Han Willhoft-King played for England at youth level and trained with Manchester City stars including Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland but has quit football aged 19
20:25, 15 Nov 2025Updated 20:32, 15 Nov 2025
Han Willhoft-King spent time in Spurs’ academy before a year with Manchester City(Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Former Manchester City starlet Han Willhoft-King has opened up on his experience at the club after trading football for higher education at the age of just 19. Willhoft-King, who represented England at Under-16 level, joined City after leaving Tottenham’s academy in 2024 but is now pursuing a career in law.
The young midfielder spent more than a decade on Spurs’ books after joining the club as a six-year-old. He made his Premier League 2 debut for City’s Under-21 side at the start of last season, replacing Nico O’Reilly as a late substitute, but that would end up being his only appearance.
During his time on City’s books, the teenager trained with Pep Guardiola’s first team on more than one occasion. However, he quickly came to the conclusion that a career in the game wasn’t for him.
“Tottenham is a good team but Man City is another level,” Willhoft‑ King told The Guardian. “[Kevin] De Bruyne, [Erling] Haaland … these are the best players in the world. But you also realise they are normal people. They have a bit of banter, they call each other out for making mistakes. And seeing Pep … he is just so, so animated. The energy he brings, the hand gestures, raising his voice. It’s actually pretty remarkable.
“Then … I don’t want to say disillusioned but you realise … well, training with the first team became a thing that no one was really looking forward to, strangely enough. Because you would just be pressing. We would be running after the ball like dogs for half an hour, 60 minutes. It’s not a very pleasant experience, especially when you are trying to press De Bruyne or [Ilkay] Gundogan or [Phil] Foden. You can’t get near them, so the feeling of not wanting to do this overcomes being star-struck.”
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The teenager has now headed off to university, earning a place at Brasenose College, Oxford after two A* grades and one A at A-Level. He was invited to interview at Oxford after acing the national law aptitude test and has known since January that he would have a place at the prestigious institution.
While he is beginning the next chapter of his life, some of his England Under-16 contemporaries have already made their mark in the football world. Myles Lewis-Skelly was his midfield partner as the Young Lions beat Turkey in 2021, with Tyrique George and Tyler Dibling among the other members of that squad to play Premier League football.
Willhoft-King got to train with the likes of Erling Haaland(Image: Getty Images)
In truth, Willhoft-King had been considering leaving football even before City came calling. He was braced to head to the United States to study at UCLA in Los Angeles, having questioned his future after struggling with injuries at Spurs, but a one-year deal at City allowed him to step away having tried everything.
“At that point, the plan was still to go pro and I felt like I’d always regret it if I didn’t join Man City,” he said. “I would always say: ‘What if I’d taken that chance?’ Now I’ve had that and I can step away from football knowing I’ve given it my best shot. That’s a lot more comforting for me.”
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