I was Man Utd’s next wonderkid dubbed ‘the English Lionel Messi’.. now I’m in the seventh tier playing for 500 fans
CALLUM GRIBBIN was meant to be the future of Manchester United.
Aged 16, the attacking midfielder was being compared to Ryan Giggs and even called “the English Lionel Messi”.
An outrageously talented dribbler and a set-piece specialist to boot, Gribbin had the world at his feet.
Louis van Gaal was so impressed with the youngster, he plucked him from the youth ranks and threw him into the cauldron of first-team training.
His ability to float across the pitch with the ball seemingly glued to his foot saw him capped by England‘s Under-16s and Under-17s.
It seemed impossible that Gribbin would NOT make it in the Premier League, strutting his stuff in front of 75,000 fans at Old Trafford.
But now he’s in the seventh tier playing for a smattering of fans just seven miles up the road at FC United of Manchester.
So what happened to Gribbin? Let’s start from the beginning…
Gribbin joined Man Utd‘s youth ranks at the age of nine and quickly turned the heads of his coaches and team-mates.
One of his youth pals, Charlie Scott, called him an “unreal talent”.
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Scott added: “Gribbo was easily one of the best players I’ve ever played with.
“He would dribble past five players in training and he’d be laughing as he went past you.
“He was a great lad, full of jokes.”
Gribbin certainly wasn’t shy, either.
In 2011, as part of Edwin van der Sar’s testimonial a Man Utd youth team took on a young Ajax XI in Amsterdam in front of a raucous 53,000-strong crowd.
Sir Alex Ferguson, Giggs, Van Gaal, Sir Bobby Charlton and Dennis Bergkamp were all among the star-studded onlookers.
Gribbin scored a penalty before playfully wagging his finger at the local supporters.
He scored a second after pinching the ball from Matthijs de Ligt, running half the length of the pitch, mercilessly rounding the goalkeeper and slotting the ball home.
As the years went on, Liverpool and Manchester City were suddenly desperate to prise the youngster from their fiercest rivals.
England Under-16s coach Kenny Swain admitted he felt “breathless” just watching him.
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Swain said: “Everyone kept saying to me, ‘You have to see this lad.’
“I went to watch him and within five minutes, I could see he was something special.
“Technically — because that is the first thing we are all looking for — he was outstanding. So much pure natural ability. And physically, too.”
But in 2019, Gribbin was released by United.
Rumblings around the club claim worth ethic and behaviour were the deciding factors behind the decision to axe him.
An unnamed former team-mate told The Athletic: “It was just attitude issues… a few things went on that had to be kept quiet.”
Even his old trainer, Paul Mitten – per Ryan Baldi’s book, The Dream Factory – said: “Gribbo signed a four-year deal at United when he was 17… they gave him fortunes.
“I’ve never seen anyone do such things with a ball. He’s got a wand of a left foot.
“But he’s a complex guy. Mentally, he’s a complex character.”
In 2018, United’s academy boss Nicky Butt spoke to The Times about “going mad” at a player who had “tossed training off a little bit” in front of Jose Mourinho.
The Manchester Evening News named the player as Gribbin.
In the youngster’s final week at the club, Butt taught him a harsh lesson, admitting: “You’ll either end up working at McDonald’s or we’ll buy you back for £100million.”
It’s been a rocky road for Gribbin since being booted out of Old Trafford.
But those around have seen a huge boost in his work ethic.
Mitten added: “We all make mistakes… learning from these and moving forward is what separates people.
“I know Callum has made a few [mistakes] but since meeting the lad all I have seen is a desire and determination to put things right.”
Sheffield United first took a chance on the youngster following his release – but he left after growing frustrated in the youth squad, desperate to prove his worth in the first-team under Chris Wilder.
Gribbin took a chance and headed to League Two side Barrow Town, convinced he would finally have a chance to catch the eye.
Ex-Blackburn star David Dunn was boss at the time and told Gribbin he would build a squad around him. He would be the future of the club.
But with The Riversiders gripped in a relegation battle, Dunn opted for steady experience over unproven talent.
Gribbin played just twice – once in League Two and once in the FA Cup – in the 2020-21 season.
Halfway through the season, when player registration reopened, Gribbin wasn’t given a squad number and forced to train with a small group of outcasts.
He opted to move on again, training with Salford City – owned by Man Utd’ Class of 92 – and had a trial with Portuguese second-tier side Casa Pia.
But in the midst of the Covid pandemic, clubs were looking to trim the fat in their squads, not make left-field, risky additions.
Gribbin opted to take another dive down the football pyramid as he signed for seventh tier Radcliffe.
And it was here there was a noticeable change in his work ethic.
His first game at the club was a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Stalybridge Celtic in front of 572 fans – a game which saw the goalkeeper pull down his team-mate’s shorts just to get a laugh from the terraces.
But Gribbin is willing to put in the work to achieve his dream of starring on the biggest stage.
And no match encapsulated his newfound desire to improve more than one game – also against Stalybridge Celtic – in 2021.
The boss had promised him an appearance off the bench in the second half – but he never came on.
Rather than sulk, he entered the pitch at full time and sprinted lengths of the pitch, sodden to the bone, and kept going long after his team-mates had headed home.
Last summer, he moved on again – edging closer to Man Utd – after signing for Radcliffe’s divisional rivals FC United of Manchester.
Now aged 24, he’s been a mainstay of the first-team this term with his side desperately launching a late push for promotion – sitting ninth, eight points off then play-off spots with a handful of games to go.
It will be a long road back to the top for Gribbin.
But now boasting a strong worth ethic to go with his natural talent, who’s to say he can’t make it back to Old Trafford one day?