JOHN BOSTOCK has seen it all in football.
Boy wonder and big transfer to perennial loanee and out on his ear.
John Bostock says he is the happiest he has ever been playing at Notts CountyRex
Bostock joined Spurs from Crystal Palace aged 16 back in 2008AFP
Playing abroad, playing up the English pyramid to wondering, at only 21, if he even wanted to keep playing.
It has been one heck of a journey for the South Londoner, 32, who made major news half his life ago when he left Crystal Palace as a teen sensation for Tottenham.
Yet after a fascinating career of 15 clubs and five countries, Bostock says he is the happiest he has ever been and still going strong with League Two Notts County.
He has become a mentor to other players, particularly those who share his faith after setting up his influential Christian football society ‘Ballers in God’ in 2015.
It gives him perspective when reflecting on his headline-grabbing switch in 2008 from Palace to Spurs, who face each other on Saturday.
Bostock told SunSport: “I’ve come to a place where I see my career as an instrument I can use to help other people with what they’ve been through.
“And maybe I had to go through what I’ve been through for me to understand that.
“The move to Spurs made a lot of noise. I remember I would get the train to school, open up the papers and see my face on the back page.
“It had a big impact on how I saw life.
“I realised that my identity couldn’t be built on what people think of me, that if I believed everything people say about me, I’d be in trouble.
“I believe if you live for people’s acceptance, you’ll die by their rejections.”
Bostock remembers well the “messy” switch, which saw Spurs initially announce his signing, only for Palace to deny publicly that an agreement had been reached.
Then-Eagles chairman Simon Jordan was livid and it eventually went to a tribunal.
Bostock understands the frustration felt from the Palace side but explained: “We told the club we wanted to stay and the offer wasn’t what they said it was going to be.
Bostock on…
After all his years in football, worldly-wise John Bostock gives his verdict on:
Palace and Spurs starlets: “Eberechi Eze is a player I really love to watch. I don’t know him closely but we’re in touch. It’s wonderful to see a player like that from South London shining on the pitch and also representing Jesus.
“Micky van de Ven has been colossal at Spurs. I watched him at Wolfsburg because one of our Ballers in God, Felix Nmecha, was his team-mate there.
“Cheick Doucoure is injured for Palace but I was with him at Lens, he was a young player coming through and had some really good attributes. Palace will miss him.”
Best player he played with: “Luka Modric. He was incredible. I didn’t know he would go on to win the Ballon D’Or but he was always a step ahead.”
Favourite coach: “Luke Williams. I’ve never worked under a manager like that. He was very, very rounded tactically, man-management… he’s a very special person.
Happiest time at a club: “I’m really happy now at Notts County. I love the football we play, the fans are brilliant, where I’m at in life. But get me on a pitch somewhere with a ball, I’m happy. Wherever that is, I’ve learned to be happy.
One piece of advice for young players: “Learn to deal with disappointments very well. I wish someone had told me, ‘John, you need endurance for this game’, because you do. It’s a tough game and it takes a lot.”
“We asked for another offer and they said, ‘Well, this is it’. So we said this is what we’ve got elsewhere. We moved on.
“I would have loved to have played for the club for longer. I’m very grateful I was able to play for them at all.”
Expectations were high at Tottenham given Bostock had made his Palace debut at 15.
But ultimately he only made four appearances for the Lilywhites across five seasons where he was loaned out to Brentford, Hull, Sheffield Wednesday, Swindon and MLS side Toronto.
When his deal expired, his confidence was low and with no offers coming in, he questioned if the game was even for him anymore.
But his love for the sport was recaptured with a season playing under Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in the second tier of Belgium football with OH Leuven.
Further stints abroad followed to Lens – where he played with current Palace midfielder Cheick Doucoure -, Turkish side Bursaspor and then back to France with Toulouse.
He returned to England due to family reasons and for the last two years has been with County, where he is preparing for a hostile trip to Bradford on Saturday.
In 2015, he set up Ballers in God which has grown significantly and has a following of over 300,000 people on Instagram.
The organisation provides support for believing players, with Zoom prayer meetings every morning, weekly online catch-ups and end-of-season retreats. It is international too, with Borussia Dortmund star Felix Nmecha one of many ‘group’ leaders.
Bostock was not religious growing up but had “an encounter with Jesus” at 15 – just before his move to Spurs – after his sister Tara found God and invited him to church.
Hearing the Gospel for the first time had a profound effect. He recalled: “I said a very simple prayer that day and my life has never been the same since.”
Palace star Eberechi Eze offered unsolicited praise last month to Ballers in God, writing on Instagram that the organisation work was “truly incredible and inspiring”.
A touched Bostock said: “He didn’t need to do that but it was very encouraging.
“I love watching Eze play, and I’m not just saying it because he’s a fellow believer. He’s like a throwback, the way he glides past players and plays without fear.
“To know his journey, the rejection he’s had, and to see him thrive now at a Premier League club, it’s really wonderful to see.”
Bostock’s mentoring really came to the fore during Covid, when so many players lost their purpose as football ground to a halt.
He added: “I talk to players about everything I’ve faced because I’ve been the wonderkid, I’ve been the traveller, I’ve been without a club, I’ve been injured, I’ve had surgery, I’ve had a lot of noise about me, I’ve had no noise about me.
“I feel like I’ve faced it all in some capacity. That has really equipped me to help others who go through stuff.”