Amazing story of Tyrone Mings’ England debut, from living in a homeless shelter to working in a pub while playing non-league football
IT'S been a long way to the top for Tyrone Mings.
The 6ft 5in Aston Villa centre-back, who became a fans' favourite after helping the Villans gain promotion to the Premier League before securing a permanent move for £26.5m from Bournemouth, could make his England debut tonight against Bulgaria in Sofia.
But when he was a kid, Mings' life was turned upside down when he was forced to live in a homeless shelter with his mum, Dawn and three sisters for a year.
At the age of eight he was enrolled into the Southampton academy, but contemplated quitting football when he was released by the Saints at 15.
26-year-old Mings bounced around non-league football, first at Yate Town and then at Chippenham Town.
However, he was so poor he had to take on a job pulling pints at a local pub, as well as become a mortgage adviser just to make ends meet.
It's that never-say-die spirit that has helped his rise in the game, in what is a truly remarkable story.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Mings doesn't remember the exact age it happened, but the hardship he faced as a child when his family were made homeless still hits him hard.
He was at primary school when they were in need of urgent help, and moved to a shelter.
Mings, mother Dawn and his three sisters shared a room with two bunk beds and a sofa.
“My mum had come out of not a great relationship and we had nowhere else to go," Mings told the .
"We lived with the guy in Chippenham and there was no other alternative. One day we just had to up and leave, and that was the only place we could go.
“I remember it vividly, it was horrendous – communal washing area, communal showers, it was awful. The people who were in there weren’t always the nicest.
"We were in there for a long time, six months to a year, and when you are in primary school that wasn’t a nice experience."
REJECTED BY THE GAME
After the family were moved into social housing, football became Mings' salvation.
But, despite his now imposing hulking frame, Southampton deemed the spindly trainee too lightweight for their liking.
He was told to leave at 15, and his Premier League aspirations were left in tatters.
Further trials at Cardiff City, Swindon Town, Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers also ended in further rejection.
In 2009, Mings enrolled on a special football scholarship at the independent school, Millfield in Somerset, where he spent hours in the gym building his physique.
He left school with decent grades, contemplated taking on another scholarship in the States, before deciding on a season at Southern League Division One South & West side Yate Town, playing three tiers below the Conference.
Then he moved to Chippenham Town, where his dreams lay in balance.
ODD JOBS
To supplement his measly £45-per-week salary at Chippenham, skint Mings had to find work elsewhere to pay the bills.
It's hard to believe - but only seven years ago he was pulling pints in a pub to survive.
Mings would drive his x-reg Citroen Saxo - green, white wheels, and faulty handbrake to local boozer The White Hart to do as many shifts as he could.
But there weren't many that would employ a part-time footballer - a local corner shop and a Comet both told him to jog on as he seeked further employment.
He later went into mortgage advising in London & Country’s Bath office, as he seriously thought about a life outside of football.
"There have been times in my football career where I've thought: 'Is this it? Is this as far as I'm going to go?', he told the podcast.
"There have always been times where I've not been sure and I can't see the path, see my way into football at the moment."
AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT
It was former Ipswich defender Russell Osman who recommended Mings to The Tractor Boys boss Mick McCarthy.
He played an hour of a trial match against a Nike Academy team, and even rollicked seasoned pro Danny Higginbotham in front of the now-Republic of Ireland boss.
That was enough to convince McCarthy to part with £10,000 cash, plus the promise of a preseason friendly for his new discovery.
Ipswich Town skipper Luke Chambers remembered him as a "very confident" young man who wasn't scared to put his elders to the sword.
“He was one of those who comes in not worried about stepping on anyone’s toes,” Chambers told .
“Potentially rubbed a few people up the wrong way. But a big character, one you’d like around your team. And a genuine guy.
“He played left back for us but I always knew he could be a centre half, with his size and athleticism. He plays in a way that catches your attention. He’s always out there making tackles, making blocks, putting his body on the line.”
MENTAL HEALTH
Eddie Howe, a man who scours the lower divisions for talent for Bournemouth, took a punt on Mings in an £8m deal in 2015.
But a tragic setback on his debut, a crippling knee ligament injury, left him sidelined for a year.
Just 22, he was left devastated and fell down a dark hole.
“When it got to the diagnosis of my knee and when I realised how long I was going to be out, my thoughts spiralled out of control," he said.
"I would shut myself away, I didn’t want to do rehab. I didn’t want to do anything to get my knee better, I didn’t want to talk to anyone.
“It was only when I went to see the manager and told him how I was feeling that he said ‘you need help’'.
NOT FORGOTTEN HIS ROOTS
Recognised as one of the most generous footballers in this country, Mings hasn't left the past behind.
Instead, he embraces it. When he was 20 at Ipswich, he sacrificed time with his family on Christmas Day to feed the homeless.
Mings has also bought tickets for a fan who couldn't afford to pay for them in the past, as well as offered to buy new shirts for fans who had his old squad number stamped on their new kits on Twitter.
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But it is his mum who he is most thankful for, who helped him realise his potential.
In 2015, he shared a text message exchange between them on Instagram that showed he has his heart in the right place.
His mother said she was grateful for wiping "all my debt away", with Mings replying that she warranted "every penny" adding: "This is why I do it."
