Cardiff released me and broke my heart:

Leaving broke my heart and I was told I not big enough by Cardiff in 2011, he is now a Premier League player.


Cardiff City’s Accademy at that time was full of talent.

“I was told by Cardiff I wasn’t big enough”


Wales defender Tom Lockyer says his release by Cardiff broke his heart but admits it was probably the best thing that could have happened to his career.

Lockyer, now with Premier League side Luton Town, was on the books at his boyhood club as a teenager but was let go at age 15 because he was told he wasn't big enough to play at centre-back.

Speaking to The Central Club podcast, Lockyer says getting away from the Cardiff and securing regular men's football after the disappointment of being released was the making of him.


"There were loads of talented lads at Cardiff , a lot more talented than me. A lot bigger as well, which is what they were after. But a lot of them just went on to fizzle out. Me getting released and having to go to Bristol Rovers and end up playing men's football was the best thing that ever happened to me."

He says his contemporaries remained at Cardiff and plugged away in the under-21s, stagnating in some cases, while he benefitted from regular senior football.

Leaving Cardiff did hurt though, he candidly admitted. "I had a season ticket for five or six years," he added. "It's weird, they say you should never play for the team you support because you obviously end up despising them and that's what happened, it was as simple as that. It broke my heart. Cardiff was my team, it was Cardiff and Wales. There was nothing else."

He always played right back at City I never saw him play centre half My son played in the same academy team as him He was by far the smallest player but was an excellent defender then . One look at his parents and you could see at some stage he would get taller His dad was over 6Ft and mum around 5ft 10 i would say. From that team they also released Wez Burns

Picture is Isaak Davies?

Picture is Isaak Davies?

Lol

Very old school and outdated way to view a player. “Not big enough”.

Really hope we aren’t judging players similarly today.