5 Famous Footballers With Unusual Hobbies

When we talk about football players such as Andrea Pirlo, Peter Cech and others we instantly think of them as people who dedicate all of their time to football, which is true to some degree, however just like all other people, even they have their own hobbies. From playing an instrument to being a tattoo artist, and even making their own wine, we will check 5 footballers with unusual hobbies.

Peter Cech – Drums

Peter Cech, the legendary goalkeeper who has left a huge mark in the football world, being considered one of the best goalkeepers in his prime, Cech has quite an unusual hobby which might come off as a surprise for some people. If we type his name in YouTube and scroll through all the highlights he has accumulated in his career, we will come across a video of him drumming to numerous songs by numerous artists. He even has his own channel where we can find a nice collection of videos of him drumming.

While it’s a hobby, Cech claimed drumming made him a better goalkeeper by practising hand-eye coordination.

Les Ferdinand – Pilot

Another legend in the world of football, the retired English striker, Les Ferdinand has quite an unusual hobby. Some people collect stamps, others hike for a hobby. Les Ferdinand, however, switched numerous hobbies, as he claimed none kept him entertained. After trying out countless hobbies, Les Ferdinand finally found one which would keep him entertained. And that is flying a helicopter. Being a pilot is quite an unusual hobby, but it would be hard to argue it isn’t. Nonetheless, he stated being a pilot is what he enjoys. In his words:

“It’s a real release. When you’re up there, you can completely disappear for a couple of hours – nobody bothers you. I’m not a big drinker and I don’t spend my money down at the bookies, but I do like to spoil myself from time to time and this is my indulgence.”

Nolberto Solano – Trumpet

Nolberto Solano, the Newcastle hero who retired in 2012 was not only an excellent midfielder but also an exceptional trumpet player. While his hobby is nowhere near as interesting as Les Ferdinand’s, Nolberto Solano does play in his own salsa band. While I have never heard him play, nor do I have enough knowledge about trumpets to say if Solano is good or not, we can be sure the Peru international does have a lot of experience with the instrument, which he started learning from a young age.

“I started playing when I was at school in Peru,” he recalled in 2005. “After studies each day, I’d play in the school band. Initially, I wanted to play the saxophone but they only had a trumpet so I played that instead and now I seem to be stuck with it!”

Daniel Agger – Tattoo Artist

The Danish centre-back who has made a name for himself while playing for Liverpool from 2006 till 2014 and suffered a premature career finish due to painkillers does have a hobby which I do find quite intriguing. While he was known for his tattoos, almost no one knew most of them were made by himself. Back home in Marbella, the now-retired Agger runs his own tattoo shop, which he opened with the money saved. In 2013 he also put a lot of money into company KloAgger, which manages sewage in Denmark, however, that is a story for another time.

Anybody fancy a tattoo? must be about 10 years ago!:))) pic.twitter.com/ynXDIOYMoW

— Daniel Agger (@DanielAgger) January 29, 2014

Andrea Pirlo – Winemaker

One of the best football players that ever lived, Andrea Pirlo has a hobby which… well to put it simply it suits him. As we could expect from an Italian player, Pirlo’s hobby is winemaking.

When I first heard about it, I could easily imagine Pirlo being a winemaker. He was always a classy footballer, on and off the pitch, which is why it should not come off as a surprise he decided to have quite a sophisticated hobby alongside his football career.

Pirlo does own his own vineyard in northern Italy where he makes and sells his own wine. He has stated that his love for winemaking came from his grandmother, who owned a vineyard where Pirlo as a young boy would help with the harvest. When asked about his hobby, Pirlo said:

“I’ve always drunk wine, ever since I was little and my mother mixed a little of it with water for me. I like to read about wine, to understand it, to try wines from other regions, other labels.”