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Ten footballers who had an unusual career after retiring

It’s been reported that former Turkey striker and politician Hakan Şükür is now working as an Uber driver in America. We decided to list ten footballers who have gone on to have an unusual career after retiring.

 

Hakan Şükür – Taxi Driver

A fascinating story. Former Turkey striker Şükür moved into Turkish politics after his retirement from football in 2008.

Elected to the Turkish government, the future seemed bright until 2016 when Şükür was accused of plotting a coup against Turkey’s President Erdoğan after criticising him on social media. A warrant was subsequently issued for his arrest.

Forced to flee to California, Şükür had his assets seized and began a new life driving an Uber and selling books. An unusual career for a former footballer but it’s still arguably more glamourous than playing for Blackburn.

 

Vinnie Jones – Actor

Everybody’s favourite footballing hardman.

After retirement, Vinnie Jones took the menacing reputation he had cultivated at Wimbledon, Leeds and Chelsea and attempted to convert it to the big screen.

Given his big break in Guy Ritchie’s iconic Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998, Jones went on to appear in some high profile films including Snatch, Gone in 60 Seconds, Swordfish, Eurotrip and X-Men: The Last Stand.

Unfortunately since those heady days, the quality of films which he appeared seemed to decrease fairly sharply. Jones, who hasn’t acted since 2018, now seems to appear exclusively in stinkers.

 

Dion Dublin – TV Host

A former Manchester United, Coventry and Aston Villa striker, Dion Dublin has been extremely busy since retirement, having moving into the world of TV presenting.

Since 2015 he has co-hosted the BBC renovation show Homes Under The Hammer, whilst also regularly appearing as a television and radio pundit.

Whilst television work isn’t a completely unusual career for a footballer, Dublin is also famous for inventing a percussion instrument called ‘The Dube’. Don’t ask, because I don’t know.

 

 

Thomas Gravesen – Poker Player

The Danish hardman was well known to Premier League audiences for his stint at Everton, which preceded a high profile transfer to Real Madrid.

Having made a series of successful financial investments after his playing career, Graveson eventually moved to Las Vegas where he made the unusual career move of becoming a professional poker player.

It is a move which has also reportedly gone well and the Dane is now said to be worth somewhere in the region of £100,000,000. Lucky guy!

 

Tim Wiese – Wrestler

Once a German international goalkeeper who stands at a daunting 6 foot 4, Tim Wiese was always an intimidating presence between the sticks.

However he made headlines for pursuing a very unusual career after retiring, opting to swap the penalty area for the squared circle in 2014 when he signed a developmental contract with the WWE. He eventually made his debut at a WWE live event in Munich in 2016, competing in a 3 on 3 match alongside Sheamus and Cesaro.

Unfortunately, the wrestling dream didn’t pan out and Wiese returned to amateur football thereafter. Just like John Cena, you can’t see him wrestling anymore.

 

 

Jerzy Dudek – Racing Driver

Another goalkeeper who went on to lead an adrenaline-fuelled existence after hanging up his gloves.

Former Liverpool shot-stopper Dudek, a hero of Istanbul, traded football for driving after he retired, becoming a 24h racing driver, competing at tracks across Eastern Europe.

It isn’t just Dudek though. Former France keeper Fabian Barthez and former Spain goalie Santiago Canizares took exactly the same unusual career route.

Maybe it’s just a goalkeeper thing? They do say you have to be mad to be one.

 

Mathieu Flamini – Entrepreneur

Slightly cheating here as Flamini isn’t technically retired and, although currently without a club, played for Getafe as recently as last year.

However he makes the list because of what he has achieved privately and because there is no doubt where his future lies once he does call it a day.

Having invested much of his money into an ambitious biofuel project, Flamini is said to now be one of the richest footballers on the planet.

Whilst he has strenuously denied that he is a billionaire, the environmentally friendly project has certainly made him wealthy to the point where he never needs to play football again and purely does so through love of the game.

 

Morten Gamst Pedersen – Boyband Singer

Now we’re getting to it. The Norwegian winger could be seen tearing up and down the Ewood Park pitch as a Blackburn player between 2004 and 2013.

However, football wasn’t Pedersen’s only talenet as he proved when bidding to become a Scandinavian heart-throb, forming a boyband called ‘The Players’ alongside four other Norwegian footballers.

The Players released just one single, This Is For Real, which was written in aid of the Soccer Against Crime campaign and ended up becoming a hit across Scandinavia.

Currently a free agent, though not officially retired, maybe is time that Pedersen dusted off the mic again?

 

 

Daniel Agger – Tattoo Artist

Another former Liverpool star, Daniel Agger is a tattoo fanatic and a qualified tattoo artist.

With multiple tattoos across his own body, including YNWA (You’ll Never Walk Alone) on his knuckles, he co-founded a social platform entitled Tattoodo, which encourages its users to share and take inspiration from images of tattoos.

Something of an entrepreur, Agger has also formed a charity fund and a sewage company. Seemingly unable to settle on one unusual career, he has a lot of fingers in a lot of oddly disconnected pies.

 

 

Gavin Peacock – Pastor

A player who toured the English leagues but had his most high profile stint at Chelsea, Gavin Peacock turned his back on an all-powerful, all-encompassing being which enriches our lives, the Premier League, and instead turned his attention to God.

Having hosted Songs of Praise, Peacock eventually moved to Calgary in Canada where he remains an elder and pastor at the Calvary Grace Church.

If you wish to learn more about Gavin’s faith, feel free to check out his Twitter feed which he populates with extremely controversial and archaic views on homosexuality and gender roles.

 

 

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