FANS of Manchester City will remember Dutch international Nigel de Jong for his combative nature on the pitch.
The midfielder famously committed one of the worst fouls in a World Cup final ever to go unpunished when he launched a karate kick into the chest of Xabi Alonso.
De Jong racked up 137 appearances for City after arriving from AC Milan in 2012, winning a Premier League and an FA Cup during his time in Manchester.
With opposition midfielders letting out a shared sigh of relief when he retired from the game last year, it was interesting to see what his next move in the game would be.
The Dutchman has made sporadic appearances as a pundit for ITV, often during major international tournaments such as the Euros and World Cup.
And while he now works as the technical director of the Dutch national team, he still has a very nice side hustle which has been earning him money dating back to his early playing days.
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De Jong studied for an economics degree during his time in the youth set up at Ajax and has put it to good use ever since.
While playing for Hamburg in Germany, De Jong founded a luxury car business called Continental Cars in 2007.
De Jong made it his mission to only sell the finest cars in the world and stocks Bentleys, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, Aston Martins, and Rolls Royces.
During his playing days, he made the most of having access to a clientele of professional footballers and sourced cars for the likes of Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski.
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De Jong credits his business acumen to his grandfather, who was a managing director of Ford in Holland.
De Jong said: “My grandfather was one of the CEOs of Ford in Holland and I saw closely how he developed himself as a businessman.
“He was always on time, making sure payments were never late, paying attention to service and giving customers extra, always making sure the company and his family was stable.
“I looked up to him, and off the pitch, I wanted to be like him. I also think his professionalism is something I carried with me as a footballer too.”
He emphasised the importance of footballers investing in their education outside of football when he spoke to Joe, saying: “My mother always said ‘football is only part of your life, you have to develop yourself beyond that’ and I felt it was vital for me to do something for myself that wasn’t related to it.
“Besides being a professional player, I had the dream of owning a company and when I had the money and the expertise, I made it happen.
“God gave me the talent and the strength to become a football player, which gave me the financial resources and empowerment to improve in other areas.
“I think it’s so important for football players to be smart with what they do with their salaries, because it can become an investment or be gone before you know it.
“It is very tempting in our industry to live for now – to buy the expensive cars and live a flashy lifestyle – but you have to plan so you’re able to do that in future too.
“This is an education players should get from a very early age to help them deal with the money they’ll make.”
De Jong said not only does he deal with footballers wanting the most luxurious cars, but he has dealt with Middle Eastern Sheikhs that need motors sourced too.
He said to Voetbal International: “Of course many footballers know where to find us,” he said.
“But also business people, collectors, and we just have to work hard for it, it’s not that we’ve had success for ten years.
De Jong forms a business power couple with wife Winonah, 41.
Winonah runs her own fashion label named WINONAH which launched in 2015.
The former midfielder now invests in other businesses with high potential.
Speaking to Bundesliga.com he said: “Some people say footballers are thick and not bright enough to be entrepreneurs.
“But when I see that a company has potential, I move the borders and go all the way for it.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
