Meet Josh Agbozo: The Ghanaian Liverpool ‘reject’ who is now helping other ‘rejects’

His love for football began in England, and he quickly got into Liverpool’s Academy at the age of nine.

As a central midfielder, Agbozo enjoyed life in the academy, playing as an offensive and defensive midfielder in matches.

However, playing for a big academy came with its challenges, and Agbozo admits it when he said, “being an academy kid was exciting, it was challenging, but you felt like the top kid. It also came with pressure, but I enjoyed it.”

Agbozo played alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool’s academy for eight years until he got released by the club in 2015.

“We were really close friends from the age of nine and up until 16 shared the same journey really, and it was a joy playing together as kids,” he tells BBC Breakfast.

According to Agbozo, his whole world came crashing down when he realized he would not be able to realize his dream of playing for the Reds in the Premier League in the future.

“I was released at 16, had loads of injuries so I wasn’t able to really show what I thought I could do. “It was tough, being let go, left me feeling a bit lost and unsure what I could do next,” he told the BBC.

After being released from the Liverpool Academy, Agbozo went on to join Crewe Alexandra’s academy and Leek Town Academy but did not make a senior appearance for either club.

Agbozo played for National League North side Chorley before getting a move in 2021.

He signed for Witton Albion Football Club, a semi-professional team based in Cheshire, England, where he played for a season.

Having struggled to revive his football career, Agbozo later pursued a career in occupational therapy and is now a therapy assistant.

Recently turned 24, Agbozo now works with people who have physical and mental health issues to help them carry out daily tasks and activities. He also supports occupational therapists in delivering interventions and assessments to patients.

Josh Agbozo is one of the many players who fell off at the academy level that Trent Alexander-Arnold wants to help after a devastating end of their careers.

Alexander-Arnold has launched ‘The After Academy’, an initiative focused on providing career opportunities to former academy players.

Author: Joseph Adamafio JNA/KPE