The talented forward had the world at his feet but a cruel injury blow saw him walk away from football for good
Ramon Calliste of Manchester United scores the fist goal during the FA Youth Cup match between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on January 13, 2004
Calliste was highly-rated at Old Trafford but never made a senior appearance
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It's been 25 years since Ramon Calliste arrived at Manchester United with the world seemingly at his feet, a 15-year-old Welsh forward who, despite his tender age, was already earning comparisons to countryman Ryan Giggs.
Brought to the club by Sir Alex Ferguson, he trained with the likes of David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, with big things expected of the Cardiff-born prodigy, who was even named in a list of the top 100 young players in world football just a year after joining United.
However, while he would taste some glory during his time with the Red Devils, winning the FA Youth Cup with the club in 2003, it never worked out for the highly-rated Calliste in Manchester as he was released in 2005, having never made an appearance for the senior side.
In an incredibly rare move, the then-19-year-old joined arch rivals Liverpool soon after leaving United, becoming the first player since the 1960s to move directly from Old Trafford to Anfield. He would go on to become the Reds' reserve side's top goal scorer during the 2005/06 campaign having joined on a one-year contract.
However, again, a frustrated Calliste couldn't break through to the senior team and after a year of reserve football, joined Scunthorpe in 2006 for the chance of first-team action. But disaster would strike just weeks after joining, as he suffered a serious injury during pre-season, dislocating his ankle, cracking a bone and severely damaging ligaments.
Despite undergoing several operations and initially being told he would be back playing within six months, the horror injury left him with a limp that he had for three years, while he still feels the effect of it today.
Carrying the limp, Calliste looked to bounce back as he had trials with Cambridge City, West London Saracens, Shrewsbury, Newport, Lincoln and Wycombe, as well as Bulgarian side Levski Sofia. However, reality soon dawned as he decided to walk away from football.
"The injury I had, which I still have trouble with today, is just insane," he told WalesOnline in 2021 as he opened up about the moment that wrecked his football career. "I had a limp for about three years that never went.
"It was a terrible, terrible process. When I was trying to regain my career, I couldn’t because I had a limp. Who’s going to sign somebody with a limp? I could score 20 goals in a game, but I had a limp, it doesn’t look like I’m fit, so I do a fitness test and I’m not going to pass it."
Former Manchester United prodigy Ramon Calliste, who now runs luxury business Global Watches
Calliste now runs luxury business Global Watches
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On being told by Ferguson that he would be leaving the club amid a restructuring of their youth system, Calliste recalled: "It was a matter of ‘look, it’s just bad timing, there’s too many people in front of you at the moment, he doesn’t want to hold me back and make false promises, I guess’. It was tough emotionally. It was a bit of a shock.
"It was a bit of a shock. [But] you start to realise you’re a man entering man zone and you need to toughen up and deal with it and move on. Everything happens for a reason.
"No bitterness," he added, when asked for his feelings towards United. "The decision was the decision. There’s no hard feelings there, it’s all good, they’re a great club, and I’m still a fan of the club."
After retiring from football, Calliste more than landed on his feet as he launched watch company Global Watches in 2013, selling high-end timepieces including Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Hublot, from anywhere between £50,000 and £250,000. The luxury business has pulled in up to £15m per year, with footballers and other celebrities among its clientele.
"Obviously once I realised that football wasn't going to be for me, I had to find something that I used to wake up and enjoy," he explained. "I saw room for myself in the market. Some say it’s over-saturated. There’s a lot of watch dealers out there now, but I don’t really see it as competition personally. If anyone is doing something good, there’s enough out there for everyone.
"It's a very lucrative market. I think people are enjoying their money nowadays a bit more than they used to, because interest rates in banks - if you've got money sitting in the bank, I don't think you get much back for it nowadays.
"The values of watches helps," he added. "When I first started getting involved, the same watches back then are now treble value."