Where Are They Now is designed for you if you are a football fan who is as curious as us to find out what happened to your favourite footballers after they retired from playing.
Have you ever wondered what happened to all of those players that you have seen come and go over the years? The heroes and the villains? The saints and the sinners? The stars that you talked about for years after they had retired and those you instantly forgot?
If so, Where Are They Now? is definitely for you!
Not all players end up running pubs or become TV pundits! It's no secret what Gary Lineker is up to these days but what about the many thousands of players who have slipped from public view? The first edition of "Where Are They Now?" uncovered some fascinating post football stories including the former Arsenal striker who became Iceland's Finance Minister; Millionaires; Bankrupts; Vicars; Comedians; Singers; a Phil Collins lookalike... and one or two publicans!
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Where Are They Now Books
This whole project began with a book entitled 'Where Are They Now? - Life After Soccer'.
This proved to be incredibly popular and led to the formation of this site as well as a number of club specific titles. So far, the series comprises of Manchester United, Chelsea, Portsmouth, Huddersfield Town, Aston Villa and Liverpool. Forthcoming titles include Arsenal, Southampton and West Bromwich Albion - watch this space!
Updated: 16-01-25 John Smith
Hi Ian; I played schoolboy football with two of your brothers Stuart and Bruce. I was also taught at Shotton Hall by Forbes Paisley who I believe taught you. I used to visit your Mum and Dads house at South Hetton to play with Stuart and Bruce. You are four years older than me but I always followed your career with interest and went to Roker Park a couple of times when you were playing against Sunderland. I also remember you coming to our school at Shotton Hall one Christmas for a Christmas party probably at the invitation of Forbes. You were a brilliant football player, the young lads in our village of South Hetton wanted to emulate you by signing for a professional club. Thanks very much for your inspiration and hope you and your family are keeping well. Best regards John Smith.Updated: 16-01-25 Raymond Rhodes
What happened to Raymond Rhodes played for Lincoln City in the 1950s?Updated: 15-01-25 John bonner
Hi Les. Do your rember me used to come to the pub in Richmond with Ray and Bill you and me used to go into Kingston to a club on Friday night? Hope you are enjoying yourself.Updated: 15-01-25 Richard Sheppard
I was a neighbour of Kevin and his brother Gary in Bristol back in the 70’s and 80’s and used to see them kicking a ball around on Stoke Lodge or walking the family Afghan hound around the area.Updated: 15-01-25 John Wardle
Youngsters hitchhiking from Rossendale to Turf Moor always knew that Colin would give you a lift to the game. Once saw him flatten Best, Law and Charlton in 10 brutal seconds at Old Trafford - true story about one of the good guys.Updated: 15-01-25 Scott Kerr
Worked with Jeff at Huddersfield Town. Taught me a lot about football.Updated: 15-01-25 Dave Coram
Speaking to Ian today - he does exam invigilating at the school I work at...Updated: 12-01-25 Jeff Whalley
Played golf with John a few times if I remember correctly he was left handed but played with right handed clubs so his grip was unconventional. Met him through his father Jack. Both great guys.Updated: 08-01-25 Richie Moreton
Scott gave me my first set of football boots and gloves when he was @ Swindon Town Fc. He was good friends with my Dad and even worked at the Video shop that my dad owned at the time.Updated: 08-01-25 Derrill Carr
I am trying to contact George Wood to invite him to a very special 50 year Anniversary event at one of his former clubs Blackpool. Last I heard he was living in Pontypridd.
When we researched the first printed edition of 'Where Are They Now?' in the 1990's, footballers were already incredibly well paid by conventional employment standards but prior to that, players had to find a new career once they had hung up their boots.
This meant that we unearthed plenty of interesting and un-expected stories, many of which are found on the site. Sadly, there were some we could not re-produce for legal reasons - sorry!
Playing professional football, particularly at the highest level should ensure that modern players should not have to worry about money for the rest of their lives. Thankfully, this has not limited the number of fascinating tales for us to tell. For example, were you aware that former Sheffield United midfielder Curtis Woodhouse became British light welterweight champion when he took up professional boxing, having apparently 'fallen out of love' with football? If the rumours are true, he was not just a winner in the ring! At one point, he was considered to be 50 to 1 outsider to win the title and a successful £5,000 scooped him a cool £250,000 when he defeated defending champion Darren Hamilton.
As well as our regular club based pages, we also occasionally add more detailed player pages and would welcome your feedback. See: Ex-footballers who retired and got normal jobs, Did Tresor Kandol Score the Most Important Goal in Leeds United’s History?, Arsenal Greats, Ruud Gullit, Roy Bentley, Trevor Francis, Gavin Peacock, Carlos Valderrama, Graham Potter, Matt Holland, Liverpool's 2005-06 FA Cup Winning Team, and a look back at some of the best strikers to grace English football.
When do you think that the Premier League should re-start?
Where are they now? – Boro players who played League Cup’s season opening game 8 years ago.
Where are they now? – some other celebrities.
If you know of any other stories that may interest fellow fans, please do let us know.