article_snippet.sent: The England international, who only made the decision to join the social networking site on Friday, excelled at the martial art as a teen and was even named national champion for his age group, before football took precedence at 15.
article_snippet.sent: Manchester United defender Chris Smalling was a gifted martial artist and was at one stage named national judo champion for his age group .
article_snippet.sent: It has been a remarkable rise for the former Chatham Grammar School student, who if football had not worked out, was set to study Business Management at Loughborough University, having gained a decent set of A-Levels.
highlights_snippet.sent: Before deciding on a career in football, Smalling was a talented martial artist and named national judo champion as a teenager .
  