You have likely never heard of the name Adrian Doherty, but at the age of 16, he was being lined up to make his debut for Manchester United under Alex Ferguson. The Northern Ireland footballer, who would have turned 50 Saturday, led a remarkable yet short life and was a stand-out figure at United for both his on-field talent and off-field personality that was very at odds with the football culture at the time.
Born in Strabane, county Tyrone in 1973, Doherty was offered a trial at the English football giants, Manchester United in 1987. Despite his amazing talent, he was not your typical academy footballer at the time. Many noted that after a match or training, he would go busking in Manchester city centre or write poetry, and he would play the guitar around Old Trafford and the club's training ground.
Sir Alex Ferguson was quoted as describing Doherty as “the boy with the most amazing football skill, but happiest with his books, poems and guitar.” They were his escape from a macho football culture where dressing rooms were often tough places for young footballers.
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At 16 he was on the verge of making his debut for the Manchester club and was even offered a five-year contract by Ferguson. Remarkably, the young man turned down the offer as he wasn’t sure he wanted to play football professionally for that long.
He ultimately signed a three-year deal, becoming the second 16-year-old in history to sign a professional contract. Just as he was due to make his debut in early 1991, disaster struck. He suffered a cruciate ligament injury while playing in a reserve game against Carlisle United, an injury which would ultimately end his United career.
After a brief spell at Derry City in the League of Ireland, he retired from the game at just 20 years old. After football, he moved around various jobs from a chocolate factory in Preston, Lancashire to a hosiery factory in his hometown of Strabane. He then lived above a pub in Galway before working for a Dutch furniture company in The Hague.
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Tragedy struck in 2000, however. The 26-year-old was found unconscious in a Canal after an accident and died a month later on the 9th of June, a day before his 27th birthday. It is hard to believe the one-time prodigy of the "Class of '92" had been out of the game for over 6 years at the time of his premature death.
Then again, Doherty was no ordinary academy player at United. Ryan Giggs was quoted as saying "He wasn't like the rest of us. He was unorthodox in how he dressed & how he acted."
At a time when young footballers were becoming very materialistic, Doherty was reading the Koran, Dante, Edgar Allan Poe, and Carlos Castenada and studying philosophy in his own time. He also had a big passion for music and poetry and was described as “Bob Dylan in a No 7 shirt,” by ex-teammates.
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It is a remarkable story and even more so when you realise how his story has gone under the radar. However, his friends and teammates at Manchester United have not forgotten his footballing talent as well as his personality off the pitch.
While many at the club thought he was destined for great things on the pitch, perhaps emulating George Best, for Doherty his interests perhaps lay elsewhere. Who knows without the injury he sustained where his career would have ended up, but his talent in so many areas means he will always be remembered.
Featured Image Credit: WikipediaTopics: Ireland, News, Manchester United, History
