After 28 years & 51 moves, veteran Louis retires at 46

Footballing journeyman Jefferson Louis has called clip connected his agelong profession aft 28 years and 51 transfers.

The 46-year-old debuted for Risborough Rangers successful 1996 astatine nan property of 17, marking nan commencement of a agelong profession successful lower-league English football.

He has had 3 spells astatine Thame United, wherever he was astir precocious earlier retiring.

Throughout his profession he besides spent clip astatine Oxford United, Mansfield Town, Wrexham, Crawley Town, Lincoln City and truthful galore more.

"It was a dream for maine to go a master footballer," Louis told BBC Radio Oxford.

"I played astatine immoderate awesome grounds and pinch immoderate awesome players, later connected I met immoderate beautiful group connected my travels and that motivated maine later successful my career.

"I person a bully circle of friends that person really encouraged maine to flooded nan acheronian days and strive for more, I've played for a agelong clip and I must beryllium doing thing correct arsenic I've still to this time had much managers inquire maine to travel play for them."

Louis scored 10 goals successful 64 appearances for Oxford United and was good remembered for scoring a winning header against Swindon Town successful nan FA Cup 2nd information successful 2002.

That extremity enabled nan U's to tie his boyhood nine Arsenal astatine Highbury successful information three, wherever they went connected to suffer 2-0.

"Before nan crippled [against Swindon], I didn't realise nan level of dislike betwixt nan 2 sides," Louis said.

"I've ne'er heard nan Kassam truthful large connected that day, erstwhile I scored it was a awesome emotion and past aft nan crippled it deed maine what I had done.

"And successful nan adjacent information we sewage drawn against Arsenal it was a infinitesimal I will ne'er hide and I will show my small boy about. I can't picture heavy down really it felt.

"When we went to Highbury, that was truthful special. I went connected to nan transportation pinch some nan Oxford and Arsenal fans shouting my name. I won't hide it."

Since retiring from nan game, Louis has now taken up a coaching domiciled pinch Slough Town FC and will beryllium their adjunct caput coach., external

The Rebels said that he would chiefly activity pinch nan club's strikers but besides supply immoderate valuable mentorship to immoderate of their younger players.

Louis antecedently played for Slough, making 5 appearances for them betwixt 2022 and 2023. He besides had a domiciled arsenic a capacity coach astatine nan nine successful nan summertime of 2023.

"The boots are staying successful nan closet, I won't play again," Louis added.

"Aside from showing nan guys connected nan transportation what to do successful training I'm going to return a remainder from playing."

Away from football, Louis does activity astatine a pupil referral centre for schoolhouse children that person been excluded from schools.

He spent a short play of clip successful situation erstwhile he was 22 for vulnerable driving.

"I opportunity to kids that everyone has to make mistakes to learn," Louis said.

"I show them that I've made mistakes and I'm still learning each time because I'm unfastened to it, I've lived it truthful I tin understand them better.

"I consciousness for illustration erstwhile I thief 1 kid it is for illustration scoring a goal, I consciousness connected apical of nan world because I want them to unrecorded to their existent imaginable and it's important for them to unrecorded up to their dream, it's truthful rewarding for me."