I was a Sunderland wonderkid and a Rangers goal machine – now I’m playing six-a-side for YouTubers
How a former Sunderland starlet and Rangers hero wound up being managed by a FIFA streamer.
It’s famously difficult to impress Roy Keane – but back in 2007, that’s precisely what a young striker coming through the ranks at Sunderland did, earning a debut against Manchester United and the verdict that he would have a “long and successful career” at the Stadium of Light.
In the end, Martyn Waghorn did have a long and successful career – but it was largely at a slightly lower level. The forward made over 500 senior appearances and at his best was a goal machine for both Rangers and Derby County. So how did a forward with such a long and storied career wind up being managed by a YouTuber?
What happened to former Rangers star Martyn Waghorn?
Waghorn had an auspicious start to life as a professional footballer. On Boxing Day 2007, at the age of just 17, Waghorn was thrown in at the deep end by Keane, making his first appearance for Sunderland as a left winger against Manchester United – and the Irishman was suitably impressed.
"We have no doubts about him,” Keane said after the game. “He’s a talented kid. He’s strong, his touch is assured and we’re delighted with him. We hope he will have a long and successful career at Sunderland.”
In the end, he didn’t enjoy that career in the North East. That game against United would prove to be one of just six Premier League games he played in his career, all of them for Sunderland before he left the club in 2010 to embark upon a long career which would take in 12 different clubs and see him score 135 professional goals as well as two for England’s Under-21s.
READ MORE: The Wonderkid Power Rankings - the Top 10 best young players in the Premier League right now
Still, his time at Sunderland left a mark. A permanent one, in fact, in the form of a tattoo commemorating his debut. There was one slight problem with that particular piece of body art, however – it had the wrong date on it, with the year 2008 inked onto his arm by mistake.
Waghorn was rather better at scoring goals than he was at finding the right tattoo artist, at least. He probably found his best form at Rangers, for whom he scored 44 goals including 28 in the 2015/16 season in which they finally earned promotion back to the Scottish Premiership following their enforced relegation to the bottom of the Scottish league system.
He had impressive spells at Ipswich Town and Derby County in the Championship immediately afterwards, too, hitting double figures in three consecutive seasons. A rock solid career finally came to a close early during the 2024/25 season, when he announced his retirement after a brief spell at Northampton Town.
That seemed to be that – a fine career, even if he didn’t quite hit the heights Keane and the England age group coaches seemed to hope. So how did Waghorn end up playing again at the age of 35 under the management of a FIFA streamer?
How the Baller League brought Waghorn back
Nine months after he retired, Waghorn is set to play again – not in Scotland or the EFL but in a streamer-led six-a-side competition which will likely see him strut his stuff in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers online.
The Baller League, the first UK edition of which took place in April, is back for a second season starting in October. A tournament which pits former pros and academy prospects against each other and which features randomised rules such as long-range strikes counting double or goalkeepers being banned from using their hands, it’s been a hit on streaming platforms.
Waghorn has signed up to play for N5 FC – which means one of his managers will be Eman SV2, a streamer and content creator mostly known for playing FIFA. It’s probably quite a far cry from playing for Roy Keane, but at least his other two coaches will be well-known professionals: former Arsenal stars Jens Lehmann and Robert Pirès are also involved in the coaching.
While many of Waghorn’s new team-mates aren’t exactly household names, at least one will likely be familiar to many fans – controversial former Newcastle United striker Nile Ranger. Opposing teams will include players ranging from former England defender Joleon Lescott to former wonderkids such as Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who is involved after being released from prison following a conviction for drug smuggling.
The Baller League may not appeal to traditionalists, but its first edition was a success and it looks set to be a part of the football landscape for some time. Whether Waghorn, now 35, will be involved in future seasons remains to be seen, but it offers the striker a chance at one last hurrah before he hangs up his boots for good – and a little bit of cash, to go with it. It’s not Ibrox or the Stadium of Light, but it’s not the worst way to end a career most of his colleagues will be rather jealous of.