'I'm not ashamed' - Ellison, 47, opens up on mental health after playing days in top flight faded
Former Leicester player Kevin Ellison, 47, is still playing in England's eighth tier and has spoken about the depression he suffered as his career stalled after one Premier League appearance. He could become one of the oldest FA Cup players on Saturday.
Kevin Ellison, who made a single Premier League appearance for Leicester City against Manchester United in 2001, is still playing football at 47 and is set to feature for Vauxhall Motors against Thackley in the FA Cup preliminary round on Saturday, potentially becoming one of the oldest players in the competition's history.
Raised in Liverpool's Anfield area, Ellison trained at Liverpool's centre of excellence alongside Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard but was released by the club at 15. He worked on a building site and delivered furniture while playing non-league football, before his scoring form at Altrincham earned him a £50,000 move to Leicester in 2001.
After his sole top-flight appearance, coming on as a substitute alongside players such as Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Paul Scholes, Ellison never played in the Premier League again. He has revealed that years later, amid family problems, financial worries and the loss of loved ones, he suffered severe depression, including a moment driving on the M6 when he considered whether those around him would be better off without him.
Ellison says opening up to those close to him and seeking counselling helped him through the darkest period, and he is urging others struggling with mental health not to feel ashamed and to talk to family and friends. Over a 29-year career spanning 18 clubs and all eight tiers of English football, he has played more than 1,000 games, helped Hull City win promotion to the Championship in 2005, and reached two Wembley play-off finals. This summer, he also won the Seniors World Cup with an England veterans team, beating France 4-0 in the final.
