While Kent may be famous for there impressive cathedrals and castles, they are a county in the UK that has produced some talented footballers.
Many of them not only have gone on to become professional ones but also play for some of the countries top clubs.
So from players past and present, I will take you through the best eight from Kent that have at some point in their career tasted top-flight football.
Table of Contents
1. Ruben Loftus Cheek – Chelsea FC
Born in the southeast of London in Lewisham Loftus-Cheek spent the majority of his youth growing up in Kent.
In Kent, he attended Orchards Academy in Swanley while simultaneously playing football for Chelsea, which he had been signed to since 8.
From an early age, Loftus-Cheek showed his raw talent for the game which Chelsea noticed and rewarded him with a series of contracts.
These contracts have meant he has been a Chelsea player from 2014 to right now in 2022.
The only frustration for Ruben is that despite loan spells and cameos in the first team, he has struggled for consistency, only making 66 appearances in 8 years for Chelsea.
2. Matty Godden – Peterborough FC
Coventry City footballer Matty Godden has been in great form since joining the midlands side.
The striker who has averaged close to a goal every other game grew up in Kent before making the move to Scunthorpe as a teenager.
After a five-year spell with the club, he went on an interesting run of 8 loan spells before finally finding his feet with Ebbsfleet.
Godden is the only player on this list not to have played for a Premier League side.
However, with his form and goals in the Championship where he is helping them stay towards the latter half of the table, a move may be on the horizon soon.
3. George Boyd – Retired
Moving on to another ex-Peterborough footballer we have George Boyd who recently hung up his boots after 11 appearances with Salford City.
George grew up in Kent, and played in the county’s youth league is a late teenager aswell as Charlton which he was released.
From there Boyd went to Stevenage which started a journey that would see him appear in each of the top five levels of the pyramid.
He experienced Premier League football between 2014-17 under Sean Dyche with Burnely.
Aswell as making 263 appearances for Peterborough United during two spells, as they yo-yoed between the Championship and League One.
4. Luis Binks – Bologna FC
Luis Binks who spent his youth on board with the Tottenham Hotspur academy grew up in Kent and attended sports-focused Howard School.
Now despite progressing through the ranks and being one of the most talented footballers in the Tottenham ranks, he decided to switch continents.
He moved to Montreal Impact in 2020, then managed by Thierry Henry to get experience and first-team football.
In 26 appearances for the Canadian side in which he excelled in a three at the back system, he moved to Bologna an affiliate side of Montreal.
A player who made several starts for the Tottenham U23 and appeared at U16, U17, U18, and also U19 for England is someone with huge potential who we may see in the Premier League at some point.
5. Jamie O’Hara – Retired
A player who was dubbed as one for the future many moons ago when playing for Tottenham, Jamie O’Hara experienced an up and down career.
Growing up in Dartford, Kent he was quickly picked up by Arsenal’s academy aged 12, before switching to Tottenham in 2003 which he went on to sign a professional contract.
However, despite his talent and promise, he only made 34 appearances in 6 years, which included four loan spells at lower league clubs.
After that, he spent the next 5 years with clubs Wolves, Blackpool, Fulham, and Gillingham.
Before lastly conference side Billericay Town which he was player-manager with.
Now working mostly as a pundit and appearing regularly on Talksport radio, its unclear whether that is it for the 35-year-old footballer.
6. Glen Johnson – Retired
During the late 2000s and early 2010s, Glen Johnson was a highly sought-after right back.
Glen grew up in Dartford, Kent, and impressed scouts at an early age, as he was signed by West Ham in 1993 aged just 9.
He then went on to have a solid career mostly in the Premier League with 7 sides.
Notably, he was brilliant for Portsmouth in the late 2000’s helping them stay up and win a FA Cup.
This was recognized with a spot on the 2008 PFA team of the year.
A player who was solid defensively and was able to get up and down the flank made appearances at the Euro 2012 tournament.
7. Gary Pallister – Retired
Born in Ramsgate, Kent, Pallister enjoyed a decorated career at Manchester United after playing for Middlesbrough in the ’80s.
Pallister made a move to Manchester in what was at the time the highest fee of a defender at the time.
However, that money proved to be a great investment, as he was instrumental towards the club’s success in the 90’s being a key compartment of the defense.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, he won four titles, three FA Cups, and a European Cup in 1991.
8. Jonny Williams – Swindon Town
Last up we have Jonny Williams who recently signed for Swindon Town after spending 2021 with Cardiff City.
Now despite being not only from Pembury, Kent, and currently being in the fourth tier of the football league, he has been a regular inclusion of the Welsh national side since 2011.
Switching to Wales over England because of his father being Welsh, he has gone on to appear in each of the four top divisions in the English pyramid, representing 9 different clubs.
However, despite being a regular in Crystal Palace’s promotion campaign in 2012, he only went on to make 12 league appearances in the following three seasons.
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