Sheffield Wednesday's Yan Valery once quit football for a bizarre reason | OneFootball

Long before his move to Southampton and English football, Sheffield Wednesday's Yan Valery once quit the sport for a not well known bizarre reason...

Sheffield Wednesday supporters have been reminded of Yan Valery's quality in recent weeks, making the bizarre reason he once briefly quit football all the more amusing.

After returning to Hillsborough, with Sheffield Wednesday now in League One, from a loan spell with BSC Young Boys last season, the Tunisian international has quickly become a key figure again, impressing in victories over Bolton Wanderers, Bromley, and Wycombe Wanderers.

However, his 79th-minute winner against Peterborough United on Saturday has really thrust him back into the spotlight, taking his Wednesday tally to four goals. The Owls will certainly be glad that Yan Valery eventually decided football was worth the running after all.

Yan Valery's bizarre reason for quitting football

Action Images

Valery's journey towards professional football almost ended before it had properly begun. Growing up in Champigny-sur-Marne, he started playing as a young child with AS Bois l'Abbe, spending two or three years there before stopping at around the age of seven because he hated one particular part of training.

That was running around the pitch at the start of sessions. Valery has himself explained in interviews (Tunisie-Foot) that he then tried other sports, including judo, boxing, tennis, and handball, before realising how much he missed football and returning to the game.

He resumed his development with Champigny FC 94, where he was often playing above his age group, before being spotted through the Clairefontaine trials and joining Rennes. After two years there, Southampton spotted him at a tournament, and he eventually made his way through the Saints' academy to Premier League football.

Sheffield Wednesday are fortunate Valery did not quit for good

Action Images

It is certainly a good thing for Valery that his childhood frustration did not turn into a permanent retirement from football. His return to the sport set him on a path from Champigny to Rennes and then Southampton, where he graduated through the academy and established himself in the Premier League.

His career has since taken him to Birmingham City on loan, Angers, where he spent two seasons, and then Sheffield Wednesday. A loan move to Young Boys followed during the second half of last season, but he is now back at Hillsborough and firmly involved in Wednesday's League One campaign.

At 27 and with significant experience behind him, Valery is still very much in his prime and has plenty to offer the Owls. He is likely to be a key player for Henrik Pedersen and co. after starting the campaign in superb fashion. The Tunisian international will want to build on his start to 2026/27 after scoring against Posh to put Wednesday top of League One.

Sheffield Wednesday will be delighted to have Yan Valery for 2026/27

Action Images

Sheffield Wednesday are fortunate that they have been able to reintegrate Valery so successfully after his spell in Switzerland. There is a genuine argument that he is the best right-back — or right-sided wing-back — anywhere in League One.

His performances at the start of the campaign have only strengthened that case. He is a player with Premier League and Championship pedigree who should arguably be operating at a higher level, while he is also now at an ideal age to combine experience with his physical attributes.

He is in his peak and prime years and playing in League One, which feels like a huge win for Wednesday until at least January. Promotion campaigns are often built around having players who are simply too good for the division, and Valery should fit that description.

If Wednesday are to remain challenging at the top end, keeping him fit and influential could prove to be absolutely vital in 2026/27. They will also be thankful he did not quit football for good, too.