Hector Bellerin already knows what he wants to once his playing career is over.
At 22, Bellerin still has a long career in football in front of him. However, that hasn’t stopped him from giving some thought about his future.
The right-back recently gained a diploma in marketing from the University of Pennsylvania and is considering opening his own marking agency.
“I’ve known people who have had football taken away from them and have found it hard to know their purpose in life. It’s important to me to have clear things in my mind, even at such a young age, because you never know what could happen with injuries.
“It’s not just with age. A friend of mine had to stop football because of a cardiac arrest when he was really, really young. These things happen in football, so you always have to be ready for it.
“Hopefully, if God wants me to finish my career in my later years, I will have all these years to keep learning other things and have the clarity in my head of knowing what to do.”
Many footballers either dedicate themselves entirely to the sport or have nothing else going for them. Upon retirement, they can struggle to find something to do with their lives.
Many end up going back into the game as scouts or coaches, while a good number of English players wind up as pundits.
It’s just as well that Bellerin has a marketing degree. He’ll need all his knowledge to make his choice of hairstyles and clothing look good. That aside, we hope that Bellerin is committing plenty of time to improving himself on the pitch.
He hasn’t been at his best in some time, nor is he flourishing in the wing-back role as much as people might have expected, in my opinion.
Bellerin has featured in every Premier League game for Arsenal this season, and also has a single appearance in the Europa League.