Famous people who were also footballers
John Paul II - Pope John Paul II was always a great football afficionado. A die-hard KS Kraków fan, he was the goalkeeper of his favorite team before becoming pope.
A great sportsman - Football was not the only sport practiced by Wojtyla (the name of John Paul). His other great passions were skiing, swimming and rowing.
Antonio Banderas - A broken leg kept the famous Hollywood actor and ex-husband of Melanie Griffith, Antonio Banderas, away from the football fields.
A bad injury - A fan of the Spanish team of Malaga, he played in many small clubs in his hometown but had to interrupt his dream of playing professionally because of a bad injury.
Sean Connery - As a teenager, the eternal secret agent James Bond was an excellent soccer player. He also defended the colors of Bonnyrigg Rose who contested Scotland's amateur divisions.
He turned down an audition - Reportedly, the great actor turned down an trial for Manchester United when he was discovered as a soccer talent during a match.
Julio Iglesias - Before becoming one of the biggest names in romantic music in the world, Julio Iglesias devoted himself to sports. He was even the goalkeeper for Real Madrid.
The serious accident put an end to his dream - Unfortunately, a terrible car accident put an end to his great dream of playing as the goalkeeper for his favorite team.
Gordon Ramsay - One of the world's greatest - or at least most cameragenic - chefs, Gordon Ramsay, began his life as an athlete at Oxford United, England, before moving on to Glasgow Rangers.
Successful chef and entrepreneur - A knee injury took him away from the field forever, but the accident opened the door to another successful path, as a chef, entrepreneur, and TV maker.
Luciano Pavarotti - In his youth, the legendary tenor tried his hand at sport as a goalkeeper in the youth academy of Modena, his hometown.
From footballer to teacher - He dropped out because his mother reportedly convinced him to take up teaching. In fact, he taught for about two years in an elementary school.
Rod Stewart - In the 60s, singer Rod Stewart had several professions. One of them was that of a football player.