The Strangest Footballer Hobbies Of All Time
It’s not uncommon for footballers to have hobbies throughout their football careers as a way to take their minds off the game, or even as a project to continue post-retirement to maintain an income. There are many different avenues that players have ventured down, such as Teddy Sheringham and his attempt at a professional poker career, and with online casinos providing games like live casino blackjack, poker, and baccarat, these types of careers may become more common. But there are plenty of stranger hobbies players have had, so let's take a look at some of the strangest footballer hobbies of all time.
Axel Tuanzebe
By far, one of the more peculiar hobbies has to go to Axel Tuanzebe. The Congolese fullback came through Manchester United’s youth academy as a promising young talent who had already represented England at youth level, even making 19 appearances for the Red Devils' first team. However, a limited amount of game time led to loan spells at Aston Villa, Napoli and Stoke City before settling at Ipswich Town, making plenty of appearances in the Premier League. Despite not living up to the hype created around him, Tuanzebe has a Guinness World Record to his name because of his strange hobby. He holds the record for the fastest person to clear a Hungry Hippos game. His love for board games, more specifically Hungry Hippos, led him to break the record, taking 17 seconds to clear the board.
Ben Foster
Ben Foster is an English goalkeeper who made 8 caps for his national team and played for English Giants Manchester United, but was most known for his long spell at West Bromwich Albion from 2011-2018. Foster has made over 500 appearances in professional football, with a pretty successful career and even teaming up with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham for a season before he retired. It was during his time at Watford, however, that Ben took a newfound passion to the next level, becoming a YouTuber. The goalkeeper would put a camera in his goal and vlog his matchday and training experiences to share with fans what it is like to be a professional footballer. Known as The Cycling GK, his channel grew rapidly due to his likeable personality and insight into the game, which allowed him to continue his channel post-retirement, even starting a podcast in which he hosts former and current professionals. Overall, Foster had a relatively successful career as a footballer, and now continues his hobby and passion of becoming a full-time YouTuber.
Cristiano Ronaldo
One of the greatest footballers to play the game, and one of the best athletes in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo has a hobby you may not have expected from the Portuguese legend. Ronaldo made a name for himself at Sporting Lisbon, attracting the great Sir Alex Ferguson to bring him to Manchester United as a promising young talent. After cementing himself as a United legend, he moved to Real Madrid in 2009, where he spent 9 years at the club, becoming the greatest the sport has ever seen. After leaving Madrid, he spent time at Juventus before moving back to Manchester United and finally to Al Nassr, where he continues to play at the age of 40. But what isn’t commonly known is Ronaldo’s strange hobby upon his initial move to Manchester United as a youngster. In an attempt to learn English, Ronaldo enjoyed spending time playing bingo. He claimed bingo helped him to learn and improve his English before his move to Manchester. His love for bingo continued after learning English, and he continued to play due to what he described as the excitement and relaxing nature of the game.
Joe Allen
Nicknamed by Liverpool supporters as the ‘Welsh Xavi’, Joe Allen is a recently retired Welsh midfielder who made over 90 appearances for Liverpool from 2012-2016, before building a legacy at Stoke City, registering 212 appearances in 6 years at the club. He started and finished his career at Swansea City, but during his football career, he developed a passion for a different hobby. The hobby Allen had taken up was caring for and owning several chickens. He has owned several chickens and has even featured on the cover of a magazine dedicated to chickens, known as ‘Chicken & Eggs’.
David Beckham
David Beckham has had plenty of different business ventures post-retirement, with some big careers including his own fragrance, clothing and football club. But the hobby he picked up during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown is more unusual. The former Manchester United star has made over 500 appearances for the likes of the Red Devils, Real Madrid, AC Milan and PSG. The global superstar ventured into many different avenues after retirement, but in lockdown, he began to take up a different hobby of beekeeping. He built several beehives and placed them in his garden, attracting colonies and even making his own honey. He has shared footage on social media of himself in full beekeeping attire tending to his new hobby, so it’s safe to say he’s taking it seriously.
