FORMER Premier League star Stephane Guivarc’h has swapped grassy pitches for water as he is now a swimming pool salesman.
The Frenchman played for Newcastle and won a World Cup during his career.
The Magpies bought the striker for £3.6million in 1998 after he won the World Cup but he ultimately failed at St James’ Park despite scoring on his debut against Liverpool.
Guivarc’h, 53, arrived at Newcastle with an impressive goalscoring record in France but could not replicate it in England.
He was sold just months later to Scottish giants Rangers for £3.5m, where he spent one year before returning to France to see out his career.
Since retiring in 2002, Guivarc’h has drastically switched his career as he entered the leisure business as a swimming pool salesman at a friend’s company.
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Unlike many former footballers, the retired striker is happy not to have spent much time in front of the camera and is happy with his “balanced life”.
He told RMC: “I have been in the swimming pool business for 17 years. The boss of the company is a friend of mine.
“It started off because the business was a plumbing firm that was doing work on my house.
“My friend then told me he was planning to create a swimming pools division, and that he was looking for a sales rep.
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“As I was unemployed at the time I told him I’d give him a hand – and 17 years later on I am still working with him.
“I am out on the road all day, things are going very well and I am back home in the evenings.
“I lead a balanced life. I don’t need to constantly seek to be in front of a camera or a microphone in order to exist.”
However, just because he is selling swimming pools doesn’t mean he does not get recognised by French football fans.
Occasionally he will be spotted and will end up speaking to clients about football for even longer than the swimming pool.
Speaking to The Times, he said: “The first time I meet a customer, if they’re a football fan, it’s not uncommon to spend half an hour talking about swimming pools and an hour talking football.
“It’s nice, it allows you to connect with somebody’s passion rather than just talking pools, pools, pools. They like to share a moment.
“But it’s also a professional relationship. You don’t win every deal, there’s a competitive aspect there too.”
With the swimming pool business being based in the village of Concarneau in Brittany, France there is a very common topic that comes to mind.
He added: “The ’98 finals had a huge impact, as they were the first time France won the World Cup.”
Guivarc’h’s fame from the tournament even sees him be called up by fans with his phone number available on the business’ website.
He added: “My mobile number is on the company’s website, and fans still phone me up to sing the France World Cup anthem I Will Survive.”
Guivarc’h has previously admitted that he could have stayed in football.
After retiring he was the sporting director at Guingamp for six months but left the club after a fallout with the president.
He said: “My mum then died, and I looked after my dad while I had my house built.
“My childhood friend – who is now my boss – was fitting a water tank one day when I jokingly told him I could be a salesman for his swimming pool firm.
“That put a flea in his ear. He phoned me later on, we spoke the next day and I’ve now been with his company since.”
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Guivarc’h left Rangers having helped the club win a Scottish double with the league and cup titles.
He rejoined his former side Auxerre where he spent the next two years of his career.
It was his third spell with the club having played there twice either side of a spell at Rennes before joining Newcastle.
He played 60 games in the French league scoring 25 goals before leaving in 2001.
In the last year of his professional career, he was at Guingamp, but he only featured 11 times, scoring one goal.
Guivarc’h played 14 times for France scoring one goal which came in a friendly game against South Africa in 1997.
He was selected for the World Cup squad in France’s home tournament in 1998, and played in all six games of the tournament.
He was awarded with a Knight of the Legion of Honour – the highest order of merit in France – following the victory.
Former France midfielder Michel Platini later claimed that the final was a fix to make sure that the team would not face Brazil until the final of the competition.
Platini successfully got a change in the rules keeping France and Brazil separated until the final, having been named co-president of the World Cup Organising Committee in 1992.
Platini added: “If we finished first in the group and Brazil finished first, we could not meet before the final.
“We did not work until we were bored for six years to organise the World Cup not to do some little shenanigans.
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“When you are at home, you want to be able to enjoy things.
“You think the others do not do it for their World Cups? France against Brazil in the final, that was the dream of everyone.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
