Steven Spielberg found fame by sneaking into Universal Studios and pretending to work there, Ali Dia got to play for Southampton by simply pretending to be George Weah’s cousin, but Max Lonsdale arguably beats both for sheer audacity.
The 18-year-old ex-Macclesfield player, with a DVD and a CV in hand, simply approached Alex Ferguson’s residence and confronted the manager with the words: “I want to play for Man United.”
Ferguson was so impressed with the youngster’s initiative that he subsequently gave him a two-week trial, which turned into a month-long stay.
And while Londsdale ultimately just missed out on winning a contract with the club, Ferguson was impressed enough to arrange a trial at Doncaster for him.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Londsdale described his daring feat, admitting he was “shaking like a leaf” in the lead up to his meeting with Ferguson, and saying:
‘Macc told me they were short of funds, but I think I just wasn’t right for them. They wanted big, physical players who would battle for 90 minutes, whereas I like passing the ball and trying to go past people.‘I knew I could play at a higher level and I couldn’t stop thinking about United. I posted DVDs to other clubs but got nowhere, so I just thought, “Right, I’m going to do it differently with United. I’m going straight to Sir Alex”. Don’t ask me where that came from. I’ve no idea. I’m normally quite shy, but something inside triggered it. I suppose I wanted it so badly, I just thought you’ve got to do whatever it takes.
The midfielder is now recovering from injury, as he awaits his opportunity at Doncaster.
Rumours that Alex Ferguson’s driveway has been inundated with aspiring footballers ever since have yet to be confirmed.
