Budgie

John 'Budgie' Burridge is a true journeyman pro and a hero to football fans up and down the country. In a unique career spanning 30 years, Budgie played 771 league games for 29 teams and became the oldest player ever to appear in the Premier League. Highly respected as a goalkepper, but denounced by many as an 'oddball', Budgie was famous for the madcap antics. And the Burridge story was far from over when he finally retired in 1997, at the age of 47. He lapsed into depression and spent months in the Priory Clinic as he struggled badly to cope with the void in his life. He then became player-manager at non-league Blyth Spartans - only to be convicted for dealing in counterfeit leisurewear. Together with his wife of more than 30 years, Budgie moved to Oman to take up a coaching post with the national team. He sustained serious injuries when he was knocked down by a car in 1999, but is back in rude health and is now a TV pundit and newspaper columnist. Burridge is still fascinating