Gareth Bale announced his immediate retirement from the club and international Football in January this year. The 33-year-old retired as one of the most decorated British footballers in the world.
Gareth Bale has also already received praise from Jon Rahm, who is ranked third in the Official World Gold Ranking after the Spanish golfer played nine holes of pro-am play at Torrey Pines alongside the Welshman.
“I told Gareth, ‘you can’t be so good at professional football and golf at the same time, it just doesn’t seem fair’,” Jon Rahm said after being impressed by Gareth Bale’s golf skill. “Can’t be dedicated to one thing and have this much talent for golf, it’s not fair in the slightest.”
Gareth Bale is not the first football player to have found a new passion after their retirement from professional football.
In this article, let’s take a look at five former professional footballers who have tried their hands at other sports after retirement from professional football.
Gareth Bale – Golf
Let’s start with Gareth Bale. The 33-year-old is a Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid legend. In his club football career, he has featured in 553 across all competitions and has scored 185 goals.
He has also represented Wales national football team in 111 matches and has scored 41 goals. Gareth Bale, who was part of the Wales team that participated in the FIFA World Cup 2022, is widely considered as the greatest Welsh players of all time.
After his retirement from football in January 2023, Gareth Bale announced that he would participate in AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which is a professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour.
Michael Owen – Horse Riding
Michael Owen is a former England striker. He has featured in 89 games for England’s national football team and has scored a respectable total of 40 goals for the Three Lions.
In his club career, he has represented some of the world’s biggest football clubs. He plied his trade for Liverpool, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Newcastle United, and Stoke City during his club career. Michael Owen is also a recipient of the prestigious Ballon d’Or award. He won the coveted award in 2001. Michael Owen retired from professional football at the end of the 2012/13 season.
In November 2017, Michael Owen made his debut as a jockey as he rode on Calder Prince and finished in second place at Ascot.
Petr Cech – Ice Hockey
Petr Cech is widely considered as one of the greatest goalkeepers in the history of the Premier League. Petr Cech is a former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper. He made 494 appearances for Chelsea during his 11 seasons with the west London outfit.
Petr Cech then joined Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal and would go on to make 139 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners over the course of four seasons.
After his retirement from professional football in 2019, Petr Cech signed for Guildford Phoenix, an amateur Ice Hockey team that plays in the National Ice Hockey League Division 2, as a goaltender.
Petr Cech then joined Chelmsford Chieftains, which is an Ice Hockey team that plays in NIHL South Division 1, in 2022. He still plays for Chelmsford Chieftains.
Paolo Maldini – Tennis
Paolo Maldini is widely regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time. The now 54-year-old is an Italy and AC Milan legend. He spent the entirety of his club football career at AC Milan, for whom he has made 902 appearances.
Paolo Maldini has also won a number of trophies with AC Milan, including five European Cup/UEFA Champions League titles, and seven Serie A titles. He has also made 126 appearances for Italy’s national football team.
In 2017, Paolo Maldini qualified for the Aspria Tennis Cup in Milan. He and his coach Stefano Landonio qualified for the Aspria Tennis Cup after winning a qualifier tournament. However, they lost in the first round as their opponents Tomasz Bednarek and David Pel won the game by a score of 6–1, 6–1.
Fabien Barthez – Racing Driver
During his club football career, Fabien Barthez plied his trade for five different clubs. Four of those were French clubs – Toulouse, Marseille, Nantes, AS Monaco – while the other was Manchester United. He made 597 appearances in total in his club football career.
Fabien Barthez represented France in international football and made 87 appearances for Les Bleus before hanging up his boots.
After retiring from professional football in 2007, Fabien Barthez started a career in motorsport. He kicked off his motorsport career by participating in selected events in the Porsche Carrera Cup France in 2007 with SOFREV Auto Sport Promotion.
The post Five Former Footballers Who Have Tried Their Hands in Other Sports After Retirement appeared first on The12thMan.
