Bristol City and Reading FC share striker love with star who is somehow still playing | OneFootball

Leroy Lita became a cult figure with both Bristol City and Reading during the 2000s, and remarkably, he's still playing football in 2024!

Leroy Lita is a player loved by supporters of both Bristol City and Reading, and remarkably, the striker is still playing football with non-league side Barwell FC in 2024.

The former England youth international began his senior career all the way back in 2002, having signed for Bristol City after spending time with Chelsea during his academy days.

Over two decades later, the striker is still tying up his laces on a weekend for Southern League Premier Central side Barwell FC, who play at step three of the English football pyramid.

He's enjoyed a career that has seen him represent over 20 different clubs across the professional and non-league game, but it was from his time spent with Bristol City and Reading where he is perhaps adored by supporters the most.

FLW takes a look back at Lita's time with the Robins and the Royals, why he became a cult figure at both clubs, and takes a look at his remarkable appetite for the game which he's still playing.

Lita evolves into League One starlet at Bristol City

Lita joined Bristol City in 2002 as a highly-rated 18-year-old, having spent the previous couple of years in Chelsea's youth system. Having not quite made the grade with the Blues, he was picked up by the then League One Robins (Second Division as it was called then).

However, the young forward didn't hit the ground running in a City shirt straight away, as he spent his first two seasons gradually being introduced into the lineup, with the vast majority of his appearances in his first two years coming from the bench.

When handed a chance to show what he could do, Lita did impress, especially in the 2003/04 season. He made 26 Second Division (League One) appearances for the Robins that term, scoring five goals.

Come the 2004/05 season, Lita was handed the opportunity to really cement his place in the starting XI under the new regime of player-manager and City legend, Brian Tinnion.

That's precisely what he did, as he made 44 League One appearances, scoring 24 goals, whilst also providing three assists. He would also make an impact in cup competitions too, scoring two goals in three Football League Trophy outings, one goal in two FA Cup showings, and two goals in two League Cup displays too.

This breakthrough campaign came at a cost for Bristol City though. The club failed to make the League One play-offs, and Lita had shown that he was ready to make a step-up in his career, and when that opportunity came, it was too good to turn down.

Lita becomes Reading cult hero

Reading broke their club-record transfer fee of £1m to bring Lita to the Madejski Stadium in the summer of 2005, and for what he'd help the Royals achieve in his debut season, that would prove money well spent.

He would score 11 times in 26 Championship appearances in the 2005/06 season, which would see him play a vital role in helping the club win the league that year, and secure Premier League promotion.

Lita would then go on to have a respectable 2006/07 campaign in the top-flight, bagging seven goals in 33 Premier League appearances, as well as providing two assists. Once again, he proved effective in the cup too, scoring four times in three FA Cup outings that season, whilst also netting three times in two League Cup showings.

However, his role in the squad would diminish come the 2007/08 campaign, and he even spent a short period out on loan with Championship side Charlton. Having been loaned out again the following season to Norwich, his time with the Royals was coming to an end.

In the summer of 2009, he would leave Reading on a free transfer, as he signed for Championship side Middlesbrough. He enjoyed a fruitful time at the Riverside too, making 82 appearances for Boro and scoring 20 goals.

By the time 2025 arrives, Lita will have turned 40, but in a career that started as an 18-year-old over two decades ago, he's still going strong as of December 2024.

Barwell FC is his latest non-league side, after spending the last handful of years bouncing around different semi-professional clubs.

Coalville Town, Nuneaton Borough, Ilkeston Town, Hednesford Town and Stratford Town are just some of the numerous non-league sides Lita has donned the shirt of in recent times, but it's Southern League Premier Central side Barwell who he's currently turning out for.

The Canaries are a team based in a small village in Leicestershire, in what must be a fantastic experience for the other members of the squad to play alongside and learn from a player who's played at the very top of the game in front of massive crowds.

It's fantastic to see, as his presence will no doubt have helped pump more money into a football club at the heart of its community via an uptick in attendances, and brought more awareness of local non-league football to people in that area.