The footballers you loved watching as a kid are still playing in the EFL – can you believe it?
It’s probably been a while since you’ve seen some of these players from your childhood on the pitch. Here are some surprising names still playing across the different EFL leagues.
We’ve all heard the question, “What happened to the players from Prime Barclays?” as football fans look back fondly on the stars they followed every week.
By 2026, the phrase “Prime Barclays” feels even closer, with the 2016-2021 era now feeling like the recent past. We remember the big names like Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero, and Eden Hazard who made their mark in the Premier League. But what about the solid players and those lesser-known talents?
Many of these players are still active in the lower leagues of English football, in the later years of their careers.
Take a recent transfer, for example: a 35-year-old player has just joined Cheltenham in EFL League Two. Weimann has had a long career, playing for clubs like Aston Villa, Watford, Derby County, Wolves, Bristol City, West Brom, and Blackburn Rovers.
While at Villa, where he spent much of his Premier League time, he scored 17 goals in 113 games before going on loan to Watford. After several moves, he spent six years at Bristol City, scoring 50 goals, and even won their Player of the Season award in 2021-22. Now, in 2026, he’s signed with Cheltenham after being a free agent.
At 38, Chris McGoldrick is still going strong with Mansfield Town in League One. He started his career back in 2004 with Notts County and has since played for clubs like Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town, and Sheffield United.
At Sheffield United, he helped the team return to the Premier League in 2018-19 by scoring 27 goals in 127 matches. He scored 15 goals in that promotion season and even notched 10 Premier League goals in his early 30s. After a successful career, he’s now continuing with Mansfield, following a strong season at Barnsley.
Mannone once looked set to be Arsenal’s top goalkeeper, playing in both the Premier League and Champions League. He had loan spells at Hull City and later played for Sunderland, where he earned the Supporters Player of the Year award in 2013-14.
Since then, Mannone has played for Reading, moved to the MLS, Ligue 1 teams like Monaco, Lorient, and Lille, and now plays for Crawley Town in League Two as a player-coach, showing he still has plenty to contribute both on and off the pitch.
Chalobah, at just 31, is one of the younger players on this list but has had a 14-year career already. After starting at Chelsea and even being part of their 2012 Champions League final squad, he moved through several clubs, including Watford, Nottingham Forest, Middlesbrough, Burnley, Fulham, and West Brom.
Now playing for Charlton Athletic in the Championship, Chalobah has made a strong start, including an assist in a recent EFL Cup win against Cheltenham Town. He’s impressing with his defensive work and energy on the field.
Isaac Hayden, also 31, is playing for Leyton Orient in League One after joining ahead of the 2026-27 season. A product of Arsenal’s youth academy, he spent four years there but didn’t quite break into the senior team.
After a loan to Hull City, Hayden spent nearly a decade at Newcastle United, making 151 appearances and scoring six goals. After several loans and a season with Queens Park Rangers, he’s still going strong and recently helped Leyton Orient to a 2-0 win against Oxford United.
So, while some of these names might surprise you, it’s great to see they’re still out there playing the game they love.