The world of soccer is all about passion and bright lights, but what happens when the cheering stops and the cleats are hung up for good? Sure, some guys stick around the game as coaches or commentators, but others? They take career paths that'll make your head spin.
Take Philip Mulryne, the former Manchester United midfielder. After a promising career kickin' the ball around, this Northern Irishman felt a higher calling and became a Catholic priest. "I didn't like the whole grandeur of bein' a professional player," he confessed. "The money, the nightclubs, the women... all that was fine when you're 20, but I just felt this growing emptiness with my life."
Then there's Thomas Brolin, that talented Swedish forward who lit up the 1994 World Cup. After an injury cut his career short, Brolin reinvented himself as a vacuum cleaner salesman. Yep, you heard that right. And he actually did pretty well, startin' a successful company in the appliance game.
Colombian dynamo Faustino Asprilla, known for his silky skills and flamboyant personality, also threw everyone for a loop when he launched his own line of condoms. "Tino," as he was known, wanted to raise awareness about safe sex with a bit of humor and some tropical flair.
But not all these career changes are quite so out there. Argentina's Germán "Mono" Burgos, the former goalkeeper and current assistant coach at Atlético Madrid, always juggled soccer with his love for music. After he retired from playin', he actually dedicated some time to his rock band, "The Garb," before gettin' back into the coaching world.
And who could forget Tim Wiese, the imposing German goalie who traded his gloves for boxing gloves? After hangin' up his soccer boots, Wiese chased his dream of becoming a professional wrestler in the WWE, showin' a completely different side of himself than what fans saw on the pitch.
These are just a few examples of how a soccer player's life can take a real U-turn after retirement. From priests to vacuum cleaner salesmen, WWE wrestlers to condom entrepreneurs, the stories of these former players prove that talent and passion can find new avenues, even far away from the green grass.
from: elfutbolero.us