Former Liverpool winger Jordon Ibe is just 29 years old but already playing his football in the seventh tier after signing for Hungerford Town.
Ibe was considered an outstanding prospect in the academy and made 58 appearances for Liverpool before loan spells at Birmingham and Derby culminated in a permanent move to Bournemouth in 2016.
Such were Ibe’s talents that Bournemouth paid £15 million for the youngster. He was just 20 years old at the time.
Eight-and-a-half years later, he has just signed for the Southern Premier Division South side, Hungerford, who play in the seventh tier of English football.
Despite the rapid drop down the divisions, Ibe is pleased with the move and said: “It is an honour to Hungerford Town for taking me in and believing in my dream.
“It is time to buckle down and show the ability that I still have. With hard work, it can take you anywhere.”
After signing for Bournemouth in 2016 but scoring just five goals in four years, Ibe returned to Derby. The move didn’t work out, though.
During his time there, he revealed he suffered from depression and left by mutual consent one year into his two-year contract, having played only three minutes.
Ibe also had to deal with a broken leg upon leaving the club and didn’t return to action until January 2022, when he signed for Turkish second-division outfit Adanaspor.
Again, though, the move failed with him never featuring for the club despite signing a three-and-a-half year deal.
By October 2023, Ibe was back in England and signing for fifth-tier Ebbsfleet United. He played six minutes before being released at the end of the campaign.
Remarkably, he then dropped down to the ninth tier with Hayes & Yeating, playing semi-regularly until his departure in November.
Now at Hungerford, manager Danny Robinson said: “By his own admission, he wants to get back going again and we will be doing everything we can to get him smiling and enjoy his football.”
Jordan Lussey signs for Bootle
Jordan Lussey, another former Liverpool man who has suffered misfortune in his career, has signed for Bootle FC.
The ex-Liverpool U18 captain has completed his move to the eighth-tier team at 30-years-old, after a career that has now taken him to 12 different clubs.
While playing for Marine in January 2024, he endured a nasty injury that saw him suffer a complete rupture to his ATFL and CFL ligaments.
In June, he was forced to undergo surgery and start a GoFundMe page to help pay for the procedure and subsequent costs associated with being off work.
Over £3000 was raised and he is thankfully now back playing at Bootle in the Northern Premier League – West Division.
