Footballers put plenty of time into becoming the best players they can possibly be but sometimes it’s easy to forget even the biggest stars have lives outside of their careers.
Indeed, some footballers have unusual, unexpected hobbies and talents, from music to other sports.
We’ve explored 14 examples below.
1. Clint Dempsey – Rapper
Fans of the United States national team, and the clubs Clint Dempsey turned out for, may know that he was often referred to as ‘Deuce’ by his teammates.
But that wasn’t just a nickname; it was a stage name. Dempsey, or ‘Deuce’, is a bonafide rapper with a proper music video and everything. Of course, Dempsey isn’t the only footballer leading a double life as a rapper, with Atletico Madrid forward Memphis Depay releasing a number of songs — including a couple featuring Netherlands teammate Quincy Promes.
2. Manuel Akanji – Mathmetician
Not only is Manuel Akanji doing the business on the pitch for Manchester City. He’s also ridiculously good at maths, as he proved with an appearance on a Swiss TV show.
The Switzerland international worked out maths problems before the presenter, who was tooled with a calculator, could even begin to process the numbers.
3. Petr Cech – Drummer
One of the better-known footballers with a side hobby is Petr Cech, who has been sharing videos of himself playing the drums for some time now.
The former Arsenal and Chelsea goalkeeper appears to be a big fan of Dave Grohl, having covered both Foo Fighters and Nirvana songs in the past.
And a few years ago, he released his own song for charity, called ‘That’s Football‘, teaming up with Queen drummer Roger Taylor.
4. Alisson – Guitarist/singer
Here’s a player who must never be scared of going through an initiation whenever he joins a new club. Liverpool stopper Alisson is not only one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League, but also a dab hand with the guitar and a decent singer, too!
5. Sandro – Guitarist/singer
An equally confident performer as Alisson is former Tottenham midfielder Sandro, who is clearly a character both on and off the pitch.
A fan favourite at just about every club he’s played for, the Brazilian is a keen musician who isn’t afraid to put on a show.
6. Tomas Rosicky – Guitarist
Yet another guitarist on our list is former Arsenal midfielder Tomas Rosicky. Footballers who have struggled with injuries often turn to other hobbies, and Rosicky certainly had some bad luck during his Arsenal days.
Still, he once performed on stage with Czech band Tři Sestry, so that’s something.
7. Ivan Perisic – Beach volleyball player
There aren’t many sportspeople who have represented their country in two sports, but Spurs wideman Ivan Perisic is one of them.
He made his international beach volleyball debut in 2017, representing Croatia at the Porec Major. The 34-year-old has some serious skills on the sand, just like he does on the grass.
8. Daniel Agger – Tattoo artist
Many modern footballers are covered in tattoos, but not a lot of them have held the tattoo pen themselves – former Liverpool defender Daniel Agger certainly has.
As for the tattoos Agger himself possesses, he has ‘YNWA’ plastered across his knuckles as well as a couple of Liver birds on his fingers.
Anybody fancy a tattoo? must be about 10 years ago!:))) pic.twitter.com/ynXDIOYMoW
— Daniel Agger (@DanielAgger) January 29, 2014
9. David Luiz – Magician
David Luiz has produced plenty of magic on the pitch over the years, but perhaps his most impressive sleight-of-hand moments have come off it.
Back in 2016, the Brazilian amazed his teammates with a card trick in the Chelsea changing room — a feat since repeated by Fulham’s American left-back Antonee Robinson.
10. David Meyler – FIFA YouTuber
Our attentions now turn to a very modern talent. Reading midfielder David Meyler over 135,000 followers on Twitch.
He even has a catchphrase: “Yes lads”. Make of it what you will.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYmfx9tiQSw
11. Andrei Arshavin – Fashion designer
“I have designed several garments myself,” said Andrei Arshavin when asked about his double life as a women’s clothes designer back in 2009.
It’s not unusual for footballers to go into fashion these days, but Arshavin was literally a trendsetter. There’s also a weird video of him singing on YouTube – he’s no Shane Long.
12. Alexis Sanchez – pianist
Manchester United’s video announcement of Alexis Sanchez’s arrival, in which the Chilean played the piano, seemed like a bit of a joke. But Sanchez can genuinely tinkle the ivories.
13. Hal Robson-Kanu – Crypto-currency entrepreneur
Away from the pitch, one of the heroes of Wales’ Euro 2016 campaign, Hal Robson-Kanu, spends his time exploring blockchain technology and crypto-currency.
“Not many people understand blockchain technology,” Robson-Kanu told the Independent in 2018. “It’s like trying to explain fundamentally how the internet works.”
Robson-Kanu has been without a club since May 2021 and has only remained on our TV screens thanks to some pundit appearances. However, he’s not officially retired and has recently been dropping not-so-subtle hints to Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney over at Wrexham.
“Look Wrexham have done phenomenally well and massive credit to Ryan Reynolds and the whole team down there,” he said.
“From my perspective, being able to offer my services to the club, I’m in a unique position, which is quite nice. I’m a free agent and I have been for the last two years.
“I’ve not officially announced my retirement, but again I’m 33 years of age. What they’ve done is fantastic. I’m happy to have a conversation and as I said, I’d be happy to donate any salary I receive to charity as well.”
14. Diogo Jota – Gamer
Just like Meyler, Liverpool forward Diogo Jota is an avid gamer and even found himself ranked world No.1 in FIFA 21’s Champions Leaderboard.
Perhaps a Jota vs Meyler showdown is in order…