Southampton manager and former Glasgow Rangers player Russell Martin visited his former school to present students with awards.
Russell studied at Vardean School between 1997 and 2002, and returned to meet more than 150 students, presenting some of them with awards for their action on the pitch this year.
He made time to speak with students about his time at the school before going on to play for Peterborough United, Wycombe Wanderers, Norwich City, and Glasgow Rangers.
In 2017, he set up The Russell Martin Foundation, a charity which delivers football and education projects across Brighton and Hove and Sussex.
The former Scotland international was also reunited with his former Varndean School football coach and ex-Brighton and Hove Albion player Stuart Tuck, who is still part of the PE team at the school.
Students got the chance to take part in a special question and answer session with Russell, quizzing him on a number of subjects including his memories of being at the school, girls’ football and how he first got into the game.
He said: “It was great to be back, see some new and few familiar faces and spend time with the students here.
"Varndean is a fantastic school and I have lots of happy memories of being here as a student. It played a big part in my career and my development as a person.
“It was always a brilliant sports school, but it is even better now.”
Shelley Baker, headteacher of Varndean School, said having Russell on campus for the day was a great experience for the children.
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"It was wonderful to welcome Russell back to Varndean, show him around his old school and get him to share his incredible and inspiring story with our students,” she said.
“They gained so much from talking to him about his experiences of growing up in Brighton, coming to school here and how that has led to his career in football and the setting up of his foundation.
“It’s great that Russell, through visits like this and through the work of the foundation, continues to give back to the local community.”
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