| Sonny Pike | |
| Birth Date: | [1] [2] |
| Birth Place: | Enfield, England |
| Youthclubs1: | Enfield Colts |
| Youthclubs2: | Enfield |
| Youthyears3: | 1996 |
| Youthclubs3: | Leyton Orient |
| Youthclubs4: | Stevenage Borough |
Sonny Pike (born 1983) is an English former footballer who became famous at a young age for his talent, which saw him being compared to players regarded as among the greatest of all time, such as Diego Maradona and George Best.[3] Despite his early promise, Pike left the game at the age of 18 without ever having played professionally.[4]
Pike was born and raised in Enfield.[2] He joined Enfield Colts at the age of 6, moving to Enfield F.C. at the age of 10.[2]
Pike received much publicity when he went on trial with Dutch club Ajax in 1995;[2] [5] [6] though the club wanted to sign him, he returned to England to sign for Leyton Orient instead.[2] A proposed move to Chelsea fell through, and he later went on trial with both Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace before signing with Stevenage Borough.[2] He had a trial at Grimsby Town,[5] before quitting football at the age of 18.[2]
There were reports in the media that he had a non-league career at clubs such as Barnet and Waltham Forest under an assumed name,[6] or that he was playing in Dundee, but Pike has denied those reports.[5]
In 2016 Pike was working as a taxi driver in London. In February 2020 he opened a football academy.[7] He is married with two children.[2] He continues to be cited by the football media as the archetype of a heavily promoted child prodigy who ultimately did not achieve success in the sport.[8]