Footballers you watched growing up you won't believe are still playing in the EFL

It has probably been a long time since you’ve watched these players from your childhood in action; here are the most unlikely names to still be present across the varying EFL tiers.

It has all been heard before: “What happened to Prime Barclays?” as football fans reminisce on their childhoods, nostalgic for the players they once watched week-in, week-out.

In 2026, that phrase, ‘Prime Barclays ’, is taking on an even nearer meaning, with the 2016-2021 era slowly creeping into the timeframe connoted.

We all know the superstar names from that era who have since left the Premier League and will go down in English top-flight history: Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, Eden Hazard, but what about the lost talents, and the Mr Reliables?

Many of those footballers, some of whom might surprise you, are still kicking about across the various EFL tiers, now in the later stages of their once-Premier League careers.

Starting with a recent transfer: this player joined EFL League Two side Cheltenham today, at the age of 35.

Andreas (Andi) Weimann

Weimann has played for the likes of Aston Villa, Watford, Derby County, Wolves, Bristol City, West Brom and Blackburn Rovers throughout his 16-year-long career.

For Villa, with whom he spent much of his Premier League career, the now 35-year-old bagged 17 goals in 113 appearances before departing on loan to Watford.

He spent five years in total at the club, with loans in between, before moving to Derby County, then Bristol City in 2018.

For the latter club, he bagged 50 in little over 200 appearances, spending six years with the Championship side. In 2021-22, over a decade past his debut for Aston Villa, the Austrian won Bristol City’s Player of the Season.

He moved again, now to West Brom, before finding his feet in Blackburn and bagging seven goals for the Rovers in a year at the club.

In 2026, Weimann is now at Cheltenham, having been a free agent since leaving Derby at the end of last season, during his second stint with that club.

David McGoldrick

At the age of 38, McGoldrick is still going strong. Now playing for Mansfield Town in League One, the former Sheffield United man isn’t ready to call it a day just yet.

Since making his debut for Notts County in 2004, McGoldrick has played for the likes of Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town, and many more, across a 22-year career.

For Sheffield United, where he aided the club in its return to the Premier League during the 2018-19 season, McGoldrick bagged 27 goals in 127 games.

The now 38-year-old bagged 15 of those 27 in the Championship in 2018-19, combining with Billy Sharp’s 23, to lead the club back to the Premier League for the 2019-20 season.

The club remained in the English top-flight until suffering relegation in 2020-21. Across those two seasons, McGoldrick bagged 10 Premier League goals in 63 matches — not a bad haul for a bagsman in his early 30s.

While many might have assumed that to be his last stand as a professional, McGoldrick has joined Mansfield after scoring 15 goals for fellow League One side Barnsley last season.

Vito Mannone

Once upon a time, Mannone was in relatively strong contention to become Arsenal’s first-choice goalkeeper, with starts and clean sheets in the Premier League and Champions League.

After loans to Championship side Hull City, the shot-stopper was unable to secure the position he craved in Arsene Wenger’s side, however, he did enjoy further Premier League-playing days with Sunderland.

Mannone’s career highlight perhaps came through saving two penalties against Manchester United in the League Cup, setting up a lucrative final vs Manchester City.

The Black Cats lost that game; however, Mannone was awarded Sunderland’s Supporters Player of the Year award for the 2013-14 season.

In 2017, Mannone joined Reading, then moved to the MLS in 2019, Ligue 1 side Monaco in 2021, Lorient, then Lille, and now, Crawley Town.

The 38-year-old is now a player-coach for Crawley in League Two, with, extraordinarily, even more yet to give to the game, both on and off the pitch.

Nathaniel Chalobah

Yes, Chalobah is still playing. Despite being one of the youngest faces of these five players, at just 31, his career stretches back 14 years.

In 2012, he travelled with the Chelsea squad to Germany for the Champions League final, then signed a five-year contract with the Blues in 2013.

Chalobah stated that he intended to retire with Chelsea; instead, he lasted five years in the Premier League, making just ten appearances, before hopping from club to club.

That list includes Watford, where he bagged five goals in just under 40 games, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Burnley, Fulham, West Brom, and even more.

Now, the ex-Chelsea man, who at 15 looked capable of being brought on as a substitute for the Blues in high-level games, is playing for Charlton Athletic in the Championship.

Fans will be happy to know his stint there has gotten off to a quick start, having bagged an assist in a 3-1 EFL Cup victory against Cheltenham Town.

In that match, Chalobah also won eight out of 10 duels, completed 100% of his dribble attempts, made two tackles, three clearances, and racked up six defensive contributions.

Isaac Hayden

Again, just as young at 31, Isaac Hayden is currently at Leyton Orient after joining ahead of the 2026-27 League One season.

Hayden’s career spans back to 2013, this time with a different London club in Arsenal.

A product of the Gunners’ youth academy, the now 31-year-old stayed at the club for four years but was unable to break into the senior side.

After a loan move to Hull City in 2015, Hayden returned to the Premier League by joining Newcastle United, where he appeared in 151 games for the club, bagging six goals.

Hayden remained there for nearly a decade until 2025, leaving via mutual consent after being sent out to three different clubs on loan in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Hayden spent a year with Queens Park Rangers last season, making 26 appearances, but the midfielder isn’t ready to hang up his boots just yet.

Some fans might have kept an eye on his movements since departing Newcastle; some might have assumed he quietly retired after so many failed loans.

Alas, Hayden can make one last stand in League One; he played his first game last weekend, starting in a 2-0 victory against Oxford United.