!' I did like English players... I came from a family that wasn't a football family - it was a boxing family - but I had a couple of tapes my dad bought me... I sort of learnt [football] a little bit differently.
"The local press, that was natural... but then it definitely got to a position where it [the hype] was being fed. It got to a level where maybe Sonny Pike was a brand and let's see what we can get."
At time, the spotlight was great. Pike got the opportunity to do glamorous and exciting things, such as appear at the 1996 League Cup final between Aston Villa and Leeds. The teenager got to perform his finest tricks in front of more than 77,000 fans at Wembley before sharing a special moment with Villa's talisman Dwight Yorke.
"I was going down the tunnel and all the teams were lined up ready to come out. I remember looking for Dwight Yorke because he was sponsored by Mizuno and so was I. Mizuno gave me a pair of boots that had a gold toe.
"I looked for Dwight Yorke to see if he had the same boots on... and he did! I was like, 'Me and Dwight Yorke are the only ones with the boots!'"
There was also the time when he was invited to one of Paul Smith's legendary parties. "I ended up doing modelling work for Paul Smith. I got invited to his birthday party in his shop in Covent Garden. People like Samuel L Jackson were there.
"Paul Smith went up to me and opened up some cabinets. You know when they do things like Paul Smith [branded] toothbrushes and his name written on them and what have you? He was going, 'Sonny just take what you want mate'. He actually took his own watch off and gave it to me! I just didn't know what to say."
Yet it wasn't always fun and games. The stress of being one of English football's brightest youngsters took its toll in 1996 when 'Fair Game' - a documentary about the 14-year-old's momentous rise - was broadcasted.
"I'd been in the media for a while at this point. It was meant to be about just me doing well, and it ended up being about Chelsea trying to poach me from Leyton Orient. They had someone come and film me from behind a curtain and all this kind of stuff - really shady journalist work - and my dad was sort of in bed with them and amongst it.
"When I had to watch that... that was the start of the lowest point and I struggled for a good few years after that. That would be the lowest point.
"Looking back on it now it's shocking, if I'm honest. It's tough when you're a kid and a lot of decisions are being made for you by your parents. I always felt a little bit in the middle, if that makes sense, because I wanted to keep my dad happy but at the same time I was like, 'Let's just concentrate on the football'. It was tough."
Pike's move to Chelsea fell through and his love for the game went with it. The youngster had trials with other clubs but his dream of becoming a professional footballer was over by the age 20. It was succeeded by a new one - to live a normal, happy life.
"As soon as I stopped playing football, I didn't want to go anywhere near a football - if I'm being totally honest. I just wanted to leave the game. I associated everything that was going wrong with football to the actual game itself. It penetrated my family hard. I lost [contact] with my dad and stuff like that. I didn't go near a football again for ages."
Pike went on to get married, have a family and become a London taxi driver. His love for football remained dormant and didn't return until he bravely decided to relive his past.
"After a long time, I did an interview around five or so years ago with Colin Murray on talkSPORT. I started talking about what happened and it took a lot of pressure off my shoulders. I thought, 'It ain't even that bad'. Obviously it was bad at the time, but time had passed and everything else.
"I just felt a little bit more at ease with it. The more I did that... I've done it more and more and just felt easier. I've grown into a position where I've thought, 'You know what - I've actually got the strength now to go out there and help'. Where before I would struggle to even talk about it. It's just come quite naturally."
Pike has since become a junior football coach and offers his priceless wisdom to the next generation. He specialises in one-on-one and small group sessions, with a focus on technical development - the strongest part of his game - rather than other facets.
Pike's reputation as a coach has grown significantly during the last few years and he's recently attracted two sponsors - commercial vehicle hire company BoxVn and construction company TFG Refurbishment - to support his important work.
"I do it every day. Even the days I take off... I've had conversations with two or three people this morning already and then I'll do my sessions later. I love it. It's weird really - it sometimes feels like I've gone full circle. I'm not really the sort of cheesy, fairy-tale type - but it does feel like that was maybe what was meant to be."
Pike has received rave reviews for his coaching. One parent recent told him on social media: "Sonny has been a great mentor to my son, especially when he was going through some tough times on his football journey. His knowledge and experiences are priceless."
Pike's coaching also allows him to be part of the game but live an ordinary life.
"That's all I ever wanted when I was younger. When it got to a certain stage, I enjoyed it and it worked for me. But when it was too much... I think if you Google 'Sonny Pike', the first thing that comes up is 'too much, too soon' - and I think that was definitely true.
"It's weird actually. Now I'm doing the coach, I've still got this buzz come back again around me since my book got published over the last year or two.
"I have a buzz around me as if something's happening, but it's at a level which is quite nice. I can lead my normal life with my family and kids and everything but, at the same time, can still get some good work in and enjoy my life at the same time.
"If you would've asked me this question between the ages 20 to 28 - or something like that - I would've said, 'No way' [I'll never return to football]. But from talking and natural time sort of passing, I'm able to do a mix of the two and it's brilliant, I love it."
*If you are struggling and need someone to talk to, Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year, or you can email them at jo@samaritans.org.
