A FORMER wonderkid that was offered a TEN-YEAR contract by Barcelona is now unemployed after being released by Notts County.
Ex-England youth ace John Bostock, 32, is looking for the 16th club of his career after the League Two side announced he was one of several players being let go this summer.
Bostock first came to prominence aged just 14 at boyhood club Crystal Palace as he often played above his age group.
That is when he came to the attention of Barcelona, who got in touch with the midfielder.
The LaLiga giants had so much faith in Bostock that they famously wanted him to pen a deal with them for a decade.
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They tried several tactics to convince him, including a signed poster by then superstar Ronaldinho after finding out he was Bostock's favourite player.
However, he snubbed what would have been a sensational switch to the Nou Camp as parents allegedly wanted him to continue his development in London.
Other sides such as Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea were also rejected in favour of the team he grew up supporting.
Bostock previously told the BBC: “When I was 14, Barcelona offered me a 10-year contract.
“Ronaldinho was my favourite player at the time so they sent me a signed poster from him. I've still got it at my house in London. It said: 'To John from Ronaldinho'.
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“You name the club, I had interest from them. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter [Milan], Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool - the who's who of European football.”
Eventually, the man dubbed the ‘next big thing’ eventually departed Palace for Tottenham in a dramatic move that saw the two clubs going to a tribunal in 2008.
But Bostock never managed to play in the Premier League and ended up out on loan at Brentford, Hull, Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon and Toronto until his permanent exit in 2013.
He then embarked on a nomadic career, heading abroad to Belgium, France and Turkey with spells at Royal Antwerp, Leuven, Lens, Bursaspor and Toulouse, who then loaned him to Nottingham Forest in the 2019/20 campaign.
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He failed to secure a long-term deal at the City Ground, but the versatile ace returned to England to sign for Doncaster Rovers in 2021 but left in June following the club's relegation from League One.
He had to wait for his 15th club - but he landed an 18-month deal at Notts County in December 2022.
Bostock scored at Wembley the following May as the Magpies eventually beat Chesterfield on penalties to secure promotion from the National League.
He recently claimed that he is the happiest he has ever been and has become a mentor to other players, particularly those who share his faith after setting up his influential Christian football society ‘Ballers in God’ in 2015.
He made 37 appearances, scoring twice, for them on their return to League Two this season as they looked set for another promotion push only for a slump in form after the departure of boss Luke Williams to Swansea resulted in them finishing 14th.
Now County have announced a number of players will not be having their contracts renewed with Bostock among them.
A statement from the club confirming the news wrote: “As well as being a thoroughly professional and calming presence away from the field, John made many excellent performances for us – not least at Wembley, where his incredibly composed display and all-important equaliser were crucial to us winning the promotion he and his team-mates so richly deserved.”
Now the man that could have ended up playing alongside Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique at Barcelona, is once more a free agent.
