Cape Town - These sporting greats didn’t sit idle once their athletic careers ended – they all have successful post-career hustles.
These sporting greats didn’t sit idle once their athletic careers ended – they all have successful post-career hustles. When the final whistle blows on a pro athlete’s sporting career they might pack away their kit – but life is rarely dull for sportsmen, who often catch their second wind. We look at top stars who found even more fame and fortune after the game
Lucas Radebe (50)
THEN
Considered one of South Africa’s greatest footballers, he was part of the Bafana Bafana side that won the 1996 African Cup of Nations. Radebe captained the team at two Fifa World Cup tournaments – in 1998 and 2002 – and at club level played for Kaizer Chiefs from 1989 until 1994 before moving to Leeds United where he played until 2005. He retired after 256 matches for the Yorkshire side.
NOW
He was part of the delegation who helped South Africa secure the rights to host the 2010 Fifa World Cup and he’s been involved in the development of grassroots football through the annual ET Radebe Schools Knockout Tournament, named in honour of his late mother, Emily Radebe.
On the business side he runs Lucas Radebe Management Company. His 2018 bid for the South African Football Association presidency failed as the organisation’s rules don’t allow candidates who have served less than five years within the national or regional structures.
Benni Mccarthy (41)
Then
Bafana Bafana’s highest goal scorer, with 31 goals, had an impressive career and even topped the music charts in 1998 with his collab with TKZee on World Cup hit Shibobo. He played for clubs such as FC Porto – where he won the Uefa Champions League – West Ham United and Orlando Pirates. During his two-season spell at Pirates, from 2011- 2013, he won the Absa Premier- ship, MTN8 and Telkom Knockout. He called time on his 18- year football career in 2013.
Now
He worked as a TV analyst while studying for his Uefa coaching badges. In 2015 he was hired as assistant coach at Belgian club Sint-Truiden. In 2017 McCarthy was appointed as coach of Cape Town City and took the club to the final of the MTN8. In 2018 they won the trophy after beating SuperSport United. He’s presently the only South African coach with a Uefa Pro Licence, football’s highest coaching certification.
And he has his sights set on managing the national team. “One of my dreams is to coach Bafana Bafana,” McCarthy told the BBC. “Because if you are successful with your national team, you get an opportunity to take your national team to the World Cup and there is nothing bigger than playing on the biggest stage in football,” he said.
Michael Jordan (56)
Then
Arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, Michael Jordan’s sporting achievements are still being raved about. He played 15 seasons in America’s National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Chicago Bulls and Washing ton Wizards. He was a six time NBA champion in the 1990s, and on five occasions was named the NBA’s most valuable player (MVP). In 1999 ESPN named him the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century.
Now
Following his retirement in 2003, Jordan continued making money from his Nike Air Jordan endorsement deal. In 2006 he became majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Eight years later his ownership of the Hornets, together with his Nike endorsement, made him the first NBA player to become a billionaire with an estimated worth of more than R24 billion.
Gary Player (83)
Then
The legendary golfer has enjoyed as much success in retirement as he did when he was walking the greens. He has 165 tournament victories on six continents over six decades. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974.
Now
“Mr Fitness” as he’s referred to by his peers, went on to design more than 325 golf courses on five continents, as well as co-authoring 36 golf books. His business, Black Knight International, includes Gary Player Design and Player Real Estate which offers services including pub- lishing, wine, apparel and memorabilia.
He also owns Gary Player Stud, which breeds thoroughbred race horses. The legendary golfer’s Gary Player Foun- dation is focused on promoting education for the underprivileged around the world, and he hosts his own annual golf event, the Gary Player Invitational, which raises funds for charity.
George Foreman (70)
Then
The heavyweight champ competed in the ring from 1969 to 1977 and again from 1987 to 1997. In his heyday “Big George” won two world heavy weight champion titles and a gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico. His most famous bout was probably the Rumble in the Jungle against Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), where he lost to Ali.
Now
After hanging up his gloves he became an ordained minister, author and entrepreneur. He’s best known for the George Foreman Grill, which has sold over 100 million units worldwide. In 1999 he sold the naming rights to the grill for $138 million (then R849 million).
Doctor Khumalo (51)
Then
Theophilus “Doctor” Khumalo, or “16 V” as he is called by Kaizer Chiefs fans, was the definition of a box-to-box midfielder in his heyday. He represented the Glamour Boys between 1987 and 2004, where he made over 400 appearances (397 starts) and scored 75 goals. In the ’90s, he was part of the Chiefs team that won three league championship titles and five knockout trophies, and was voted South African footballer of the year in 1992. He represented Bafana Bafana on 50 occasions and was part of the title-winning 1996 Afcon squad.
Now
He turned to coaching after hanging up his boots in 2002, earning multiple coaching licenses and qualifications. He’s worked as head coach for Kaizer Chiefs’ under-17 team and was the assistant coach for former Chiefs managers Stuart Baxter and Steve Komphela. He also spent a season as technical director of Baroka. Doctor has also dabbled in acting and played himself in the 2010 movie Themba: A Boy Called Hope. He’s continued to secure endorsements deals with brands including Puma and Ford. The Ford deal is linked to his soccer development projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
