Daniel Agger, Thomas Gravesen and Fabian Barthez are just some ex-footballers who took up new jobs after retiring.
HIGHLIGHTS
Former footballers can find success and wealth in unconventional careers after retiring, such as becoming a pro poker player like Thomas Gravesen.
Athletes like Fabien Barthez can use their skills in other sports, like racing cars, and achieve success in new arenas.
For many footballers, the pitch is the be all and end all. Few will ever turn their heads towards a career away from the beautiful game, but for others, a second calling seems to find them after they hang up their boots.
Several former stars of clubs have tried their hand at something new after finishing their careers. Whether it be Eric Cantona and Vinnie Jones deciding to head into acting after tearing up the pitch (and in Jones’ case, his opponents), or something completely different.
icons will enter a line of work that is so bizarre that people will scratch their eyes to make sure that they aren’t hallucinating. But we assure you, you are not. From careers in other sports to working in the priesthood, here are 13 footballers who did unusual jobs after retiring from the sport.
Thomas Gravesen
Pro poker player
For Celtic, Everton and Real Madrid fans,
Thomas Gravesen
was renowned for his tough tackling and his no-nonsense attitude. Earning the nickname ‘Mad Dog’ during his playing days, he called time on his career in 2009. But incredibly,
he became even richer after
, reported that he invested his earnings into several businesses and also bolstered his earnings in Las Vegas as a regular poker player
. The former midfielder was reported to now be worth £100m, with other reports suggesting that
he had earned as much as £80m while playing cards Not bad at all Thomas
Fabien Barthez
Racing car driver
Barthez was a stellar player for Manchester United during his three-and-a-half year spell at Old Trafford, adding two Premier League titles to his trophy collection which also included a World Cup with France in 1998. But a successful career in one sport wasn’t enough for
one of the best shot-stoppers who has ever played for the Red Devils
Deciding to put his reactions to good use in a different line of work, Barthez became a racer, taking up professional motorsport in 2008, just a year after retiring. In 2010, he achieved a first podium finish at the FFSA GT Championship, before then becoming French GT champion in 2013. A year later, he was competing at the Le Mans 24-hour race. He also set up his own team, Panis Barthez Competition, in 2016, alongside French Formula One driver Olivier Panis.
Jody Craddock
Artist
Craddock’s playing career spanned 20 years, with him donning shirts for Cambridge United. Sunderland, Sheffield United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Stoke City. Retiring from the beautiful game in 2014, he then decided to pursue another passion of his.
Swapping football boots for paint brushes, Craddock became a professional artist. Having obtained an A-Level in art before becoming a pro baller, he now sells artwork on his own website
and has also worked with several museums. He was even commissioned by his former club, Wolves, to design the artwork for all 25 of their match day programmes during the 2017/18 season.
Philippe Albert
Greengrocer
Albert turned out for Newcastle and is best known for scoring a wonderful chip against Manchester United in 1996 during a 5-0 victory against the Red Devils. Some say Peter Schmeichel still shudders whenever he thinks about that goal.
After hanging up his boots in 2000, the Belgian just wanted to have a normal life after the highs of his career. He chose to become a greengrocer in his home country, a job he held until 2012.
Speaking about his career after football
to the
Guardian
, he said: “I would prepare the produce for customers. I did it for 11 years and didn’t touch the money I earned in my football career. Up early, finishing late, that’s what I wanted: a normal life. I’m very proud of it. Otherwise when you stop football, you do nothing. You have no life.”
Faustino Asprilla
Condom seller
Stu’s Football Flashbacks
@stusfootyflash
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It’s the 25th anniversary of the thrilling 3-3 draw between Man City & Newcastle, remembered mainly for these antics from Faustino Asprilla.
A lovely assist and first goal for his new club, plus an elbow and a headbutt for Keith Curle.
Absolute chaos.
Another Newcastle icon, but someone who went down a very different career path to the aforementioned Albert. Asprilla was renowned for his fancy footwork during his time at St James’ Park, leaving defences terrified as he dribbled through them with ease.
Ending his playing days in 2004, the Colombian would pursue a new business venture in 2016, setting up his own condom business. In 2020, he revealed that he had 3.5 million in stock at the start of the COVID pandemic.
Asprilla also has a farm and sells sugar cane to the Colombian government, and said in an interview with La Gazetta dello Sport that
he was incredibly happy with his current life
“Football for me has always been fun. No rules, no schemes. How am I doing nowadays? I'm excellent.”
Arjan De Zeeuw
Private detective
Dutch centre-back Arjan De Zeeuw spent years at Barnsley, Wigan, Portsmouth and Coventry before retiring from football in 2009. But following his retirement, he opted against going into coaching and instead decided that it was a life of solving crime for him, despite him having a medical degree.
De Zeeuw joined the Dutch police force as a detective in 2009, specialising in forensics. He spoke about his career change in March 2023 while on the podcast of his former teammate, Emerson Boyce, via
he realised he didn’t want to continue in football
if he wasn’t playing.
“Having a medical degree, my first idea was to become a doctor, but at the time the Dutch police were looking for people with higher education to do a fast-track course into the police force. It sounded a little bit like a boys' dream - being in fast cars and having a gun and all that stuff and I realised it was still going to take me a long time to become a doctor, whereas it was a much quicker route into the police force.”
Daniel Agger
Tattoo artist
enjoyed an eight-year spell with Liverpool at Anfield, signing from Brondby and becoming an underrated defender during his time in the Premier League. Retiring back at his boyhood club in 2016, he then turned his head to a life away from football.
The Dane is now a qualified tattoo artist and a part-owner of Tattoodo, perhaps a fitting career choice given that he got his first tattoo done at 15 and is covered in them now. Additionally, he owns a sewage management business, two bars in Copenhagen and an investment company. Safe to say that the Liverpool icon has been quite busy since retiring.
Phillip Mulryne
Catholic Priest
Mulryne once made a name for himself at Manchester United, having come through the club’s academy, joining Norwich City after making just five appearances for the Red Devils. He spent six years playing for the Canaries, but after calling time on his career in 2008,
after he fell out of love with football.
“We have a wonderful life as a footballer and I was very privileged, but I found with all the surrounding stuff that eventually there was a kind of emptiness with it,”
. “I was quite shocked - why am I not happy when I have everything that young men want?
He began formation in the Catholic priesthood in 2009, and eight years later, he was ordained a priest for the Dominican Order. Currently, he overseas a congregation at St Mary’s Priory Church in Cork.
Jose Manuel Pinto
Zumba teacher
Pinto was fortunate enough to play under Pep Guardiola during his six years at Barcelona, with the goalkeeper representing the Blaugrana 89 times. Shortly after retiring from the sport in 2014, however, he began releasing music under the name ‘Wahin’, having launched his own record label ‘Wahin Makinaciones’ in 2000. One of his subsequent collaborations with DJ Ricky Luna, ‘La Habana’, even featured in, ‘The Fate of the Furious’.
On top of that, Pinto also teaches Zumba classes, creating his own dance fitness company and regularly posting clips from sessions on his Instagram channel.
, and the former shot-stopper certainly looks to be loving his new life.
Djibril Cisse
DJ
Former Liverpool, Marseille and France striker
enjoyed a fine career, scoring 272 club career goals and becoming something of a journeyman. But in 2017, the then 35-year-old
to focus on becoming a DJ and a producer.
“I loved being a footballer. So far football has been my whole life. I would like to have continued my career, which was interrupted in spite of me, but I have to admit today that football is finished.
“I will devote myself wholeheartedly to my career as a DJ, producer and consultant, as well as developing my clothing brand.”
Performing under the stage name, Tcheba, Cisse has released sets on Soundcloud for fans to listen to, and still posts videos of him performing at liver events on his Instagram.
Dani Osvaldo
Rockstar
Best known by Premier League fans for his time at Southampton, Osvaldo actually called it quits in football after receiving an offer to continue his playing career. Despite Chievo wanting to sign the centre-forward, he chose to become a musician instead at 30 years old.
He formed the band Barrio Viejo with a few other friends he met in a bar while playing for Espanyol, and he’s enjoying the freedom that comes with his new life.
“People just don't understand it, you know, they look at me like 'you're crazy,”
. “You had everything.
“You played in some of the best teams in the world and you decided just to quit to do this? You're nuts'. People don't understand. But it's my passion.
“There are so many many rules in football. So so many rules. And I'm not good with the rules. I like to be free. I am proud of my career and I owe everything to football. But in football you have to live a life that's not real.”
Julian Dicks
Professional Golfer
Known for being one of the hardest footballers in Premier League history, former West Ham and Liverpool defender Dicks swapped swinging for other player for swinging clubs. Many footballers have tried their hand at golf during their careers, but not many have attempted to go pro.
he initially took up the sport as a way to combat his drinking and knee injury
from his playing career. While initially apprehensive, he got into it and even turned professional briefly, although that didn’t last long.
“I turned pro in the end. But I was never really good enough," he said. "The other golfers were good with me, despite my reputation. People were expecting me to throw and snap clubs, but away from football I’m not like that. The only time I lost my rag was when I played football. I could be horrible but, off the pitch, I’m not that person.
“So when I played golf, of course I got the hump and snapped clubs, but never in tournaments. I had bad rounds and lobbed things around, but only by myself. I can’t play now as my knees are shot to pieces. I don’t miss golf, but I do miss football every day.”
Marco Gabbiadini
Bed and Breakfast
Gabbiadini had stints at numerous English clubs during the 90s and 2000s, including Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Birmingham City. Only managing to score 59 club goals during his career, he retired from the sport in 2004 and instead tried to bolster his earnings in another career path.
Setting up a bed and breakfast in his hometown of York in 2003, having had two stints at York City in the 80s and 90s, the Bishops guest house charges £140-170 for bigger rooms of the weekends and features bits of memorabilia from Gabbiadini’s playing days. The former striker admitted that
he often gets stuck in with the running of the day-to-day business
“I cook breakfast some days and I'll do some of the handyman stuff, like bleeding radiators or fixing toilets. I can do most things - plumbing, painting and decorating, but we will also get the professionals in too.”