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Football is an immensely popular sport around the globe. It therefore comes as not much of a surprise that millions if not billions of young boys and girls around the world try their hand, err legs, around it at a young age.
From Brazilian and African kids kicking around anything that can be rolled out into a ball in the streets to their more advanced counterparts in Europe being registered at standard football academies, the stories are mostly the same.
However, the intensely competitive nature of the sport means that it is almost a survival of the fittest, and only a select few of those kids get to make it as a professional and play at the highest level, with a lot of mitigating factors such as talent, and the right opportunities hindering them.
Those who get on to make it live life to the fullest, enjoying the fame, immense prosperity and adulation from millions of fans that the modern day footballer receives, while the rest go on to live very normal lives far from the spotlight engaging in day-to-day activities making the world remain civilized in their own little way while still supporting the game from the comfort of their cushion or in the stands as fans..
There are also a select few who despite not making it in the footballing world go on to achieve global stardom, excelling in other endeavors and becoming the very best in their chosen fields, and becoming much bigger superstars than they might have been had they chosen to pursue their passion for the beautiful game, and that it the essence of this piece. Here we present five celebrities in other fields who might have excelled as professional footballers.
#5 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal needs no introduction even to non-Tennis followers, as his popularity has been so far reaching that it cuts across all spheres of life.
With 17 Grand Slams won, the 32-year-old is one of the greatest Tennis Players in history, and earned himself the moniker 'The King of Clay' due to his immense dominance on clay courts.
While he might have excelled as a Tennis player, very few people know how close he might have been to gracing the luscious green of a football field rather than Wimbledon.
Nadal is a well known football fan, and has constantly vocalized his support for Real Madrid, being a regular at the club's matches and forming close personal relationships with players like Raul and Cristiano Ronaldo.
At age 12, Nadal had a big decision to take concerning his future (as most children around the world do), but whereas others have to make choices such as subject combination for future career choices (which can be changed at anytime because they don't cut the grade), Nadal had a legit reason to think carefully, because he excelled at two sports.
Football ran in his family, as his uncle Miguel Angel Nadal playing at the highest level, representing Spain at three World Cups and turning out for Barcelona, and hence, Rafa said it was the hardest decision he ever had to take.
Ultimately, he chose Tennis, stating in his autobiography that “tennis was the game at which I excelled, even if I enjoyed football as much, or more.”
He won the Spanish U14 championships at the age of 12, and many including prominent writer Christopher Clarey calling him a promising striker, and his father stating that he could have been a fine footballer.
As it is, all those thoughts are only 'what could have been', and while me would never know how good a footballer Nadal could have been, we DO know how great a Tennis player he is, and the racket swinging sport is undoubtedly better off for it.
#4 Conor McGregor
'The Notorious' Conor McGregor has cemented his legacy as arguably the greatest performer in the history of MMA, drawing megabucks to any of his UFC fights and holding numerous championships during his stay there. However, he could very well have gone down a different career path.
Growing up in Ireland, McGregor shared the same dream with young boys his age, i.e getting to become a professional footballer, and he played amateur Sunday league football at different points, even referring to himself as a 'Goal Machine' (even though we might take that with a pinch of salt given his propensity for self aggrandisement).
We do know that he represented a couple of Irish clubs at amateur level, with former coach Robbie Beakhurst stating in an interview with Junior Soccer Portal “He played for me with a club called Slievenamon United when we played in the UCFL. He was a striker and was our top scorer every year.
“I took over Yellowstone Celtic and took him with me and again he was scoring for fun on a weekly basis. “He used to just say to the rest of team ‘just give me the ball and I’ll do the rest’ – he was a smashing player but we had a decent team.
“As he got more involved in the MMA he couldn’t make matches and we allowed him to skip training.”
Long-time friend and former teammate Alan Power who currently plays for Scottish Premier League side Kilmanock where he mimics McGregor's iconic 'Billy Strut' whenever he scores also echoed Beakhurst's statements saying ''Conor and I used to knock around in the same circle of friends back home when we were growing up. He played Sunday League football where I did, actually he wasn’t a bad footballer, but he chose a different path.”
Ultimately, he went on to cement his legacy in a different 'sport', although it would have been enthralling to watch his controversial personality on a football field.
#3 Sean Connery
Popular worldwide for his iconic performances in the hit James Bond series, the British born actor has warmer his way into our hearts with his calm and collected persona on screen.
In his younger years, Connery was a keen footballer, playing for amateur side Bonnyrigg Rose and was offered the chance to take a trial with Scottish side East Fife.
Coincidentally, his trial match was watched by none other than then manager of Manchester United, the legendary Matt Busby, who offered him a contract on the spot worth about £25/week.
Sean Connery turned down the contract, reasoning that since he was 23 at the time, and the average footballer played till about 30 years, he had a max of seven years left in him, and that it wasn't a feasible career path.
That decision turned out to be absolutely correct, as he went on to cement his status as a Hollywood legend. He however continues to support football, constantly switching alliance between both Old Firm rivals to the consternation of fans.
#2 Boris Becker
One of the undoubted global superstars of tennis in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Becker won his first of his six Grand Slams at the tender age of 17, and went on to write his name in gold in the annals of Tennis history.
He was ranked number one during his playing days, winning a total of 44 titles, playing out a notable rivalry with Stefan Edberg.
He played his part in molding another all-time great when he served as coach to Novak Djokovic for six of the Serbian's 15 Grand Slam titles.
However, if things had panned out differently, Becker might have made a name for himself as a footballer rather than a Tennis star.
He was reportedly offered a trial at his native club Bayern Munich which he turned down, instead sticking with his Tennis. He however says Bayern Munich remains his number one passion, and served on the club's board of directors for many years.
#1 Usain Bolt
Popular worldwide as the king of the track. Usain Bolt exploded onto world consciousness at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, when he won three Gold medals, and set individual world records in the 100 and 200m men's races.
He continued his dominance all through the next decade, setting numerous other records, and finally retired in 2017, with his personal marks of 9.58 and 19.19 seconds in the 100m and 200m respectively as world records.
He is also the only man in history to have won gold medals at the 100m, 200m and 4×100m races at the three consecutive Olympic games (although his 2008 relay medal was stripped off due to doping allegations against a teammate nine years later).
Bolt has always expressed his love for football, and has shown passion for Manchester United, regularly appearing at Old Trafford for the team's matches and opining that he could have made it as a footballer had it not been for athletics.
On retiring, the 31-year-old decided to chase his dreams, and made global headlines when he announced his decision to start a football career.
Lots of clubs around the globe gave him opportunities for trials, including Dortmund, Mamelodi Sundowns and Australian club East Coast Mariners.
It was in Australia where he really stepped to the grade, making a couple of appearances for the club in pre-season friendlies, and scoring two goals.
He however showed signs of rust, as he lacked the finesse and technique which practice through his formative years would have given him.
Bolt has regularly turned out for noncompetitive football matches such as those for aids and charities, but despite his enthusiasm to make it as a professional, it seems highly unlikely that he would cut the grade.
