Donald Trump’s recent reelection as the President of the United States has sparked the usual mix of fervor, skepticism, and debate that comes with any election result around the world.
Yet, surprisingly, amid the political headlines, another, far stranger narrative has resurfaced from across the pond – a rather wild tale that claims the billionaire-turned-president Donald Trump, once had a short stint as a goalkeeper for Wolverhampton Wanderers‘ youth team, the football club in the heart of the English Midlands.
Yes, you read that correctly- Wolverhampton Wanderers’ youth team.
The roots of this outlandish story trace back to a November 1991 edition of Shoot! magazine, a monthly British football magazine published in the United Kingdom between 1969 and 2008. Shoot! tried both monthly and weekly editions before moving to digital form via a website.
Priced at 55p, this magazine supposedly reported that Donald Trump, before the skyscrapers and boardroom brawls, once stood between the sticks for Wolves’ youth team during his early years.
The article further suggested that Trump’s father, an Air Force official stationed in the Midlands, was the reason for Trump’s temporary involvement with the Wolves. To top it all off, the article made the audacious claim that Trump named one of his racehorses “Molineux Mayde” in tribute to the stadium.
But how true is this story, really? Let’s try and dissect what we know.
We’re diving into the whole reason he was in the Midlands, his father’s posting. Frederick Trump Sr. was born in 1905 and was deeply involved in the family business but had no known record of military service, let alone a posting in the United Kingdom.
By the time Donald would have been a teen capable of playing football at any level, Frederick Trump would have been well into his 50s, far beyond the age of active military duty. This discrepancy casts a significant shadow over the tale’s legitimacy.
The “Molineux Mayde” angle is another curious twist. Trump’s relationship with horse racing is, at best, limited. In reality, he only ever owned one racehorse—named DJ Trump.
There’s no record of any filly or stallion in his stable bearing a name that could link it to Wolverhampton Wanderers or its iconic stadium. While it’s a whimsical detail, the notion that Trump named one of his horses after a football ground across the Atlantic lacks any supporting evidence.
For a moment though, let’s disregard these facts and see how Trump fares as a goalkeeper from a purely physical standpoint.
The truth is it doesn’t seem too far fetched, standing at 6’3″, Trump would have made an imposing figure in goal, with his broad frame and towering height. While his quickness may be debatable, there’s little doubt he’d have cut a formidable figure in a youth team’s goalmouth assuming he was one of the taller individuals back then as well.
Nonetheless, Wolves fans have taken this bizarre rumor and run with it, going as far as calling Trump’s Presidential win as their club’s first win of this season.
One fan joked about Trump’s infamous border wall idea, imagining him demanding his defenders to “Build a wall!” during free kicks. Another speculated that Wolves fans should sing “He’s one of our own!” in Trump’s honor at the next home game.
While no hard evidence supports the claim that Donald Trump once donned a Wolves youth kit, it will be interesting to confront Trump about the same, who’ll for sure have an interesting answer or reaction to give.
