Ultimate Football Heroes

When Declan Rice was released by Chelsea's youth academy at the age of 14, he was devastated. But he wasn't going to let that get in the way of his Premier League dreams. He worked harder than ever, and by the time he was 20, he was the captain and star of top-flight West Ham. Discover how the two-footed, high-energy, combative midfielder established himself as an irreplaceable member of the England national team and Arsenal's new record signing.

Florian Wirtz is the rising superstar football player who became the youngest scorer in Bundesliga history, earning the player of the season title. In 2025 he transferred to Liverpool following their glorious victory in the Premier League for a club-record fee of approximately £100 million. This transfer made him one of the most expensive footballers of all time. On the international stage, he became Germany's youngest goalscorer in the European Championships at the age of 21. He is now known as one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.

Kevin De Bruyne is arguably Manchester City's best player. This is the story of how the young Belgian rose through the ranks, worked hard despite the difficulties he faced along the way, and showed courage and determination to prove his skill in the world's toughest league. His versatility, technique, and goal-scoring ability have allowed him to become a midfielder like no other this season.

Bukayo Saka has the world at his feet. Since breaking through the ranks at Arsenal, the young forward has gone from strength to strength, helping his team lift the FA cup for a record 14th time. His versatile style of play means he can help his team all over the pitch. Discover how the boy born in Ealing, went on to represent England at Wembley in the Euro 2020 final, achieved his dream of representing his country at such a young age and overcame adversity to become the ultimate football hero.

The story of Marcus Rashford is nothing short of extraordinary - one of the brightest young stars on the Manchester United team, future England goal-scoring legend and shining example of philanthropy off the pitch. From tough beginnings in Manchester, Rashford has proven to be one of the Premier League's shining stars. Harry Kane used all his self-belief to prove that he could make it as a footballer. Now a superstar striker for Tottenham Hotspur and England, his hard work and determination have paid off.

Kylian Mbappe has the world at his feet. The young French striker's goals, skills and fearless attacking spirit earned him a £166 million transfer to French champions Paris Saint-Germain, to take on the best teams in Europe with new teammate Neymar. And at the 2018 World Cup, Kylian was the star player, his goals firing France to victory in the final. Now as a world champion, he has just one goal left - to become the best player ever.

Virgil van Dijk started his football career at the age of seven with his local youth team, WDS'19. Originally hoping to be a striker, his natural defence skills shone through and he signed for Liverpool FC for a world record fee as their superstar centre-back. Discover how he went from washing dishes to pay his way during his early career to becoming one of the best defenders in the world. This is the story of how Virgil became a true Liverpool legend. Follow his journey as he fights adversity and works his way up to become an ultimate football hero.