15 Footballers With Bizarre Side Jobs
Pundit, pundit, pundit, messiah?
Many an eyebrow would’ve been raised at Sol Campbell’s recent announcement that he intends to stand for election as the next mayor of London. Far be it for anyone to pour scorn on the former defender’s political aspirations, but it does lead nicely into the topic of what footballers do after hanging up their boots. With decades of free time to fill up, many take that logical, well-worn path into TV media. Some of those braver ex-pros may fancy their chances at managing a club. For others, it’s instead a time to perfect their golf swings.
Of course the football landscape has changed so dramatically over the years that many top level footballers may never need to work another day in their life. This wasn’t always the case. In bygone years footballers would have to supplement their football earnings with a second job, or find new employment once their playing days came to an end. For example, World Cup winner Ray Wilson ran a successful undertaker’s business, and former pro Neil Webb rebranded himself as a postman (maybe not too surprising; as the joke goes, he always delivered for United).
Yet the increased revenue in football these days doesn’t stop footballers from trying their hands elsewhere. So, whether motivated by the prospect of even more money, or just keen to pursue those interests they never previously had the time to, this list will compile the more bizarre careers footballers have carved out for themselves outside of the beautiful game.
15. Dion Dublin - Musician
Prior to his latest foray as co-host of property show ‘Homes Under The Hammer’, the former Man United and Coventry footballer fancied himself as something of a musician. Using the recuperation time from a nasty leg break to good use, Dublin decided to learn the saxophone. It was a skill he put to good use, wielding his sax and performing backing vocals on his 2014 charity Christmas record, the originally named ‘Dion Dublin’s Christmas Presents’.
But that isn’t Dublin’s only gift to the world of music. Back in 2011 he invented his very own musical instrument, a cube-shaped percussion instrument based on the Peruvian cajón, christened the ‘Dube’.