Former Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson retired from football at the age of 24 and went on to work as an estate agent. Johnson, now 38, was once tipped for a bright future with club and country before injuries and self-doubt took their toll.
Rise and fall at Manchester City
Johnson burst onto the scene in 2006 with several impressive performances for Manchester City. Goals and assists followed as the youngster was tipped for the top, until injuries and crippling self-doubt took their hold.
Then City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson branded Johnson as England's "next big thing" after he impressed for the Three Lions at Under-21 level. Former City and Liverpool star Didi Hamann claimed Johnson was "probably the most complete young player I’ve seen".
Struggles with self-esteem and injury
"My issue was always self-esteem," Johnson told The Athletic in July 2020. "I just felt really low in myself. I didn’t ever feel I was as good as the kids next to me.
"I’m not talking football-wise. I knew I was good at football. I’m talking about how I felt as a person. I used to think, ‘You’re not like those lads there. You can’t be their friend’. You look at yourself in the mirror and you feel like it’s someone else looking back at you."
Johnson began his career with Leeds United and had brief stints with City and Everton. He also moved to Feyenoord at just 12 years old. He had spells at Liverpool and Crewe Alexandra before rejoining Everton and then returning to City at the age of 16 to begin his scholarship.
Despite making inroads into the City team, including a stunning start to the 2008/09 season, a recurrence of an abdominal injury sidelined him for seven months. Johnson revealed that his time on the treatment table plunged him into a dark place. "I was injured quite a lot. That didn’t help," he said.
"I was thinking, ‘Why the hell do I feel like this?’ And it’s not just that I wasn’t feeling better about myself. I was feeling worse than before. Suddenly, I didn’t have that hope of getting better."
Drink-driving ban and new career
Johnson later went out on loan to Leicester but made just seven appearances. The former midfielder eventually turned to alcohol. He was caught drink-driving twice in three months and was fined a total of £5,500 before being banned for three years.
Speaking of that period, he said: "They were low times. I was trying to escape my feelings by drinking, but I can’t condone that at all. I know it was dangerous and wrong."
He later sought help and checked into the Priory clinic. Johnson last played for City in October 2009, scoring in a 5-1 League Cup win over Scunthorpe, before being released from his contract in January 2013.
In addition to working as an estate agent, Johnson became a landlord and even began trading American cars. Talking about his departure from the game, he admitted that prioritising his health was the right call.
"It was a relief. I knew I couldn’t give my all in football," he said. "I needed to sort myself out. I knew I couldn’t do the two. I couldn’t be a professional footballer — not a good professional anyway — feeling the way I was feeling. It was the right time to leave. And once I left, I knew I could concentrate solely on sorting out my health."
