Teenager Louis Clark began kicking around a football as soon as he could walk, unaware he could be the next Wayne Rooney or Bobby Zamora.

Now all the training is paying off for Louis, 13. The aspiring footballer has been signed to Brighton and Hove Albion Juniors until he is 16.

Louis, of Drove Crescent, Portslade, said: "It's brilliant, I really enjoy it. I just want to play for Brighton and then maybe one day for England.

"If that doesn't happen, I would really like to be a PE teacher."

Louis, a pupil at Hove Park School, admitted he was also a big West Ham fan and would love to play for them one day, although his hero is Real Madrid player Zinedine Zidane.

Louis, who plays right back for Albion, said: "I started at Brighton when I was ten and got a four-year contract when I was 12. I train with their juniors twice a week and last year I was captain for the season."

Mum Liz Clark said it was rare for a young player to get more than a one or two-year contract and the family was hopeful it would lead to bigger things.

She said: "There are three years left on his contract so we will have to see what happens."

During the season, which begins in September for Louis, they will travel as far as Colchester or Bournemouth.

Ms Clark said: "Some of the kids are huge, twice his size, and some of us must look very nervous on the sideline as he goes in for a tackle.

"But Louis getting injured doesn't particularly worry me. He has had a few bumps and scrapes but they have a good physio to take care of that."

Louis is not alone in his passion for football. His nine-year-old sister Darcey likes nothing more than putting on the familiar blue-and-white Albion strip and heading outside for a kick-about.