MAT SADLER played alongside Wayne Rooney for England before later launching a property investment business and becoming a manager.
The former defender was a part of England’s squad for the under-17 Euros in 2002, featuring in a team starring player of the tournament Rooney.
England finished third overall in Denmark, with Rooney the only member of the team to go on and win a senior cap for the Three Lions.
As for Sadler, who was at Birmingham at the time, he won caps at under-18 and under-19 level as well as playing 15 times in the Premier League.
The 38-year-old also had spells with Watford, Shrewsbury and Crawley before retiring last summer after three years at Walsall.
It was during his time at Shrewsbury, though, that Sadler started preparing for life after football.
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Sadler co-founded a property investment company in 2017, forming Sadler & Partridge alongside his business partner, Paul Partridge.
The firm was designed to help investors with their buy-to-let needs.
Speaking to the Solihull Observer at the time, Sadler explained: “As a footballer you get approached by so many investment companies and the majority seem to offer very little transparency.
“That gives the property industry a bad name which, a lot of the time, it doesn’t deserve.
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“The whole idea of Sadler & Partridge is that we want to help as many people as possible take financial control by investing in property.
“It can be daunting and it’s a huge thing to do but we treat each investment as our own and take so much care to make sure everything is clear and comfortable.”
Sadler & Partridge remain in business six years on and have since expanded to provide sales, lettings and property management.
Alongside his business, Sadler has also moved into coaching, starting whilst still playing for Walsall in 2020.
He worked as a youth coach, assistant manager, first-team coach and caretaker boss at the Bescot Stadium before being appointed manager back in May.
Sadler has since won three of his nine matches in the dugout, with Walsall currently ninth in League Two.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
