The career of a professional footballer is far from being a typical one, but most players have at least a vague idea of where they're going to end up. That's not always the case, however.
Football can take players on the strangest, most unpredictable of journeys and individuals can end up plying their trade in the most unexpected of places - whether it be at the start, in the middle, or at the end of a career. This article is proof, as we look at ten English players all true fans have heard of whose careers epitomise that notion. Here are ten famous English footballers who are currently at the weirdest of clubs.
Shaun Wright-Phillips (Phoenix Rising)
Former Premier League title winner and 36-cap England man Shaun Wright-Phillips has played for the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Queens Park Rangers in his time, but he now finds himself in the second tier of America's soccer pyramid, the North American Soccer League, with Phoenix Rising.
35-year-old winger Wright-Phillips plays alongside a number of fellow Englishmen at the club, including former Newcastle United defender Peter Ramage and former Leicester City midfielder Jordan Stewart.
Joe Cole (Tampa Bay Rowdies)
Another 35-year-old former Premier League title winner currently playing in the same league as Shaun Wright-Phillips is Joe Cole.
Cole won the Premier League three times with Chelsea and also turned out for the likes of West Ham United, Liverpool and Aston Villa, as well as winning 56 caps for England. The attacking midfielder now finds himself playing for Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters)
Wes Brown has had a prestigious career that has seen him win five Premier League titles, two Champions Leagues, two FA Cups and two League cups with Manchester United. He also won 23 England caps and has appeared for Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers.
These days, at the age of 37, he is on the books of Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League, where he plays alongside former Manchester United teammate Paul Rachubka.
Jermaine Pennant (Billericay Town)
Former England U21 international winger Jermaine Pennant is known best for his time in the Premier League playing for the likes of Birmingham City, Liverpool and Stoke City, as well as for having a spell in La Liga with Real Zaragoza.
These days, 34-year-old Pennant can be found at the much less glamorous Billericay Town of the Isthmian League Premier Division. Pennant's teammates at the club include former England international left back Paul Konchesky and former Premier League midfielder Jamie O'Hara.
Paul Ifill (Tasman United)
Although he has 10 caps for the Barbados national side, Paul Ifill is English by birth and made his name playing for the likes of Millwall, Sheffield United (for whom he played in the Premier League) and Crystal Palace.
These days, at 37 years of age, he is the player-assistant coach at Tasman United in the Stirling Sports Premiership - the top flight of professional football in New Zealand.
John Bostock (Lens)
John Bostock was a highly-promising young player, having made his debut for Crystal Palace at just 15 years of age. He signed for Spurs at 16, but didn't make the grade at White Hart Lane and ended up being something of a journeyman. After loan spells in the football league and Canada, he played in Belgium before ending up at current club Lens, who play in Ligue 1. Although Lens are by no means an obscure team, it's extremely rare to see English players plying their trades in France these days.
Jay Bothroyd (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo)
Jay Bothroyd has played for a plethora of clubs in his time as a professional; Coventry City, Perugia, Charlton Athletic, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers, for example. He'll also forever be remembered as a one-cap wonder for England.
These days, he's 35 and plays his football for Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in the J1 League - the top tier of football in Japan.
Lee Trundle (Llanelli Town)
Lee Trundle never truly reached the big time in his football career - he played for teams like Wrexham, pre-Premier League Swansea City and Bristol City - but he is widely known for his extrovert displays of skill, which made him a Soccer AM legend.
He's now 40 years of age and plays for Llanelli Town in Welsh Football League Division One - the second level on the Welsh football pyramid.
Reece Oxford (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Reece Oxford is a hugely promising young defensive player at West Ham United. He made his first appearance for the club as a 16-year-old in 2015 - even appearing seven times in the Premier League for the Hammers in the 2015-16 season.
Now, at the age of 18, he finds himself on loan at German club Borussia Mönchengladbach in search of more game time. It's a strange move for two reasons: 1) The Bundesliga isn't generally seen as somewhere young English players go on loan and 2) Mönchengladbach are arguably a bigger club and better side than West Ham.
Rachel Daly (Houston Dash)
Rachel Daly isn't the only high-profile English lady to ply her trade in America, but she's the only one doing so at the novelly-named Houston Dash!
The former Leeds United and Lincoln Ladies star has seven caps for the England women's national football team and, in spite of the fact that she's a striker, she wears the number 3 jersey for her National Women's Soccer League club over in Texas.
