From Johan Arango to Wayne Rooney: players who retired from the ball and today have curious businesses

A footballer’s career does not last forever. It’s over in the blink of an eye. And although the vast majority tend to prolong their passion, becoming a coach, scout, leader, representative or sports commentator, there are others who venture into unsuspected tasks in order to maintain a life of luxury. Today we leave you a list of five athletes who now play on other courts.

Johan Arango, the trader from Cali

Known for always being thirsty, the Colombian Johan Arango had a long career, which took him to Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Peru. In Binacional de Juliaca he is remembered for a great goal against Sao Paulo for the Copa Libertadores, a free kick against Carlos Stein for the permanence and a party with Jean Deza. The striker who emerged from the quarries of América de Cali, had more than enough conditions, but his constant indiscipline put a very low fence on him.

In this 2022, after leaving Peru, he signed for the Jaguares de Córdoba, a team from the city of Montería with little history in the First Division of Colombian soccer. It only lasted a month and a half. On April 9, Arango unexpectedly resigned, alleging that he had serious family problems. Within days, he was not only seen at parties, but in a business that was not new to him: digital trading.

At 31 years old, Johan Arango He earns around 12,000 dollars a month thanks to this growing activity that consists of buying and selling assets in the financial markets to obtain profits. The former striker is co-founder of the company Sky Team Valle, along with Pablo Mina, goalkeeper of the Jaguares de Córdoba, probably his last club at a professional level. Now his thing is to invest and speculate to obtain higher profits.

Michael Owen, the horse breeder

The historic Liverpool striker, who once signed for Real Madrid, hung up his boots in 2013, and has since invested his time and money into becoming a top horse breeder. Famous for taking on his rivals and making fools of them with his speed, Owen has dedicated the last decade of his life to equine care and training.

His success has been such that he has his own career club called “Michael Owen – Racing Club”. The club invites those interested to pay the membership that will bring them certain benefits such as participation in three race events a year, exclusive training and all kinds of benefits that a racing lover could imagine. Back in 2007, six years before his retirement, when he was playing for Newcastle, he founded Manor House Stables, his stable. A decade later he made his debut as a jockey in a charity event in the city of Ascot, in England. From time to time he comments on football on television, but his has been in the stables for a long time.

Wayne Rooney and the NFTs

The all-time leading goalscorer for England and Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, joins the new NFT craze and decided to collaborate with the athlete-verified NFT platform Blockasset. This company is known in digital art for offering exclusive pieces of great sports figures such as Muhammad Ali and Michael Bisping, and now Rooney is one of its new figures. The same former soccer player announced it on his social networks a few months ago:

These digital works of art are sold by himself for 40 euros each. “It is inspired by childhood memories of opening sports cards and stickers, not knowing which athlete you will land on”, is the slogan of the company with which he is associated. But Rooney at 36 years old also continues to be linked to football, although with very little luck: the team he directed, Derby County, fell to the Third Division of the English League.

Tomas Brolin, the vacuum cleaner nozzle salesman

The Swedish soccer star, who dazzled the world at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, retired from soccer after a short, injury-plagued career. Once away from the courts, Brolin dedicated himself to various businesses: restaurants, real estate and finally became part owner of a firm selling vacuum cleaner nozzles.

“I got tired of football, it was very simple. I no longer felt like going to training six or seven times a week. Something was lost. A lot of things happened in England that made me sick of everything”Brolin once declared. The attacker played for Leeds United and Crystal Palace.

Faustino Asprilla and his brand of condoms

Controversial as himself, the Colombian striker who showed his credentials in the Premier League and Serie A since 2016 tried his luck in the business world, creating his own brand of condoms after partnering with the pharmaceutical company CS Pharma.

“Condones El Tino” is Asprilla’s brand under the slogan of ´Score your partner a great goal´, the coffee grower has been triumphing in this area with great success. Even during the Covid-19 quarantine, he donated a number of condoms to Colombians in a campaign to promote his brand: “I only have 3,580,000 condoms left in inventory until we can reopen the factory, and to help with the population I am going to give away a condom for the purchase of a box of three”, explained the former player through his Twitter account. His latest great product is a line of stimulating drinks, presented as energizing aphrodisiacs that give you strength when you need it.