Premier League Players Who Work In Construction

These Premier League players started a new life in a very different field.

The Premier League has come to an end for another year and Arsenal stand victorious. While the Summer transfer window is soon to open up, many players will be speculating on their future, based on this season’s performance. 

What many of them will not be considering is a complete career change. However, football can be an unpredictable sport that has led many players to new horizons. These Premier League players eventually ended up in the construction industry!

Danny Drinkwater

Danny Drinkwater will be a familiar name for Leicester fans, having helped the club win the Premier League back in 2016. But after leaving Chelsea in 2022, Danny decided to retire and turn his attention elsewhere. 

The footballer now acts as a director for DD Property Development and works on-site in a massive change from his former life. Preferring the hard graft, Drinkwater is thoroughly enjoying his new role in a hands-on industry. 

Sam Ricketts

Having made 103 appearances for Swansea City, 93 Premier League appearances for clubs like Hull and Bolton Wanderers and having garnered 52 caps for his country, Sam Ricketts was a notable name in Welsh football. 

After briefly dabbling in other fields, including a managerial stint at Wrexham, Ricketts decided to retire from football altogether and now sells construction materials. From 2020, he has owned a builder's merchant, which allows him to work closer to home. 

Lee Roche

Stints at Wrexham and Burnley might be career highlights for Lee Roche, but it's his one appearance for Man United in the Premier League that he is perhaps most famous for. However, Roche fell out of love with the game and decided to retire at just 27. 

Roche now works as a plumber and cavity wall remover. Although he occasionally dips his toe back into the football world, for the most part, he seems content with the new life he has built. 

Matthew Briggs

Matthew Briggs was once the youngest player to ever appear in the Premier League, at just 16. He spent time in Peterborough, Watford, Bristol and Fulham, making 13 league appearances with the latter team. 

However, after facing multiple injuries and career setbacks, Briggs took a pause and worked in construction to help make ends meet. While he would eventually return to football, Briggs was briefly a labourer and bricklayer.