The FIFA World Cup is a global competition where national soccer teams compete for the trophy. This year, the event takes place between November and December 2022. Over 4 weeks and 64 matches, 32 teams will compete at 8 venues in Qatar.
Soccer superstars from around the globe will be showcasing their incredible skill to over 200,000 live spectators and billions more fans who will be tuning in to watch on television.
Ever wondered what some of your favorite soccer players would be getting up to if they weren’t playing the beautiful game? We profile 10 players who have the attributes for another career, or who’ve actually had another job before playing full-time.
Kylian Mbappé
Age: 23
Position: Forward
Team: France
Potential future career: Zookeeper
Potential salary: $92,902
Kylian Mbappé made his mark in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, becoming the youngest French player to score at the tournament, and only the second-ever teenager, after Pelé, to get a goal in a world cup final.
There’s no doubt that he will be a player to watch in Qatar.
At just 23, and with an estimated net worth of over $150 million let’s face it, he never has to work again. But as the official “godfather” of twin pandas born in a French zoo last year, perhaps a career as a zookeeper is for him.
It would be a job where he has to get his hands dirty – preparing food, keeping things clean, and looking after the animals’ health. It’s hard work for a below-national-average salary.
Are you interested in a career with exotic animals? Check out our latest zoo roles here.
Virgil van Dijk
Age: 31
Position: Defence
Team: The Netherlands
Previous career: Cleaner
Potential salary: $64,072
He’s soccer’s most expensive defender. Unlike many of his peers who signed into training contracts from an early age, van Dijk started his career cleaning dirty dishes at a restaurant near his hometown in the Netherlands.
At a club level, he moved around before finding his groove at Liverpool United in the UK, his team for the last five years. Now earning over $250,000 weekly as the Netherland’s captain, he’s a long way away from his €4-an-hour (about $4) dishwashing role at 17.
With over a third of cleaning jobs currently advertised as part-time, it’s easy to see how a teenage van Dijk managed to squeeze in his job around school and training.
If you’re interested in a flexible cleaning role, you can find nearly 2 million cleaning jobs here.
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Cristiano Ronaldo
Age: 37
Position: Forward
Team: Portugal
Potential future career: Sculptor
Potential salary: $59,163
Record-breaking Ronaldo is the all-time top international goal scorer, and will undoubtedly be adding to his goal-scoring figures during this tournament. The star will be 41, at the next World Cup, so this could be the last time we see him perform in this tournament.
Worth a whopping $500 million, Ronaldo is widely considered one of the most successful soccer players of all time.
We can’t see him switching careers, but we’d love to see him give his notorious airport sculpture a go!
As an artist, he could expect to take home around $60k, substantially less than he makes in a day!
Ready to give Ronaldo’s viral bust its second rework? Check out the artist jobs we currently have available here.
A year ago today, Emanuel Santos’ Cristiano Ronaldo bust was unveiled. The world laughed at him.
We challenged him to try again. He accepted. pic.twitter.com/TLV1iJv1MN
— B/R soccer (@brsoccer) March 29, 2018
Lionel Messi
Age: 35
Position: Forward
Team: Argentina
Potential future career: Manufacture
Potential salary: $59,223
It’s impossible to refer to Christiano Ronaldo without also looking at Lionel Messi, his longtime rival. Both international forwards have achieved incredible success and are regularly compared.
In the last 17 years, Messi has been Argentine Soccer Player of the Year 14 times, and it’s no wonder with Messi captaining the international team for over 160 matches.
Messi grew up in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina, with both of his parents working in the manufacturing industry.
If Messi were to go into the family business, he could expect a low salary for long hours in a US factory.
We have hundreds of thousands of manufacturing roles available across the US, you can explore them here.
Jamie Vardy
Age: 35
Position: Striker
Team: England
Previous career: Factory Worker
Potential salary: $59,714
England striker Vardy retired from international soccer in 2018 but didn’t completely shut the door on it. So time will tell if he makes a comeback.
A late bloomer in soccer terms, Vardy was dropped by the youth system at Sheffield Wednesday at 16 so he had to move up through the English and National league teams (something fans of Ryan Reynolds may be aware of).
This meant that Vardy had to work alongside training and playing until he earned a full-time wage.
Specifically, he worked as a Carbon fibre medical splint factory worker, making prosthetic limbs. In the UK, Vardy’s wife has become the subject of a lot of media attention as she and another soccer wife took each other to court, something that’s been dubbed the WAGatha Christie trial.
If you’re interested in factory roles you can find our latest roles here.
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Neymar
Age: 30
Position: Forward
Team: Brazil
Potential future career: Music Producer
Potential salary: $107,462
Neymar is one of the most legendary Brazilian soccer players of this generation. He’s scored over 400 career goals at both a club and international level.
Like Mbappé and Messi, he’s also based at Paris Saint-Germain in Frnace and has been since 2017.
As well as being an exceptional soccer player he’s also a champion of Brazilian modern pop music, particularly Música sertaneja. He’s made cameos in music videos, been the star of viral videos, and showcased his dancing skills at goal celebrations.
Regularly spotted with Brazilian music stars, we think Neymar could make an easy transition into music production.
As passionate as Neymar about music? We’ve got thousands of music jobs ready and waiting for you here.
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Carlos Bacca
Age: 36
Position: Striker
Team: Colombia
Previous career: Bus driver
Potential salary: $36,578
Bacca was last on the Columbia squad in 2018 and won’t be returning in 2022. However, it seems a shame to miss him off this list.
Growing up in a small rural town in Colombia, Bacca needed to work. And he didn’t even just have one job, he had quite a few! From selling fish in his home village to working as a part-time bus conductor on a small local route, there’s no denying that Bacca has worked hard to get where he is today.
It’s been estimated that his net worth is now over $35 million, an incredible rise to fame!
If you’re interested in getting behind the wheel and exploring a career as a bus driver you can explore the latest jobs here.
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Luka Modrić
Age: 37
Position: Midfield
Team: Croatia
Previous career: Farming
Potential salary: $48,508
During the last World Cup in 2018, Modrić was named player of the tournament. But life hasn’t always been easy for the star midfielder.
Born in the hamlet of Modrići, where he spent much of his early years shepherding, his childhood coincided with the Croatian War of Independence. After his grandfather was executed, his family fled, becoming refugees for many years.
Had the war not displaced Modrić’s family, he could have continued shepherding. For farm work, he could expect to earn an average salary of $48,508
Given his success as a soccer player though, we think he found the right career for him!
Does a career in farming sound pretty perfect? Check out our latest farming roles here.
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Alphonso Davies
Age: 21
Position: Winger
Team: Canada
Potential future career: Film production
Potential salary: $29,888
Like Modrić, Alphonso Davies’ spent much of his formative years as a refugee. Davies was born to Liberian parents in a refugee camp in Ghana.
The family moved to Canada in 2005, and in 2017 Davies received his Canadian citizenship at the age of 16.
Proud of his story, Davies is the first soccer player and the first Canadian to become an ambassador for the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR. He is also the subject of a short film, “Becoming Canadian” that reflects on his journey to citizenship.
2022 is the first time Canada’s team has qualified for the World Cup since 1986, so soccer fans are excited to see Davies perform.
Interested in exploring a career in film production, bringing real-life stories to life? Then we have a range of film production roles on our site here.
Son Heung-min
Age: 30
Position: Forward
Team: South Korea
Potential future career: Translator
Potential salary: $82,673
Son Heung-min plays for Tottenham Hotspur in London and captains South Korea’s national team. As well as being one of the best players in the world, he is often cited as the greatest Asian soccer player of all time.
So determined to be successful in Europe, Son learned English and German and is fluent in both. His German skills were apparently down to watching episodes of SpongeBob SquarePants.
Translation is a skill in demand, and translator roles can be very lucrative. If you’re fluent in more than one language like Son, you could expect an average salary of over $80k!
You can check out our latest translation roles here.
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We can’t promise that many roles will be as lucrative as a career in soccer, but we can promise insights into what a career might look like. Ready to look for your next role? Check out our latest jobs here.