Premier League player quits at 26 in pursuit of new career

'Football is a short career'

Rather than having his career cut short by injury, the former footballer has instead left the game behind in order to pursue a new career as a photographer.

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Alfie Whiteman had been without a club since leaving Tottenham Hotspur at the end of his contract in June, before making the shocking announcement of his retirement this week.

The Englishman graduated from Spurs' academy and represented the north London club for close to a decade, without ever making an appearance for the first team.

He was part of the squad that won the Europa League last season, and was awarded a medal.

Despite receiving interest from multiple EFL sides, the 26-year-old goalkeeper instead opted to hang up his gloves and try something new.

He has now taken up work with award-winning production company Somesuch where he'll operate as a photographer and film director.

In an interview with The Athletic this week, Whiteman announced his new path.

He said: “I signed for Spurs at 10 years old. Then I left school at 16 and went straight into this full-time life of football. When I was around 17 or 18, living in digs, I just had this feeling inside of, ‘Is this it?'

“Getting on the mini bus, going to training, doing the Sports Science BTEC and going home to play video games. I realised, ‘Oh, I’m not happy here’ from quite a young age.

“The stereotype of a footballer is generally quite true. It’s the golf, washbag culture. I was that young footballer. I wanted the Gucci washbag and I drove the Mercedes.

“You all just become a reflection of each other. You’re a product of your environment. It’s the way football is in this country; it’s so shut off from anything else. You go to training and then you go home, that’s it.

“I guess I always felt a little bit different. My team-mates — who I got on well with — called me a hippie. That was their definition. But then, when I was 18, I met my ex-girlfriend, who was a model.

“She was a bit older than me. Her best friend was a director. It just started opening my eyes to what life has to offer.

“So as I was getting a bit older around 18 or 19, I started meeting new people and realising a bit more about myself, and understanding the football bubble, because it’s so insular.”

“Football is a short career regardless, even if you do really well, and I knew that I didn’t want to stay in it.

“It was about trying to gain experience and be proactive in learning about these things I was also interested in, but mainly because I was enjoying it, and was surrounded by the kinds of people that were doing what I enjoyed as a job.

“They were making things. It was really inspiring."