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The world of football attracts its global audience towards itself equally due to the the beauty of the game and the glamor that follows those who play the sport. The lofty lifestyle that many football icons live today is both admirable and envious. The game at its most elite level requires great skill and ability. The fame and luxury that follows then is a well deserved reward.
As a fanbase the audience usually wonders what football players would do after they retire. It is difficult for spectators who have seen and adored players on the pitch to think about their lives away from football.
Many players, after they hang their boots, stay involved in the game to a great capacity, either in coaching roles or managerial roles. Only a few make it big in this extremely result-oriented business, but nonetheless they stay in close proximity to the game.
But there are those who are comfortable staying away from the game and turning their attention to a profession post-retirement that hardly anyone would expect. Let's take a look at five professional footballers who went through a weird career change:
#5 Jeff Whitley - Car Salesman
That footballers love their cars and hardly leave the opportunity to flaunt their expensive rides is no news. Check out the Instagram feed of the biggest ballers in town and you'll know who owns what. Former Manchester City player Jeff Whitley, however, decided that common men needed cars too and it wouldn't be too bad to come to their service. So, he turned into a second hand car salesman.
Whitley was a Manchester City graduate and first joined them at the age of 10. The dedicated midfielder was capped 20 times for Northern Ireland and made his first senior appearance in the Premier League for the Sky Blues in 2000. He twice earned promotion with City to the top-flight and was a key player in midfield.
The Irishman's life took a turn for the worse when he got into drinking. At first, it was just casual drinking after games, but he soon endulged into drugs and got addicted. He then joined Arsenal legend Tony Adams's Sporting Chance rehab clinic which helped him turn back sober.
The midfielder then, after retiring in 2010 started working as a salesman at Stockport Car Supermarket. Whitley is attempting to make his way back into the game once again and currently holds a UEFA B license as a qualified coach.
#4 Arjan de Zeeuw - Detective
In his final days with Wigan Athletic, Arjan de Zeeuw was fueling his passion by tackling players on the pitch and leading his team to a League Cup victory. Soon after retiring from football, the defender was leading his team of detectives to Alkmaar's human traffickers and drug peddlers.
De Zeeuw joined Barnsley in 1995 and was part of their most successful stint as a club, helping them earn promotion in 1997 to the Premier League. Barnsley was relegated in their debut season but the defender was more than good enough for a Premier League side and therefore Wigan Athletic signed him in 1999.
He was a colossal figure for Wigan in their rearguard and won their Player of the Year twice in a row in 2001 and 2002. Harry Redknapp persuaded him to sign for Portsmouth and his graft and guile helped them win the second-tier title in 2003.
The Dutchman has a university degree in medical sciences that has helped him pursue this career in investigating crimes. After retiring in 2009, he started working closely with the Forensics branch.
#3 Gavin Peacock - Pastor
After a career that spanned over 600 appearances with clubs like Newcastle United and Chelsea, it was no shock to see Gavin Peacock retire and appear as a pundit. But he had something really surprising planned for everyone.
In 2008, Peacock said goodbye to the BBC, where he was employed as a pundit and went to Canada to become a pastor. The former player is currently an associate pastor at Calvary Grace Church in Calgary. The midfielder finished as Chelsea's joint top scorer in the 1993-94 season with an impressive 14 goals.
His contribution was important to the Blues' semi-final run in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1995. Peacock retired in 2002, after making nearly 540 league appearances throughout Division One, Two and the Premier League. He ended up scoring almost over 100 goals in his time as a footballer.
#2 Islam Feruz - Hat seller
In today's time in football we are not unfamiliar with wonderkids rising from various prestigious football academies around Europe and performing exceptionally well. As ambitions have grown, training intensity has grown and many youngsters today defy the concept of "maturity comes with age" while playing.
Islam Feruz was one such wonderkid who in 2011 was turning heads at Celtic Academy. Touted as the most exciting prospect Scottish football had seen in a long time, the Hoops couldn't keep him within their ranks for long. Chelsea came prying to sign Feruz in 2011, and they successfully did.
Little did they know that the "talented one" would soon turn out to be the "controversial one". He was reprimanded by the Blues in 2012 after photos of him with a pal and woman wearing his Scotland under-21 top in his bed emerged.
In 2015 on loan to Blackpool, he tweeted against his own employers: "This team takes more kick-offs than corners." Jose Mourinho handed him two starts with the senior side on their pre-season tour but that was as close as he came to Chelsea's first team.
Last year, the 24-year old revealed his own brand with the logo 'Tajiri', which means 'rich' in Swahili. Staying true to his cheeky nature, he has printed the tagline "Controversial One" behind his personal hat brand.
#1 Gordon Davies - Pest control
Sure, it would be interesting to see pest control happening at a football stadium prior to matchday, but who would have thought a footballer would take it up as a career? The former Welsh striker, who has played for notable clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City and Fulham, decided to tackle fleas, bugs and cockroaches.
In his two spells at Fulham, where he made over 350 league appearances, he became their leading goalscorer, a record still standing tall. He was nicknamed 'Ivor' due to his relentless work rate and hunger to always have the ball and get it to his team.
He retired in 1993 after spending a season in Norway with Tornado FK as player-manager and probably realized his interests lie elsewhere. He became a pest control officer for Rentokil in Bedfordshire and later went on to open his own pest control company in Northamptonshire. He is still involved at Craven Cottage and does corporate hospitality at times.
