Chris Smalling went from non-league to Man Utd, married a Page 3 girl, turned vegan and was called ‘Mike’ by Van Gaal

CHRIS SMALLING has had quite the career trajectory.

The Manchester United defender, who joined Roma on loan this season, began life at Maidstone Utd before he was plucked out of non-league football by Roy Hodgson at Fulham.

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From there, the 6ft 4in centre half enjoyed a rapid rise in the game - moving to the Red Devils in 2010 for a fee believed to be around £12m.

After making his England debut in 2011 against Bulgaria in a 2012 Euro qualifier, he hit the big time and soon found himself in a celeb romance.

Smalling shacked up with Page 3 stunner Sam Cooke, and they married in 2017.

Now, he will be embarking on an Italian venture with his wife and their son Leo Asher.

HE WAS A SCHOLAR

After securing three B's in his A-Levels, Smalling was offered a place at universities in Loughborough and Leicester to study financial economics.

Momentarily, he wasn't sure if he should hedge his bets on being a footballer, especially after he was released by Millwall at the age of 15.

And it wasn't as if Smalling, then 18, was playing in the big-time. He was at Maidstone when, by chance, he was spotted by Fulham's director of football, Les Reed.

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But after impressing Roy Hodgson, Smalling took on the gamble of becoming a professional footballer - pushing his studies to one side.

Sure enough it paid off, because at the beginning of 2009 he made his Premier League debut for the Cottagers.

MAN UTD

Once he became a regular at Craven Cottage, his form alerted the big clubs, including Arsenal and Man Utd.

With his hands tied because of financial restraints in North London, Arsene Wenger was left to watch as Premier League rivals United swooped for a deal reportedly worth £12m in 2010.

Within two years, Smalling had remarkably gone from non-league football to the biggest club in the world.

At Old Trafford, he's won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup, a League Cup, a UEFA Europa League and two Community Shields so far.

PAGE 3 WAG

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Smalling met gorgeous Page 3 girl Sam Cooke in 2013, and they were soon lighting up the gossip pages pictured on holiday in Barbados.

Three years later the pair were engaged, and they enjoyed an epic wedding in 2017 attended by teammates including Wayne Rooney, Luke Shaw, Phil Jones and Sam Johnstone.

The nuptials took place in the idyllic setting of sun-soaked Lake Como in Italy, in what was a dream ceremony.

This year, the couple became proud parents of a baby boy called Leo Asher, after Sam revealed she went through a 39-hour labour.

Smalling celebrated the happy news on social media with a sweet post, revealing he felt "truly blessed" by their arrival.

MIKE, IS IT?

The name Chris shouldn't really cause too much of a confusion, even for a foreign manager.

But former United boss Louis Van Gaal seemed to have a bit of bother remembering it in press conferences, mistaking him for 'Mike'.

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The joke started when Van Gaal mistakenly referred to Smalling as 'Mike' during a pre-season press conference in July.

The Dutch tactician then repeated his mistake after a Champions League win over CSKA Moscow.

Amusingly, other players got in on the act - and even Bastian Schweinsteiger joked, "Look, it's Michael!" when he saw Smalling at a presser.

And it clearly rattled the defender.

“Even when we’re going to games and getting off the coach, it’s all ‘Mike, Mike, Mike’, and even though it can get annoying, it’s one of those which is just going to stick with me and I’ve got to roll with it,” Smalling told .

“It's not Mike in the dressing room but I think every fan knows me as Mike now.”

TURNING VEGAN

Footballers today are very conscious of their diets.

And like Arsenal star Hector Belllerin, Smalling has gone vegan to help his performance, albeit with a gentle nudge from wife Sam.

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His missus even passed on some of her vegan recipes to the Carrington catering team so her husband can eat his favourite dishes after training.

Earlier this year, Sam posted a pic of her and Smalling tucking into the veggie options at a Frankie & Benny's too.

"Like two naughty kids in @frankieandbennys," she captioned the post.

“We recommend the chickenless nuggets and the viva la vegan burger which had me calling the waitress over to double check it was vegan! Really good, like a Big Mac but better.

“Just waiting on the chocolate lava cake and Oreo Sunday!”

Luckily for Smalling, pasta is 100 percent vegan, so he won't have any dietary problems in Italy.

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