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Eight of the weirdest jobs ex-footballers have had after hanging up their boots

Tim Wiese with WWE legend Triple H.
Tim Wiese with WWE legend Triple H.

It might be difficult to concentrate on the financial advice you’re being given if all you think of is ‘isn’t that the guy who used to captain Aberdeen?’

Former Dons skipper Russell Anderson completed his move from football to law firm Aberdein Considine last year and can now be found dishing out expert advice on retirement planning and investments.

It seems an unusual move for Anderson, who was capped 11 times by Scotland and made 403 appearances for Aberdeen, but the 39-year-old spent much of his spare time as a player studying to become a financial adviser.

 

Not every ex-player ends up going into coaching or management and Anderson is far from the first to surprise fans with a move into something completely different.

Here’s eight of the some of the strangest new careers for ex-players once they’ve hung up their boots.

Lee Bowyer

Lee Bowyer in action for Leeds in 2000. Photo: Sean Dempsey/PA

Bowyer made his name as a hard-tackling central midfielder in a Leeds team which reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2000. Spells at West Ham, Newcastle (including an infamous on the pitch bust-up with teammate Kieron Dyer), Birmingham and Ipswich followed before he hung up his boots in 2012.

Famously hot-tempered Bowyer seems to be a lot calmer these days, as he currently runs a carp fishing lake in France’s Champagne region.

Brian Irvine

Aberdeen FC legend Brian Irvine.<br /> Picture by Kenny Elrick

His decisive penalty in the 1990 Scottish Cup final remains a great memory for many Dons’ fans but these days, 52-year-old Irvine patrols the streets of the Granite City as a policeman.

While not a particularly unusual career for former players, what is surprising is that the Aberdeen legend only joined up at the age of 51.

He was by several years the most senior student in his class at the Scottish Police College but was determined to serve his community.

He had initially tried to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the force once he left school but his footballing ability got in the way a bit.

Fair play to him for him for going after his dream job after a long and successful football career, we tip our hat to you, Brian!

 

Dion Dublin

Dion Dublin with his co-presenters Martel Maxwell and Martin Roberts

He played for clubs like Manchester United, Celtic and Aston Villa during a glittering career spanning two decades.

Dublin even won legions of fans by sticking the head on a mouthy Robbie Savage during a fiery Birmingham derby in 2002.

You won’t catch him doing that anymore now, now he’s only interested in helping you renovate and sell your home as a presenter on the BBC’s Homes Under The Hammer.

Kevin Kyle

The burly ex-Scotland striker really deserves two places on this list. After leaving Rangers, he spent time as a storeman on a ship housing oil workers.

More recently, he’s become a force to be reckoned with on the Scottish darts scene. He knocked out Lakeside semi-final Richard Veenstra of the Scottish Open in 2016.

Bobby Mann

Inverness stopper Bobby Mann in 2004.

Commanding centre-half Mann was a cornerstone of Steve Paterson’s hugely successful spell with Caley Thistle in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

He played a key role in ICT’s famous Scottish Cup wins over Celtic in 2000 and 2003 and captained the club to promotion to the top flight for the first time in their history in 2004.

Mann left to play for hometown club Dundee and now drives a taxi in the city of Discovery.

Tim Wiese

Tim Wiese with WWE legend Triple H.

Normally a steady Bundesliga keeper for Werder Bremen, Wiese dropped two clangers during a crucial UEFA Cup match against Rangers at Ibrox, helping the Scottish side ultimately squeak through on aggregate.

He was later named in Germany’s 2010 World Cup squad.

The next logical step was obviously to pack on 30kg of muscle and become a WWE wrestler.

Derek Whyte

Former Aberdeen captain Derek Whyte at the club’s golf day in Dubai

The dismissal of Derek Whyte and co-manager Gerry Britton from Partick Thistle obviously left a bitter taste in the mouth of the ex-Aberdeen central defender.

It convinced Whyte he wanted a career outside of football and he moved to Dubai to start a new challenge. Currently he’s working in sales for Japanese industrial services firm Torishima.

John Chiedozie

An oldie but a goodie. Nine caps for Nigeria and four years playing for Spurs is not bad to have on your CV in football circles.

Whether that experience has helped him out with any bouncy castles remains to be seen, but nevertheless, Chiedozie went on to run a children’s soft play equipment business in Hampshire.