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A professional footballer has an approximate 5-10 years at the highest level. Some have longer playing careers while some extremely short ones. Apart from having the adrenaline rush of living their dream, most of the players also see it as an opportunity to gain fame, respect and, more importantly, money.
The green bills amassed over the playing duration makes up the post-retirement life of all the footballers. Few extend their footballing career by coaching teams while others continuing their love affair with the game by taking up the role as television pundits.
There are, however, a select few who pursued a career that is nothing related to football. We look at the nine weirdest career changes made by footballers.
1) Eric Cantona – Actor
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One of the greatest and the most enigmatic footballers to grace the Premier League, Eric Cantona set the league alight with his exploits, firstly at Leeds United and then at Manchester United. This tortured genius was capable of moments of brilliance, ingenuity as well as some really dark moments. In short he redefined “coolness”.
That “King Eric” was a legend on the pitch was undoubted; however, what might come as a genuine surprise to many people is that he was equally a good actor. Even before retiring, Cantona had decided to step into the career of acting.
Cantona played a French ambassador in the 1998 film Elizabeth, starring Cate Blanchett, and then himself in the Ken Loach film Looking for Eric in 2009.
"It's a discipline," Cantona said of acting. "For me, football, cinema, theatre or photography are all ways of expressing ourselves. Of course, if you want to be a photographer you need to learn the techniques. You must learn how to play the sport, but I don't think the technique is the most important thing.
Sometimes it's nice when it's not so perfect. It's like beauty. If someone is too perfect, they won't look good."
Maybe, just maybe, the infamous Kung-Fu kick at Selhurst Park was a part of an audition process for a potential role in movies!
2) Kevin Kyle – Store-man on a Ship
Most of the footballers with weird careers after retirement are earning quite well. However, in the case of Kevin Kyle he has gone from a player earning £10K-a-week to £800-a-fortnight, a considerable dent in wages. The former Sunderland and Rangers striker has gone from scoring goals to stacking boxes and cleaning toilets on a ship.
A gambling addict, Kyle suffered major losses even as a professional footballer. Kyle began his career at Ayr United before joining Sunderland in 1998. The journeyman then moved to Coventry and went on to play for Kilmarnock, Hearts, Rangers and Ayr United. Over an eight-year period, he made 10 appearances for Scotland, scoring once.
When his contract with Ayr United was scrapped, he started working on the ship to fend for his family.
3) Bixente Lizarazu – Brazilian Jiujitsu fighter
Lizarazu achieved unprecedented success at the club level winning League titles in France and Germany as well as winning the Champions League with Bayern Munich. However, his shining moment came for his national country France, not once but twice. He won the 1998 World Cup and followed it up with the European championships a couple of years later. The full back can boast of being part of a select crop of footballers having this distinction.
However, Lizarazu can also boast of being a unique sportsman as he has won trophies across two sports. Eighteen months after entering the sport, the Frenchman became the blue belt European Champion in the senior lightweight division, the first competition he had entered.
"This instant is crazy, it possesses such an incredible intensity. It's a moment of truth where you are alone, and you cannot hide or escape.” says Lizarazu.
“I will stick with BJJ, it's a beautiful experience. It's one against one. You haven't got your friends behind your back to support you like in soccer. It's close to a fight for survival. It boosted my self confidence.”
4) Jose Manuel Pinto – Professional Musician
Musical instruments seem to be a flavour of many players and Jose Manuel Pinto is miles ahead of the others. Pinto was revealed to be an accomplished piano player via a series of YouTube videos.
"For those unaware I play (or rather learn to play) piano. Cheers!" Pinto tweeted when he released a series of clips.
Pinto spent 6 years at the Camp Nou as Barca’s long-term No. 2 between the sticks. Pinto was an able keeper who performed well when called upon. However, he had his moments of blunders which were an embarrassment of him and the team.
He is now a professional music producer and a founder of a charity which seeks to spread music throughout the world. A profession where he is definitely the No.1!
5) Andriy Shevchenko – Politician
Andriy Shevchenko has a cult following both in Ukraine (birth country) and Italy (adopted country) due to his exploits at the club level in both countries. One of the eternal goal poachers with a killer finish, he was one of the most deadly forwards in the late 90s and early 2000s. Schevchenko was what you would call a complete striker.
Having led a meagre Dynamo Kiev to the Champions League semi-final in 1999, Shevchenko moved to AC Milan where he would achieve unprecedented success. He scored 173 goals for Milan, more importantly winning the League, Coppa Italia and the Champions League. However, in England, he was remembered as one of the most expensive flops (behind Fernando Torres) who failed to live up to his reputation.
He was offered the chance to coach the national team but he turned it down. Strange? He actually turned it down to try his hand at politics. He represented the Ukraine – Forward! party in the 2012 parliamentary elections.
His political career remains a failure like his time at Chelsea, with his party securing only 1.58% of the votes with Shevchenko not even being elected. The national team job definitely seems a better option after this.
6) Gaizka Mendieta – DJ
Valencia dominated the Spanish league as well as Europe in the early 2000s. Los Che were a different force to the modern day team reaching back-to-back Champions League finals in 2000 and 2001 only to lose both times. At the heart of their dominance was their magnificent midfield general Gaizko Mendieta.
Having shone consistently in Europe’s premier competition, Mendieta was the dream of various clubs due to his unassuming yet effective marshalling of the midfield. The driving force of Los Che, Mendieta’s promising career would start a painful decline when he became the most expensive Spanish footballer after making a move to Lazio for £29m. His career never reached the heady heights that he thoroughly enjoyed at Estadio Mestalla.
However, Mendieta also had a secret life apart from being a famous footballer. He loved to play the Disc Jockey (DJ) whenever he would get the opportunity. He is now a successful DJ and is quite popular among night crawlers.
“If I played on Saturday I would then sneak into the club, but it was always off the record, I would wear a hat and go in disguise,' Mendieta told Sportsmail earlier this year. “I would then DJ and no-one would know it was me. I loved it. It was an escape.”
7) Thomas Gravesen – Poker Player
If playing professional football in the highest leagues wasn’t enough to earn a fortune, Thomas Gravesen has amassed wealth more than his playing career by plying his trade in poker. Apart from poker, he also enjoys playing roulette and blackjack.
Gravesen enjoyed a decent playing career, being a key cog in the Evertonian team. His rave performances earned him a fatter pay cheque when he became a Galactico for Real Madrid. However, his technical limitations and his weak defending were caught out time and again at the highest level. He also represented the Danish national side, 66 times, including appearances at World Cups and Euro. He retired at the age of 32, having decided to pursue his luck at poker.
He is now reported to be worth over €100m and has just announced his second ‘retirement’ at the age of 37.
8) Ramon Ray Wilson – Undertaker
One of the greatest full-backs England has ever produced, Ray Wilson blended his attacking strengths, pace and defensive awareness with aplomb. Named after the Mexican silent film actor Ramon Navarro, Wilson started his career at Huddersfield Town after being singled out by the great Bill Shankly. He made 266 appearances scored six goals and entrenched himself in Terriers’ folklore. Wilson also represented Everton for 4 years where he achieved FA cup success.
However, the shining moment of his career came in 1966 when England overpowered the Germans to lift the World Cup. Wilson, at the age of 32, was the oldest member of the squad. Upon retirement, Wilson had a forgettable spell as the caretaker manager at Bradford City.
After this, he took the unusual step of joining forces with his father-in-law to run an undertaker’s business in Huddersfield. From kicking a ball to provide services for the people “kicking the bucket”, quite a transformation for a World Cup winner.
9) Tim Wiese – WWE Wrestler
The German Bundesliga star decided to pursue an offer from WWE to become a professional wrestler at the age of 32. The career choice made by the German remains erratic, strange and unconventional just as his professional footballing career was.
An acrobatic, entertaining and promising shot-stopper, Wiese was gambled by Werder Bremen for his incredible talent in front of the goal. He had all the attributes in his repertoire to be a world-class goalkeeper but his off-field rants became even more prominent than his attention-seeking saves. He openly voiced his problems about the German Football Association and even had the audacity to have a go at Jens Lehman, then the No.2 German keeper.
"The man [Lehmann] belongs on the couch," Wiese said, per The Telegraph. "He should be committed, preferably locked up."
His final act proved to be spending a couple of more frustrating years at Hoffenheim where he was a club captain. However, poor form and loss of his place see him mutually terminating contract with the club. This definitely allowed Wiese to beef up and start on his lucrative hobby of professional wrestling.
“I had to deal with all the negativity, and lifting weights is fun.” – Wiese
