‘Dire wages for footballers in US made me quit – I now earn tons selling bagels’
A talented footballer rejected the chance to play professionally in the USA because the pay was so poor he could make “way more” money selling bagels.
Growing up, Murad Islamov excelled as a striker and steadily worked his way up youth teams before being offered more than $10,000 (£8,300) for a trial with USL Championship League side Louden United in January 2022. Despite being a lifelong ambition, the 23-year-old, from Louisville, Kentucky, decided to turn down the offer because he would not be able to support his family on $2,700 (£2,240) per month which is the minimum players in the USL Championship League are paid.
Instead, Murad – who was born in Turkey and emigrated with his family to America in 2000 – opted to open Maya Bagel Express in his home town in November 2022. It has proved an instant hit, allowing him to earn more than $100,000-a-year (£83,000) and support his parents as well as employing four people.
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“I was offered a trial with Louden United in the USL Championship League which is in the second tier of the USA soccer pyramid around the same time Covid hit,” he said.
"It came after I had played for multiple teams, attended trials and worked incredibly hard for many years to get that chance.
"At the same time I was studying business at Southern New Hampshire University back in New Hampshire and had an inbuilt entrepreneurial drive to succeed in the world of business. Throughout my life I’ve had two hard-working parents supporting my dreams which only made me a hungrier individual to make them proud and help support them one day.
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“So I had two very important decisions to make at that time. Was I going to full throttle with the soccer gifts that I had and see where it would take me, or was I going to create a brand and a company where I can grow and be with my family and create generational assets?
“It was a hard choice, because both needed extreme sacrifices, both industries are like looking into the unknown because you don’t know what will happen. But ultimately, when I looked at the prospects of a professional footballer in the USA and compared it with a business owner, financially it was a no-brainer.
“I had a much higher chance of earning vastly more running a business than I would playing football – as much as I love the sport."
After making his decision, Murad mapped out a plan and began to work on his own company which he registered, and found a premises for before opening in Kentucky last year.
To get it off the ground he was working 16-hour days seven days a week, with his parents (Nazira, 49, and Hamid, 52) also lending a hand. It quickly gained a good reputation and began turning a profit, allowing Murad to spend more time focusing on expanding the brand less than a year after opening.
“Creating my own company was the best decision I have ever made,” he said.
"I made my own calls and created a brand where I can scale. Playing football is amazing and I will always have a love for the sport, but I know in my heart that I made the right call in choosing business over it.”
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