Febian Brandy has gone from one of the most popular young talents in English football to helping clubs to dismiss the next big thing.
Brandy, 36, did not find the heights completely on the books in Manchester United after almost 15 years.
The difficult attacker was seen as one of the smartest sparks in the English game, praised by teammates and chased by people like Real Madrid and Barcelona.
But injuries meant that Brandy never played a professional game for Man Utd.
Instead, he had 16 different clubs in several countries before he withdrew to Non-League.
However, he has insisted that he does not regret how things went, after it was that journey that led him to make skouted – an app that helps players not to find a club to give them a chance.
Brandy told Sunsport: “I always saw myself playing for Manchester United, I didn't really know anything else.
“I only really knew Utd and England. So when it ended, it was difficult, I was upset.
“But I thought to myself, this had to happen for my career. I didn't want to be any of those players who was 23/24 and signed contracts to be at a big club.
“I wanted to make a name for myself elsewhere. I was clearly upset, but it was something that had to be done.
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'Ask people:' Should I have signed for Barcelona? '
“Don't get me wrong, the weather would have been more beautiful, but I don't regret it.”
Man Utd had rejected a £ 1 million from Barca when Brandy was only a teenager, a deal that was rejected by Sir Alex Ferguson after the iconic manager Brandy had asked if he wanted to sit down.
Barcelona had come to sniff after he was impressed by a youth tournament with the Catalan club, Real Madrid, PSG and Ajax.
Brandy explained: “About two weeks after the tournament, a Spanish man – I don't know how he got the number – called my mum and dad's phone.
“My mother picked it up and he said,” We are interested in your son Febian. “
'Two weeks later I went into training and Sir Alex Ferguson walked past me in the hallway and said:' Did you hear? . '
“I felt he was talking about, but you have to be respectful, so I played stupid. He said,” Barcelona is interested in you, what are your thoughts? “
“I said:” Listen, boss. I'm a local boy. I come from Manchester and I see my career here, this is the place I want to be. “Then he just hit me on the head, called me a good boy and walked away.
“Things started to come out in the following weeks, and I think they are that [Barca] made a bid of £ 1 million, which clearly rejected Sir Alex and from that moment on I heard nothing about it. “
Brandewy, born in Manchester, eventually left United in 2010, where he had come through the youth ranks alongside Ravel Morrison, Jonny Evans and Danny Welbeck.
At that time, Brandy had started training with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville – players he remembers as “Big Brothers” for him – to try his next club and the next step in his career in the lower competitions.
Brandy had closed a deal with Sheffield United in the championship, but broke his midfoot in the last minute of his last match for the MAN UTD reserves – the move.
Instead, after seven months without a club, he found a chance with Notts County in League Two.
From there, injuries meant that Brandy was never able to settle in one club, who kicked a traveler career who saw him play in Greece and Thailand and for people like Sheffield United, Rotherham and Rochdale.
It was at the time that it bounced from club to club and constant injury fought that Brandy realized that he had to start thinking about his future, which led to the idea for Skouted.
He remembered: “When I was in the late 20s, I had fought with so many injuries and I started to think about my future.
“I didn't really want to be a coach or manager. Then I started to put Skout in place.
“I have always had an entrepreneurial mentality and I think what was really activated, it was that when I was at a man Utd, I was pretty happy to be there as long as I was.
“I was lucky to get a contract every year from the age of eight until I was 22.
“I had friends who might not have been good enough to get it at Man Utd, but they might have been able to play in a lesser club.
“But when they were released, their parents or their guardians did not have the connections to answer the phone with someone in the championship or League One and to ask for a test.
“Then I thought to myself:” I have to create something that bridge that gap between players and clubs “.
“Something football clubs can find these players and players have a platform to present themselves for these football clubs.”
That is exactly what he did, after he had hung his boots at Non-League Ebbsfleet in 2017 and focuses on helping the next generation of talent.
The app enables young players to upload clips of themselves, with top clubs that then browse through the videos to see if there is potential.
While Brandy also started organizing showcase games where young stars train together and are invited to play in academy competitions for scouts at top level – including Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea.
In fact, a recent access to the Supercup, previously known as the Milk Cup, saw his side of hungry prospects grinding a 2-2 draw with Manchester United U16s with just four weeks of training – which made eight players invited to tests at top clubs.
It was the same competition that Brandy had played as a teenager, who won the tournament of the tournament about Sergio Busquets and Bojan – profitable interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Brandy does not know exactly how many players he helped to get a chance, but estimated that Skouted helped more than 300 club -free players to earn professional tests around the world.
He wants to be seen as a “breeding ground” for talent and can already point to players who are now bound at the highest level thanks to the help of the app.
Arsenal-younger Louis Zecevic-John, who signed a grant with the Gunners Academy and represented both England and Serbia at youth level, was on the Skout app before he got his shot.
Brandy explained: “Louis was picked up by one of the skout scouts and we set up it with a championship club, which was ultimately not too enthusiastic about him.
“But then he was picked up by a Premier League side before signing a two-year contract with Arsenal.
“He was actually on the Skout app a few years ago, it just shows that we know what we are talking about.
“He went from Regents Park, to the Skouted app and now he has continued drawing for Arsenal”.
Now Brandy is planning to expand his platform for the women's game, with plans to put on a female showcase game this year.
For the former England Youth International and two -time Saint Kitts and Nevis Cap, it is about getting talented players back on the field.
He added: “Everyone wants to sign a messi or a ronaldo, but the reality is that they are rare gems. But my experience at Man Utd helps me to know which level top clubs are still looking.
“Some of these players do not know what to do, and their parents do not know what to do. In terms of how they can be involved in the football system.
“We don't say that we are going to change everyone in a Premier League football player, but what we try to say is that there is a level for people to play football.”