Non-league football, and the National League in particular, is the habitat of that well-known player who is the journeyman of the beautiful game, who moves around clubs at will and never really settles at any particular club.
With that in mind, we thought we would look at the players who have represented the most clubs in the National League, so here are the top ten:
Richard Brodie (Ten National League clubs)
The striker became a mainstay in the National League, representing ten different clubs at the fifth-tier level in just nine seasons. It must be said that he featured for some in short loan spells.
Brodie thrived in the National League during his career, scoring 54 goals in 224 games as he represented the likes of Southport, Gateshead and Fleetwood Town, among others.
However, his most successful spell in the National League came at York City, with his most prolific campaign coming in season 2009/10, when he scored 26 goals.
Joe Quigley (Ten National League clubs)
Like Brodie, the Irish under-21 forward represented ten different clubs in the National League. However, he spent just eight seasons in the fifth tier of the English game.
In 236 appearances, Quigley scored 49 goals for the likes of Torquay, Wrexham and Woking. Like his fellow forward, he made most of those appearances in short loan spells.
However, between 2020 and 2022, Quigley spent two seasons with Yeovil, where he enjoyed the most prolific campaign of his National League career, scoring ten goals in season 2020/21.
Dan Holman (Nine National League clubs)
The forward’s National League career was full of temporary spells with clubs in the fifth tier. He spent seven seasons in the National League altogether, scoring 67 goals in 200 appearances.
Holman’s most successful campaign in the National League came with Woking in season 2015/16, when he netted 26 goals in the fifth tier.
He also played for the likes of Aldershot, Boreham Wood and, most recently, Torquay United.
Adi Yussuf (Nine National League clubs)
The Tanzanian forward carved out a career for himself in the National League after failing to make the grade at Leicester City.
Yussuf has spent eight seasons in the National League, scoring 39 goals in the process. His fifth-tier clubs included Tamworth, Harrogate, Wrexham and Chesterfield.
The best scoring season of his career in the National League came in the 2018/19 season when he scored 14 goals in 44 appearances. The goals saw him earn a switch to League One Blackpool.
However, he failed to make an appearance for the Tangerines, and he was sent out on loan and eventually moved to Yeovil Town permanently in 2021.
Scott Boden (Nine National League clubs)
The forward became a familiar face in the National League, as he played for nine clubs in the fifth tier. He plundered 85 goals in his 278 appearances in the National League.
He got into double figures for goals for Macclesfield Town, Halifax Town, Gateshead, Chesterfield and Boreham Wood. He last featured in the National League for the latter in season 2021/22.
James Alabi (Nine National League clubs)
The forward had spells in the youth ranks of Tottenham Hotspur, Stoke City and Celtic before embarking on his professional career.
He played for Forest Green and Grimsby Town on loan before enjoying the most successful season of his National League career at Chester City, as in season 2016/17 he scored 17 goals in the fifth tier.
Nathan Blissett (Nine National League clubs)
Nathan, the nephew of former England international Luther, didn’t quite reach the same heights as his uncle. However, the forward did spend ten seasons in the National League, making 250 appearances and scoring 56 goals.
He could hardly have been described as ‘prolific’ during his days in the fifth tier, though, as his highest goal tally for a single season was nine, a record he achieved at Solihull Moors in season 2018/19.
His other National League clubs included Kidderminster Harriers, Torquay United and Macclesfield Town.
Danny Wright (Nine National League clubs)
The experienced forward is the player on our list who has spent the most seasons in the National League, a total of 11.
During his 11 seasons and 366 appearances, Wright scored 108 goals, also making him the most prolific on our top ten list.
The forward played for the likes of Histon, Cambridge United and Wrexham, amongst others, before enjoying the most prolific campaign of his career in season 2015/16, when he scored 22 times for Cheltenham, the club that he played the most games for during his career.
Michael Gash (Eight National League clubs)
The Germany-born Gash spent seven years of his career in the National League with eight different clubs.
His versatility saw him play as both a centre-back and also a striker. His goalscoring record of 61 goals in 234 appearances was a credible one.
Gash’s most prolific campaign came in the 2012/2013 season when he found the net 13 times in 27 appearances for Cambridge United. The U’s were also the club he featured the most for in the fifth tier, as he made 67 appearances in the National League.
Ross Lafayette (Eight National League clubs)
The Watford-born striker represented eight clubs in the National League. He spent seven years in the fifth tier, making 201 appearances and scoring 55 goals.
The striker scored 18, 12 and 11 goals for Welling United, Dover Athletic and Sutton United respectively. The 46 appearances for Welling were the most he made in the National League for any club, although he did make just two fewer appearances for Dover in the fifth tier.