Footballers Who Embarked On Shocking Career Changes Following Retirement

It’s no secret that a footballer’s career is relatively short in comparison to your average job and can even be brought to an end even earlier through injury. 

It’s common to see ex-professionals take on managerial roles, punditry, or even continue side hustles they may have had in their playing days. But what are the strangest jobs professional footballers have taken after retiring?

Tim Wiese

By far, one of the strangest career switches after retirement came from Tim Wiese. The ex-German international goalkeeper had a long career in the Bundesliga, spanning 12 years at three different clubs. The keeper made his debut in the Bundesliga in 2002 for 1 FC Kaiserslautern before joining Werder Bremen in 2005, spending seven years at the club, clocking 194 appearances during that time. He chose to bring an end to his career in 2014 after spending 2 years in Hoffenheim, totalling 307 career appearances and 6 international caps for Germany. 

It was the same year that Wiese retired, that the WWE contacted him to join their development NXT Division. Wiese accepted the peculiar offer and began to train for the WWE. His first appearance with the company was in 2016 as a guest timekeeper at an event in Germany before officially making his WWE debut in 2017. He teamed up with WWE legends Sheamus and Cesaro, winning his first and only WWE matchup. He officially left the company in that same year and returned to football for a singular game at SSV Dillingen. This career change left fans shocked, making it one of the strangest career changes in football.

Daniel Agger

Daniel Agger is best known for his time in the Premier League with Liverpool, registering 175 appearances for the Reds and becoming a favourite amongst fans due to his passion and love for the club. He signed for the, at the time, Champions League holders in 2006 after a successful breakthrough with his boyhood club in Denmark. He remained at Liverpool for eight years, winning the Football League Cup and FA Community Shield while being a runner-up in the Champions League and FA Cup. He was made vice-captain in 2013 following Jamie Carragher’s retirement, before returning to Denmark for two years until it was time to hang up the boots at age 31.

It was no secret that Daniel Agger had a love for tattoos, even getting one in reference to Liverpool. But what wasn’t quite expected was the career change he had after football. Agger took his passion for tattoos to another level, becoming a fully qualified tattoo artist and opening up his own tattoo shop. But that’s not all. Agger had another career after football, assisting in running a sewage company named KloAgger alongside his brother, uncle and childhood friend.. 

Petr Čech

Known for his incredible shot-stopping ability and impact on the sport, Petr Čech will be regarded as one of the greatest ever goalkeepers in the Premier League and maybe even the world. He joined English giants Chelsea in 2004 from French side Rennes, spending 11 years at the club, making 333 appearances. He made history with the Blues, winning four Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields, as well as a Champions League and Europa League honour, too. He is regarded as a Chelsea legend despite joining bitter rivals Arsenal in 2015, where he made 110 appearances in four years, winning more titles with the Gunners, including an FA Cup and a Community Shield. 

After retiring in 2019 with 567 club appearances and 124 international appearances, Petr Čech announced his retirement and decided to take his talents elsewhere. In 2019, he chose to take up a childhood passion of his in the form of Ice Hockey, signing for Guilford Phoenix in Division 2 and working his way up the ranks in the sport. He eventually signed for two Division One sides, Chelmsford Chieftains in 2022 and Oxford City Stars in 2023. In 2023. He played a charity match for Belfast Giants, an Elite Ice Hockey League team, and completed a loan move from Oxford as an emergency cover. He returned to Oxford after making one appearance for the Giants and, in 2024, was loaned back to Belfast, where he continues to live out his dream of being a professional ice hockey player.

David Ginola

Ginola is best known for his time playing in the English Premier League and for French Giants PSG. He played in the highest division of French football for 10 years, playing for Toulon, RC Paris, Brest, and most notably PSG, where he made 115 appearances. In 1995, Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan brought in the French winger to support his push to make Newcastle a European giant. After only two years at the club, 58 appearances, and six goals, new manager Kenny Dalglish didn’t favour the player, forcing him to leave the club for Tottenham Hotspur, where he made 100 appearances before moving to Aston Villa in 2000 and finishing his career at Everton in 2002. 

Throughout his career, he was known to be a big fan of wine to the point that he would note every wine he bought, and where, and when he bought it. His passion for wine grew into a job after hanging his boots up. After retiring in 2002, Ginola purchased a vineyard in Provence, France, after claiming to the media it was his dream to work in the wine industry. In 2008, Ginola won a silver medal for a wine produced at his vineyard at an international wine competition. He brought his wine to the UK, launching it at St James’ Park in Newcastle. As of 2025, it is still possible to buy a bottle of the French star’s wine, making his after-career passion project a successful business venture.