7 ex-footballers who became big in other sports as Bale confirms PGA Tour debut
It seemed inevitable that once Gareth Bale hung up his football boots for the last time, he would reach towards a golf club.
And just weeks after he walked away from the beautiful game, Bale will tee off in his first PGA Tour event, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The Welshman will be one of a number of celebrities who will be joined by the pros in California.
Bale is even 50/1 to win the event, while he's 20/1 to use his football skills and kick the ball into the hole. And Daily Star Sport are looking at seven other sports stars who swapped football for another sport.
Ivan Perisic – Volleyball
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Just under one year before Ivan Perisic thrilled as part of a Croatian side that reached the World Cup final in 2018, he made his professional volleyball debut.
Perisic lined up alongside Niksa Dell’Orco at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour Porec Major for Croatia. However, he wasn't as successful on the beach as he has been on the pitch as the duo lost all three of their matches.
The Croatian had another successful World Cup campaign in 2022, and he's a regular at Tottenham Hotspur.
Petr Cech – Ice Hockey
As one of the greatest shot-stoppers the Premier League has ever seen, Petr Cech retired from football after the 2018/19 season.
And it didn't take long for him to dip his toes into another sport, this time Ice Hockey. Cech joined the National Ice Hockey League team Guildford Phoenix, as a goaltender, of course.
“After 20 years of professional football, this is going to be a wonderful experience for me to play the game I loved to watch and play as a kid,” he said.
Paolo Maldini – Tennis
There weren't many football fans, who after watching Paolo Maldini command the AC Milan backline in the 1990s, thought he would be great on the ATP Tour.
However, in 2017 Maldini qualified for a professional tennis tournament – the Aspria Tennis Cup, which happened to be in Milan. The legendary defender's doubles partner, Stefano Landonio, declared: “He does not have any weaknesses.”
Unfortunately, they lost in straight sets.
Gabriel Batistuta – Polo
From one Serie A icon to another, this time it's the turn of Fiorentina legend Gabriel Batistuta.
Batigol ended his career after persistent injuries, but that didn't stop him from saddling up on a horse to take up polo in 2009. He scored twice on his debut, of course. He said: “It’s very difficult, but I hope to improve a little bit at a time. I’m a bit annoyed because I didn’t play well!"
Less than a year later he was lifting the Copa Stella Artois – yes, that's a real trophy.
Tim Wiese– WWE
Yep, this one still leaves us scratching our heads. Still a Bundesliga regular in 2014 Tim Wiese swapped the penalty box for the squared circle.
He made his WWE debut a couple of years later in Munich as part of a six-man tag team match. However, Wiese never made it onto Raw or Smackdown, and he left the company in 2017.
The German returned to football for one game with eighth-division side SSV Dillingen – they lost 2-1.
Jerzy Dudek – Motorsport
Jerzy Dudek has always had nerves of steel – look no further than the Istanbul penalty shoot-out in 2005.
And so maybe it's not so surprising that he tuned his hands to motorsport after he hung up his boots. “Motor racing was my passion before football,” he told LFC TV. “I raced go-karts but of course, that stopped when I became a professional footballer.
"When I quit football I also missed the adrenaline you got from playing. But you need passions in life – they are what keep you going. Motor racing gives me a lot of joy and I’m loving it.”
Rio Ferdinand – Boxing
Rio Ferdinand was one of England's most decorated footballers when he walked away from the game, but eager to try something different he stepped between the ropes.
"The chance to prove myself in a new sport was a real draw,” Ferdinand said. “Boxing is an amazing sport for the mind and the body. I have always had a passion for it and this challenge is the perfect opportunity to show people what’s possible.
“It’s a challenge I’m not taking lightly, clearly not everyone can become a professional boxer, but with the team of experts Betfair are putting together and the drive I have to succeed, anything is possible.”
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