Once Premier League’s youngest ever player on life in non league, drugs, alcohol and suicide

Matthew Briggs, who was once Premier League‘s youngest ever player, has opened up on life in non league, drugs, alcohol and suicide.

In May 2007, Matthew Briggs made history becoming the youngest Premier League player ever. He was 16 years & 68 days old when he came off the bench for Fulham.

He was one of England’s most exciting young players, but things did not go to plan. The pressure of making his debut so young got the better of him and his career began to spiral.

He appeared on the Rising Ballers YouTube to talk, reflect and give them and viewers his perspective on what happened, from mistakes he made to the truth behind what it’s like to be a Premier League footballer.

He has learned from his own experiences, and is now dedicated to helping the next generation of young players.

Timestamps:
00:00 – 01:32 – Intro
01:32 – 02:05 – Growing up in Wandsworth
02:05 – 02:18 – What was it like growing up?
02:18 – 02:54 – Playing for Fulham
02:54 – 03:28 – What happened after Fulham?
03:28 – 04:37 – The Premier League Debut
04:37 – 05:47 – What happened after the Debut?
05:47 – 06:30 – Did you starting getting attention in the football industry?
06:30 – 07:10 – What were the negatives of getting your debut at 16?
07:10 – 08:17 – Can you tell us about the clubs coming in for you?
08:17 – 09:55 – What happened next?
09:55 – 10:34 – What do you think you needed at that point that you didn’t have?
10:34 – 11:41 – Were you a victim of price inflation?
11:41 – 12:01 – When did you start seeing money?
12:01 – 13:00 – How did that impact you?
13:00 – 14:14 – Did you ever had a party phase as a premier league footballer?
14:14 – 15:13 – Can you take us through the journey from Fulham from this point?
15:13 – 16:15 – Loans not working out
16:15 – 17:51 – Playing vs Arsenal and getting injured
17:51 – 18:36 – What happened after injury?
18:36 – 19:25 – What happened in the four years?
19:25 – 20:33 – Are you still in contact with your old mangers?
20:33 – 22:01 – Can you tell us more about the termination of the contract?
22:01 – 23:07 – Clint Dempsey Training Story
23:07 – 25:51 – Funny training stories
25:51 – 26:24 – Who was the main man and have they gone on to where they should have?
26:24 – 29:15 – What happened at Millwall?
29:15 – 35:49 – It’s clear your career didn’t go as it should have. What are your thoughts on that?
35:49 – 38:24 – Getting back into Football
38:24 – 39:09 – Do you think players can be more open these days?
39:09 – 40:34 – Darker side of Football
40:34 – 41:33 – Record finally being broken
41:33 – 42:32 – Did you contact Harvey Elliot?
42:32 – 43:12 – Thought on the football industry?
43:12 – 44:36 – Did you make any mistakes in your career?
44:36 – 45:11 – If your boys wanted to play professional football how would you tackle that?
45:11 – 45:59 – If you could change one thing about the football industry what would it be?
45:59 – 47:06 – Do you think you would have responded to your older self when you were younger?
47:06 – 48:43 – Why did you decide to retire from football?
48:43 – 49:24 – How can we raise awareness of the PFA
49:24 – 50:30 – What advice do you have for young players?
50:30 – 52:34 – Where is Matthew Briggs now?
52:34 – 53:01 – Questions from Matt & Outro

Speaking to the podcast, Briggs said: “I lost my hunger for the game. I was slipping further and further down the league just because my head wasn’t right, picking up injuries because I wasn’t looking after myself.

“Alcohol is not good for mental health as well… the bottom of the bottle is not going to help you. Disconnected from friends and family because I felt like I let them down. I turned to drugs, I turned to alcohol, just to numb it all.

“I was even suicidal at one point. I remember being on holiday in Dubai, one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and just thinking about ending it all on a balcony. Luckily security guards came in and got me down and moved my room to a bottom floor.”

Briggs had counselling and therapy thankfully through the PFA after he found himself working on building sites with his uncle.

He said: “I remember walking with a breeze block thinking how have I ended up here?

“I was the youngest ever Premier League player, the next England captain going on to do all these big things and now I’m just in a building site… I thought this is not it for me.”

He said his quick taste of first-team football created unrealistic expectations and ended up seeing him lose confidence in his abilities.

“Going back the following season I imagined I’d be involved with the first-team on a regular basis but I wasn’t and found that hard to deal with,” Briggs said when he went from making his debut for Fulham in 2007 at the age of 16 and then struggling to kick on.

“Me anticipating being involved with the first-team a lot more and when that happens you start to wonder why. Being that young you don’t feel you’re allowed to knock on the door or ask any questions…you just sort of keep it all inside and I wasn’t someone who spoke about their emotions.

“It was all pent up and then that starts affecting your football.

“I didn’t make my next appearance until two years later so in them two years there was a lot of doubt, self-doubt going on inside my head, a lot of confusion as to why I’m not playing.

“You’ve seen Space Jam right, when NBA players lose their talent, that’s how I felt.

“The season not directly after my debut but the season after…it was the worst season I’ve ever had in my life. Nothing I would do would come off.

“Every game I was playing horrible touch, tackles…I was really worried after that, thinking I’m dead.”

Briggs made 30 senior appearances for Fulham over seven years, but struggled with injuries and the managerial changes.

He had a short spell at Millwall, where he netted and saw red on his debut, before gradually falling down the football pyramid with Colchester United.

But he couldn’t fulfil his football potential, so turned to drugs and alcohol which led to a serious mental health battle.

“I lost my hunger for the game,” he said.

“I was slipping further and further down the league just because my head wasn’t right, picking up injuries because I wasn’t looking after myself.

“Alcohol is not good for mental health as well…the bottom of the bottle is not going to help you.

“Disconnected from friends and family because I felt like I let them down.

“I turned to drugs, I turned to alcohol, just to numb it all.

“I was even suicidal at one point. I remember being on holiday in Dubai, one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and just thinking about ending it all on a balcony. Luckily security guards came in and got me down and moved my room to a bottom floor.”

I would also like to thank my family and friends for supporting me throughout my career. Thank you to the clubs, coaching & background staff, and teammates I’ve had along the way.

Now I look forward to helping the next generation of future stars.

Thank you 🙏🏽

Briggsy ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Ldr7TeFUHz

— Matthew Briggs (@matthewbriggs17) August 29, 2023

Briggs would eventually seek counselling and therapy through the PFA as he managed to get himself back on the pitch after a brief stint working on building sites with his uncle.

“I remember walking with a breeze block thinking how have I ended up here?” Briggs said.

“I was the youngest ever Premier League player, the next England captain going on to do all these big things and now I’m just in a building site…I thought this is not it for me.”

Briggs had a brief international career resurrection with Guyana and even earned two professional moves to Denmark before a hip injury brought his career to an early end.

While no longer on the pitch, Briggs is now back where it all began with Fulham in a fitting role as he looks to help the next generation navigate a similar path.

“What I do now, I am an academy player care mentor for Fulham FC,” he said.

“When I stopped playing I thought how can I use my negative and positive experiences to benefit myself and what are my passions?

“I discovered that I have a passion for helping others so Matthew Briggs is now a mentor for Fulham FC, helping young players and guiding them down the right path.”