Influenced by players like David Beckham and Lucy Bronze, many children wish to become professional footballers when they grow up.

For Bobby Copping, this dream became a reality as he signed a contract with Peterborough United at the age of 17, making his debut against Cambridge United in 2019.

But just as the centre-back was about to break into the men’s first team three years later, his world turned upside down with just one header.

He said: ‘It was a pre-season training drill. I was just about to get into the team, the first week had gone so well.

‘Someone crossed me the ball and I headed it like I usually do, but when I landed I had a little circle of lost vision in my eye. I had then lost 90% of vision.

‘As it was a hot day I just thought I was dehydrated, so I carried on with 5% of my vision so as you can imagine my passing wasn’t great.

‘After half an hour I still couldn’t see, and the left hand side of my body went numb so I went to the physio who thought it was a stroke.

‘At 19-years-old it’s pretty scary. I was rushed to hospital and had numerous scans to figure out what had happened but in the end, it got put down as concussion, so I went back to training shortly after.’

Five months later, in the warm-up before his first full game back, Bobby hit another ball with his head and the same thing happened – only this time it was ‘a lot worse’.

He was rushed to hospital for a second time where a doctor told him the only way he would recover from the head injury was to stop playing altogether.

Bouncing between different doctors, the footballer was initially prescribed some strong medication, which came with serious side effects.

But without a proper diagnosis, he decided he could not carry on.

Bobby said: ‘After a meeting with my club’s managers and medical team I had three options – to carry on playing but make myself even worse, to take the stronger tablet which would result in possible kidney failure and stomach lining issues and retire early or to just retire from football altogether.

‘I wasn’t willing to risk my long-term health, and that day I retired from being a footballer at 19.

‘I spent three weeks in my bedroom, I didn’t leave, I ordered up to three takeaways a day and I turned my phone off as I didn’t want to speak to anyone and I just questioned what my purpose was now.

‘When it was announced I had retired due to injury I got so many messages of support from people all over the world and other footballers were reaching out with support, John Terry even did a fundraiser for me which was amazing.’

When Bobby started playing for Norwich Academy at the age of eight, he never imagined that he would be forced to retire only 11 years later.

His initial thought was ‘I don’t want to be in the football industry at all’, and he applied for an apprentice accountant position.

Thankfully, the ex-footballer had a moment of realisation and he decided to pursue a version of his childhood dream after all.

Peterborough United hired him in a business operations role and Bobby worked his way up to becoming the women’s team’s general manager.

He later graduated with an MA in Football Business Management, and launched the Bobby Copping Foundation, which supports athletes with their mental health.

Now, at just 20 years old, Bobby has managed to rack up a pretty impressive CV.

Alongside becoming the general manager for Peterborough’s women’s team, he has worked as an under-14s manager, head of the club’s schools initiative and a mentor with the League Football Education.

Bobby stressed: ‘I wanted to give back after all of the support I had received.

‘I think it is now my purpose to help others who may be struggling, and to also highlight to others that being a professional footballer isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.

‘I’m now at a point where people don’t want to talk about it with me as they think it’s a touchy subject, but I have turned it into a positive.

‘I see it as my professional footballer dream came true but the world had other plans for me. I’m a big believer in you make your own luck.

‘Some people would argue that it worked out for better, with people I have helped.

‘If I am able to save someone’s life from the charity work I do or pay for someone’s counselling, it can change lives and I feel like I am more beneficial in the world doing this than being a professional footballer.

‘I now manage a brilliant team of women. I think the Euros has opened everyone’s eyes to what I already knew.

‘I think it will mean we are able to get what women deserve which should have been done a long time ago.’

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