With Chris Broadfoot making a promising debut in United's 1-0 win over Perth Glory, I decided to do some research on top players that have all signed from local leagues or the lower tiers in their footballing leagues.

Jermaine Beckford

Although he is sometimes called the ‘most over-rated player in the world', there is no doubting Jermaine Beckford's goalscoring prowess. Currently playing for English Premier League side Everton, Beckford made his name at Leeds United.

However, what most people do not know is where he came from before Leeds. A trainee at Chelsea, he was let go by the club and signed for Isthmian Premier League team Wealdstone, in the seventh tier of English football. He spent four years at Wealdstone, scoring 54 goals in 82 games.

This attracted the attention of Leeds, where he was a success in League One and League Two. As you probably know, he then moved to Premier League side Everton, where he will hope to impress. Seventh tier to first tier. Not a bad leap for a few years work.

Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba is probably the best striker in the world at the moment, and being a Tottenham Hotspur fan, it hurts me to say it.

However, it isn't a well-known fact that Drogba started his football career at French minnows Le Mans, before moving on to Guingamp, then Marseilles and now Chelsea. He has a games to goal ratio of almost one every two games, and he is always a threat from open-play and set pieces.

Perhaps the fact that a player of his standard was produced from the ‘lesser' football teams in France shows that teams may be better off looking for players in the lower leagues than risking money on an experienced player. A-League teams; take notice.

Mark Viduka

In my opinion, the greatest Australian striker of all time. And where did he come from? Melbourne Croatia in the old NSL (they were also known as the Melbourne Knights). Of course, some of you may argue that the NSL isn't a local league, but it was a big step up for Viduka when he left for Dinamo Zagreb, arguably the best team in Croatia.

He then moved to Scottish side Glasgow Celtic where he scored 30 goals in 37 games. Then of course he was part of the Leeds United squad that made it to the Champions League semi-finals, then onto Newcastle United and Middlesbrough.

Yet another example of a world class player that came up through the lower leagues to get to where they are today.

Diego Maradona

In the latest issue of FourFourTwo, Maradona was rightly described as the ‘greatest playmaker of them all'. Although his career included some incredibly low lows, such as the ‘hand of God' incident, there is no doubt that he was the greatest player in the world during his time.

Most will think his career began at Argentine giants Boca Juniors. However they would be wrong. Boca signed him from Argentinos Juniors, who although were in the top tier of Argentine football, were regularly at the lower ends of the table.

Of course, he went on to Boca, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla, Newell's Old Boys and then back to Boca. Isn't it surprising that one of the world's greatest ever players came from one of the ‘lower' teams in Argentine football. Perhaps A-League clubs should be taking more notice of their local leagues instead of over-priced has-been internationals.

These names are just a few of the many world class players that have come up through the ranks of their country's footballing system and have made the big time. Of course some players don't make it to the lofty heights that these players do, but surely there have been enough successes for A-League teams to take the risk on a few unknown players.

At 29, Chris Broadfoot could still have a lot to offer any club in the A-League, hopefully he impresses Miron Bleiberg enough so the human quote machine takes on more local players at United.

When you look at the quality of players produced from local leagues, it provides enough evidence to support the risk that managers would be taking. But is it any more of a risk than spending thousands and thousands of dollars on a player who has never played in any Australian league?

But then again, an unknown local player isn't going to attract the crowds that an international star will. It's just a case of which option holds a higher risk.

In my opinion, I'd like to see a few more Aussie local players coming through the ranks and playing in the A-League. Chris Broadfoot could soon become a prime example of why the best talent is in our own backyard.