David Ginola once described retiring from football as “a little death”.
This may not be an exaggeration, but it is true for many players. It is difficult to leave a job that has shaped a large part of your life. But what happens if you are young?
Life after football — in terms of self-esteem, relationships and financial stability — is one of the main themes in The Athletic’s ex-footballer survey, where 111 former professional players have responded to a series of questions about retirement and its impact.
Given the amount of wealth in the game, surprisingly, 26 of those players (23 per cent) answered ‘no’ to the question ‘Are you financially stable?’.
The majority (103) of those surveyed said that they have found a new career in football. The Athletic spoke to others who struggled to find work, needed to retrain, or who used the time to pursue a more fulfilling career.
‘Nothing compares to the buzz of football’ — that was the reason half of those who said they had not found another career selected by way of explanation.
But others couldn’t afford to just do nothing, even if being unable to replicate the feeling of playing was tough.
Alan Lee was a player for the Republic of Ireland who won 10 caps during a career that also included spells at Rotherham United, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace Cardiff City.
