5 players who did other jobs before becoming footballers

5 players who had other jobs before football

When you become a footballer, there’s actually no need to worry about how much you will get paid. Footballers earn thousands of pounds every week and live a lavish life.

However, that kind of income doesn’t start right from the moment they begin their professional career. Some footballers have to do side jobs and are subjected to humble beginnings before earning well enough.

Let’s have a look at 5 such footballers who worked in other fields before choosing football as a full-time career.

5. Rickie Lambert

We all know former Liverpool striker Ricki Lambert, don’t we? The Englishman actually began his footballing career with the Kop, before he was released in 1997 before becoming a professional footballer.

Lambert then joined Macclesfield Town, a Third Division club. However, the striker was on meagre wages, which compelled him to work at a beetroot factory where he put lids on jars.

However, after his condition as a player improved, Lambert went on to make his England debut and score a heroic winner by coming on as a substitute. He also managed to secure a move to his dream club Liverpool in the later years of his career.4. Charlie Austin

Charlie Austin scored a mammoth 18 goals for a QPR side who got relegated in season 2014/15 after finishing at the bottom of the league. Only Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane had a better tally of goals than him back then.

Austin began his career playing for Reading’s youth academy in the ninth division of English football. With his income very low, he worked as a professional bricklayer.3. Jaimie Vardy

Jaimie Vardy has now become a household name for Premier League fans after he helped Leicester City pull off a fairytale season by winning the league title in 2016. The Englishman is known for his sharp scoring instincts but it took him a long time to get to the place where he is right now.

Vardy worked as a technician making medical splints before his football salary was enough to feed his entire household. The Leicester marksman now holds the record for scoring in the most consecutive run of games in the Premier League.

The fact that he is just two goals behind Dennis Bergkamp in overall Premier League tally and already has more than Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Torres and Eden Hazard tells oodles about his talents.2. Peter Schmeichel

We all know Peter Schmeichel to be one of the best goalkeepers ever to have graced the Premier League. The Dane, however, tried out a number of different jobs before focussing on football as a full-time career.

To begin with, Schmeichel worked in the textiles industry but quit his job due to job security concerns. Later, he worked as a cleaner in care homes before going on to become a sales manager in the World Wildlife Fund.

It was only when he joined Beondby did Schmeichel seriously considered football as a career option. 15 years later as a Manchester United goalkeeper, it’s safe to say he didn’t make a bad choice.1. Miroslav Klose

Miroslav Klose is hands down one of the best players to have graced the beautiful game in his times. However, before he joined Kaiserslautern where he began his professional career, the German striker worked as an apprentice carpenter to make ends meet.Klose had a very successful club career. He is also known as one of football’s most loved gentlemen. However, people more often than not always remember him for his impressive exploits in the FIFA World Cups.