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FOOTBALLERS USED TO START THEIR "EARNING" in proper jobs!

Rickie Lambert's revious occupation was a beetroot factory worker and he made his professional debut (in football): 2001. While training with Macclesfield Town in 2001, Lambert was earning nothing, so had to get by with a wage from the local beetroot factory putting lids on jars. From there Lambert’s career in football took off, as five years later he was finding his feet at Bristol Rovers after a breakthrough 2005/06 at Rochdale, in which he bagged 22 League Two goals . He then bounced from Southampton to Liverpool to an England call-up in 2013. Unfortunately his career has somewhat declined since then, but he was still knocking around with Cardiff City in the Championship before retiring in 2017.

Peter Schmeichel Previous occupations: Cleaner, textiles and sales manager at the WWF. Before his professional career really took off, Schmeichel accrued quite the CV ahead of joining Brondby in 1987. Originally starting out with a textiles department, Schmeichel took to cleaning in a care home before landing a dream role with the WWF. Not wrestling, the World Wildlife Fund. It wouldn’t be long before the great Dane jacked in his charitable side and took to the sticks. After a successful spell with Brondby, he became a Premier League legend at Manchester United, winning five Premier League titles, three FA Cups and one Champions League during a stellar career. 

Stuart Pearce Previous occupation: Electrician. Professional debut: 1978 Pearce’s professional career started in Wealdstone, and seven years on he moved to Nottingham Forest to play under Brian Clough. Not certain as to whether his future was in football, ‘Psycho’ took the opportunity at Forest to advertise his services as an electrician around the club and in the matchday programme. Over 400 appearances on, Pearce was cemented in the club’s history and was an England regular. After retiring at Manchester City in 2002, with spells at Newcastle United and West Ham United in between, he went into coaching where he managed the GB Olympic side, England U21s and Forest, but now serves as David Moyes’ assistant manager at West Ham.

Chris Waddle Previous occupation: was a sausage seasoning-maker .Professional debut: 1980 Before largely successful spells at Newcastle, Tottenham Hotspur, Marseille and Sheffield Wednesday, the nimble winger used to concentrate his skills on sausage delicacies; more specifically, their seasoning. Once his professional career was up and running, the sausages took a backseat as Waddle became an England international. Now focusing on a career in commentary and punditry, it’s fair to say Waddle has moved on.

Jamie Vardy

Previous occupation: Carbon fibre medical splint factory worker Professional debut: 2010 As is a necessity of a non-league footballer, Jamie Vardy supplemented his income as a technician making medical splints. A true late-bloomer by definition, Vardy had lived a very ordinary lifestyle up until his move to Leicester City, where he’s now won the Premier League, played in the Champions League and scored for England at a major tournament. We all know the story by now; a genuinely astounding turn of events.

Charlie Austin Previous occupation: Bricklayer .Professional debut: 2009 When restarting his football career with Poole Town after his release from Reading’s youth academy, the now-Southampton striker funded his life as a bricklayer. Once Swindon Town came calling and Austin was offered a professional contract, the bricklaying had no further "course" and he made his living scoring goals.

Stuart Pearce Previous occupation:  Electrician Professional debut: 1978 Pearce’s professional career started in Wealdstone, and seven years on he moved to Nottingham Forest to play under Brian Clough. Not certain as to whether his future was in football, ‘Psycho’ took the opportunity at Forest to advertise his services as an electrician around the club and in the matchday programme. Over 400 appearances on, Pearce was cemented in the club’s history and was an England regular. After retiring at Manchester City in 2002, with spells at Newcastle United and West Ham United in between, he went into coaching where he managed the GB Olympic side, England U21s and Forest, but now serves as David Moyes’ assistant manager at West Ham.

Iain Dowie Previous occupation:  British Aerospace Professional debut: 1988 Yes, Iain Dowie is a rocket scientist – and we may have lied a little when we said these would all be ‘normal jobs’. After multiple rejections at the age of 16, Dowie dusted himself off and sought pastures new by studying Engineering at Southampton University. Once landing a job with British Aerospace, Dowie saw it as important to keep up football and played regularly for Cheshunt FC in non-league. Luton Town were so wise to notice his talent that they deployed him as their inelegant centre forward in the first division. He went on to represent Northern Ireland 59 times, playing for Southampton, West Ham and QPR on the way. Since then, he’s coached sporadically, most significantly achieving promotion to the Premier League with Crystal Palace. Now he’s a Sky Sports pundit. Oh, what could’ve been.

Shaka Hislop Previous occupation:  NASA Intern, Engineer Professional, debut 1992 Very seldom do two geniuses play in the same team. But that was the case with Dowie and Shaka Hislop in 1998. Hislop took it one step further with his qualifications, graduating with a degree from Washington’s Howard University, to then become an intern with NASA and get involved in a prestigious engineering project in the Caribbean.The Trinidad and Tobago international played for Reading, where his professional career started, before being the man between the sticks for West Ham, Newcastle and Portsmouth. Hislop ended his career in Dallas in 2007, and now works for ESPN in America.

AND of course Eric Cantona was and is an actor, mind you, so was Vinnie Jones!