It's never too late - just look at Mateta

Looking at some top-notch football players, their careers seem to be going the natural way. Some giants' youth categories, then the senior squad, and somewhere in between, the national team appears. However, there is always the other side of the coin - those whose paths were thorny, whose roads were rocky, and whose professional development was full of obstacles.

One of them is the new France international, Jean-Philippe Mateta, and his example should be a living proof to everyone that it's never too late and that giving up should never be an option.

Days of Thauvin's life: Comeback, goal, and award

While many of his peers were at some renowned football academies, the striker played in the youth categories of the French lower-league side Chateauroux. Moreover, the popular La Berrichonne gave him the first chance in senior football - first through their reserve squad and then the first team.

A few years in the Ligue 2 were enough for Mateta to catch the eye of the French giants, Olympique Lyon. However, he was only 19 at the time, and that's when he experienced the cruelty of football.

He made only three appearances for Les Gones, clocking just 100 minutes, as he was instantly loaned to Le Havre. Once he returned, he was sold to the German Mainz, moving before his inaugural season at Groupama Stadium.

Anyway, Lyon earned a decent amount from his transfer - he was bought for €4 million and sold for twice as much - and Mateta made one of the best moves in his career. In four seasons with the Bundesliga side, the Frenchman scored 27 goals in 71 appearances, recommending himself to Crystal Palace - at the time a bottom-half Premier League team.

He spent his first season at Selhurst Park on loan from Mainz, before joining the Eagles permanently for €11 million in January 2022. Little did they know that they had just brought one of the best reinforcements in the club's history!

At Palace, he became one of the most ruthless net-busters in England and a symbol of the London side's rise. The Eagles maiden trophies - the recently won FA Cup and Community Shield - were Mateta's maiden trophies!

Consequently, he became interesting to numerous EPL giants, and the France boss, Didier Deschamps, couldn't stay indifferent to his performances, handing the 28-year-old his first national team call-up! Now, the data isn't precise, but he has to be one of the oldest debutants in Les Blues' history.

Either way, just like everywhere he played, with France, Mateta did what he does best - scored! On his debut, he clocked just 12 minutes against Azerbaijan - not enough for a proper impact. However, once he got a spot in the XI, he netted against Iceland, becoming (according to some sources) the oldest player to score a debut goal for Les Blues!

So, if things don't turn out well in the end, don't give up. It doesn't mean you have failed - it means the end hasn't come yet. Just look at Mateta.