Sorba Thomas' road to the Premier League has been anything but conventional, and the Hull City winger isn't taking a second of it for granted.
The 27-year-old, who once worked as a PE teacher before carving out a career in professional football, described his top-flight bow as a "pinch-me moment," telling fans on Instagram it "meant everything" given how long he'd worked towards the milestone, according to BBC News.
Since making that breakthrough appearance, Thomas has gone on to feature four times for Hull, seizing his chance in England's elite division after years of graft outside the professional game's traditional pathways.
His story stands as a reminder that not every Premier League career follows the academy-to-first-team script — some are built through classrooms and non-league pitches before finally arriving on the biggest stage.