Five players who excelled at another sport

We all know that footballers toil real hard to become professionals and make a name for themselves in this sport. A tough sport like the beautiful game equips them with tremendous levels of endurance, skill and power.

Such attributes also equip them to be as good at any other sport. If it weren’t for football, many players would have made their makr in some other game. Let’s have a look at five such players.

5. Phil Neville

Phil Neville was one of the gems Manchester United unearthed to form their famous Class of 92. However, if fate had a different view, the Englishman could have been seen playing cricket for the Three Lions rather than football.

An opening left-handed batsman, Neville was spanking good at cricket and captained England’s U-15 side. He also became the youngest player to represent Lancashire second XI, which also had a certain Andrew Flintoff.

Somerset bowler Steve Kirby went as far as to say that the former Everton skipper was better than the former English cricket captain.

“Phil [Neville] was captain of the England under-15 side at football and cricket. He was brilliant. I know it’s a big statement, but he was better than Flintoff at the time,” he said.

Gary Neville believes, his younger brother could have made a great impact as a cricketer if he didn’t turn to football. Well, he did quite well in the beautiful game by winning alll that silverware, didn’t her, Gary?

4. Gary Neville

Well, it’s easy to see why Phil Neville was such a talented individual in his playing days. After all, he was following the footsteps of his older brother.

Gary Neville won six Premier League titles and 2 Champions League titles for United. However, he could have been seen teaming up with the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen if fate had other plans.

In his younger days, Neville guided his cricket club Greenmount to win the Bolton League’s Hamer Cup Final by pulling off a great knock and scoring a century. On the other end of the pitch supporting him was none other than a certain Matthew Hayden, one of the greatest openers Australia has ever produced.3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Have ever wondered why Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s body is so flexible? How can he stretch his body to any extent at will?

Well, the answer lies here. The Swedish demi-god is a black belt at Taekwondo which explains why he can stretch his legs to heights we can only dream of. He received his black belt at the age of 17 and jas continued to practice the sport ever since.

“Had he had the same focus on taekwondo he has had on football, and able to invest in the same way, it is clear that he could have been just fine,” said Leif Almö, president of the sports centre where Zlatan practised taekwondo in his youth.

To cap it off, Zlatan also received an honorary black belt from the Italian national taekwondo team back in 2010.2. Gary Lineker

We all know Gary Lineker to be a fierce goal-poacher in his playing days. But few are aware of the fact that while he was growing up, the Englishman also excelled as a cricketer.

A right-handed batsman who also bowled medium pace with the ball, Lineker played three games for Sir JP Getty’s XI at Wormsley Cricket Ground in Buckinghamshire, England. The prolific striker also represented Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) against The Forty Club at Beckenham.

However, he was meant to score goals than runs in his life. Lineker won three First Division Golden Boots and the Golden Ball at Fifa World Cup. That shows he did pretty well with a ball at his feet, didn’t he? 1. Gareth Bale

When we remember Gareth Bale, we always associate him with tremendous, tantalizing pace on the football pitch. It’s that god-gifted speed that actually saw him excel at multiple sports such as rugby, hockey and athletics.

Bale was also classmates with fellow Welsh rugby captain Sam Warburton in his school days. As a 14-year-old, he completed a 10/-meter racecourse in just 11 seconds. His pace also saw him become a good player at cross-country running.

If it hadn’t been for football, Bale would certainly have notched a couple of gold medals for Great Britain at the Olympics.