Rewind ten years and Jermaine Pennant is starting in the Champions League final for Liverpool.

The Englishman had nailed down his place at Anfield after a series of loans from Arsenal and was directly opposing no other than Clarence Seedorf. In fact, he was facing an AC Milan containing superstars such as Kaka, Andrea Pirlo and Paolo Maldini.

It wasn’t to be Pennant or Liverpool’s day, though, with Filippo Inzaghi bagging a brace in Athens to secure the Rossoneri’s seventh European cup.

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Seems a long time ago, doesn’t it?

It must feel even more distant for the man himself and it’s fair to say his career has taken something of a nosedive since that very day. It must be said too, that this is a winger who scored a hat trick in the first game of Arsenal’s legendary 49 game unbeaten run.

Yet those spells at Liverpool and Arsenal haven’t prevented Pennant’s career from falling away quicker than most. It’s easy to forget that the winger is still just 34-years-old despite making his professional bow back in 1998.

Since his Stoke City spell fizzled out, Penannt has been something of a journeyman with clubs taking hope from his glory days gone past.

He left England in 2014 to play for FC Pune City in the Indian Super League but failed to score at all in seven outings. A cameo with Wigan Athletic proved more successful but he turned down the chance to renew his contract with the Latics.

Instead he opted for a brief fling with Tampines Rovers in Singapore before suffering the ignominy of being released by Bury.

It’s quite the career story.

The 34-year-old’s downward spiral has continued however, and it seems even the winger’s days in the Football League are over. After all, Pennant’s new club comes in the form of non-league outfit Billericay Town.

The Essex side also have Jamie O’Hara and Paul Konchesky on their books and have become something of a hive for Premier League veterans. They ply their trade in the Isthmian League – the seventh tier of English football.

He will reportedly earn £3,000-a-week and even turned down Neil Lennon’s Hibernian, for whom he played for in pre-season, to sign for Billericay.

Club owner, Glenn Tamplin, stated: "Jermaine will be a great signing and will help us get to where we want to go.

"We all know he is a top player. He is good mates with Jamie O'Hara and when he heard about what we are doing, he let it know he wanted to come here.

"Jermaine's ability will make us even stronger and his experience will help our younger players reach the next level.”

Do you think a young Jermaine Pennant would make the current Liverpool team? Let us know by leaving a comment below.