Brian Mills is an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 former footballer. His brief professional career was ended by illness in 1993.

Playing career

Mills graduated through Port Vale

Port Vale F.C.

Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...

's junior squad to sign professional forms in April 1990. His full debut came on 11 May 1991, in a 3–1 home win over Swindon Town

Swindon Town F.C.

Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...

, with Mills grabbing two of the goals. He was selected for the 1991 FIFA World Youth Championship for the England squad, playing alongside future Premier League star Andrew Cole.

He was hospitalized in March 1992 with a rare virus

Virus

A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...

 and was released in September 1993; still not fit to play full time. Still only 21 and with a mere 23 league appearances and four goals to his name, he never played professional football again.

Post-retirement

Mills now teaches Physics

Physics

Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...

 and Mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

 at John Taylor High School

John Taylor High School

John Taylor High School is a comprehensive specialist-Science school located in the East Staffordshire village of Barton-under-Needwood, near Burton-on-Trent.Founded in 1957, the school was named in the honour of John Taylor, who grew up in the village....

 in Barton-under-Needwood

Barton-under-Needwood

Barton-under-Needwood is a large village in Staffordshire, England, a mile from the A38 between Burton upon Trent and Lichfield. It has a population of about 5000, many of whom commute to Burton or Lichfield or further afield to places such as Derby or Birmingham- Overview :The village has a...

, Staffordshire

Staffordshire

Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...

.