Sunday Mercury Special Report: Premier League soccer stars go from hero to zero

Jan 29 2012 by Adam Aspinall, Sunday Mercury

“We fear there will be a tidal wave of problems for this generation of footballers because they have been given everything.

“Very soon, as they retire or drift out of the game, they are about to face the brutal realities of the real world and the football authorities have very little in place to help them properly.

“The classic scenario we encounter is someone earning, say, £20,000 a week. At that point in their lives they are living the £20,000-a-week lifestyle. The moment their career ends they are still living a £20,000 lifestyle but without the cash to maintain it.

“Pretty quickly, they have to downsize. It starts with their cars, then their houses. Pretty soon we’re hearing about divorce, which then leads to them losing 50 per cent of their assets. Before you know it, they are in big trouble.

“We know it will fall to the likes of us to scrape these boys off the ground and we are preparing ourselves for that. I do not think the rest of football is really ready for it.”

Geoff says that there is particular concern for young players taken on by the big clubs, but who fail to make the grade.

“We are seeing a growing problem with young footballers, aged about 18, who are earning about £1,500 a week as apprentices,” he explained. “For most people at any age that is a good living.

“But by the very nature of their sport it is precarious and many of them don’t make the grade. Suddenly you have a teenager, who is used to a very comfortable lifestyle, losing it and having nothing to fall back on.

“Yes, clubs make them go to college and things like that but many of these young players don’t take it seriously. Besides, nothing can really make up for the shortfall in their earnings.

“The result is that they turn to crime as an easy way to maintain the lifestyle they have grown accustomed to.”

Ironically, the assistance that clubs give to stars who are still in favour with the manager and the fans can later make things worse.

“One of the main reasons footballers suffer so badly is because of the huge amount of help they get while they are playing,” explained Geoff. “When you are a player everything is done for you, now more than ever before.

“These days, especially at the top level, football clubs and agents will do absolutely everything for a player. They take their kids to school, pay their bills, arrange their holidays – everything.

“A cottage industry of concierge services catering to a footballer’s every need has emerged.

“When they leave their clubs, they are lost. They don’t know how to manage money, and have trouble with day-to-day matters.”

adam.aspinall@sundaymercury.net