Last Season’s Top Scorer in League One Was a Construction Worker Until Age 23, Now Leads the Scorers’ Chart This Season

This season, 31-year-old forward May, playing for Birmingham in League One, has demonstrated excellent form by scoring 4 goals in the first 4 league matches, currently leading the League One scorers’ chart. However, what is lesser-known is that before he turned 23, he was merely a construction worker, with football being just a “part-time” job.

Last season, May performed outstandingly for Charlton, scoring 27 goals across all competitions, including 23 goals in the league, making him the top scorer of League One that season. In addition, he has scored at least 20 goals in the league for three consecutive seasons. Birmingham invested £775,000 to bring him on board this season.

May can be considered a late bloomer. In January 2017, at the age of 23, he secured his first professional contract. Before that, he played football while working as a construction worker with his brother. Now, he is the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Player of the Year and has been selected for the Team of the Year.

When talking about his career, May said in an interview: “It really feels like a dream. When I was young, I didn’t fully utilize my abilities. When I finally got into higher-level leagues, I changed my mindset. At that time, I was working at my brother’s construction company, and my brother encouraged me: ‘Either go for a real professional football contract or stay and work hard.’ Eventually, I received a contract from Doncaster.”