FOR many footballers life would not get much better than scoring in front of a packed-out Old Trafford.
However, for ex-Tottenham and Norwich star Paul McVeigh, it was simply one chapter of his stunning life.
McVeigh, 46, appeared in 20 Premier League matches and scored against Manchester United at Old Trafford for the Canaries in a 2-1 defeat in 2004.
He describes himself as the “luckiest guy in the world”, but not for his 14-year football career which included more than 240 games for Norwich.
Instead, it is his career after hanging up his boots which has left him feeling this way.
McVeigh has transitioned from whipping crosses into the box from the left wing to whipping up people through motivational speaking.
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The Belfast-born Northern Irishman started preparing for life after football in his 20s and now has a Master’s degree in sports psychology.
Having been given his big break in football by then Tottenham owner Alan Sugar, McVeigh now delivers keynote speeches all around the world to the likes of Barclays and PWC on performance psychology.
Speaking to The Mirror, McVeigh said: “At 16 Alan Sugar started paying me some money to play football. I did that for nearly 20 years.
“Now some other big organisations pay me money to talk about what I did on the pitch. I’ve done that for 15 years and it’s like, ‘Pinch me’.”
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The Mirror claims McVeigh earns a cool £15,000 per hour delivering these speeches, including recent speeches where he shared a Las Vegas stage with titans of American football and a weekend in the Middle East.
He explained: “What I talk about is how to get the most out of yourself, the criteria that allows you to do it, and it always comes back to mentality and psychology.”
However, McVeigh could have had a remarkably different post-career pathway if he had paid more heed to the “terrible” advice some of the old guard, including Teddy Sheringham, gave him at Tottenham.
Sheringham was joined by the likes of Gary Mabbutt, Darren Anderton and Nicky Barmby in offering cautionary advice about post-playing prospects.
McVeigh recalls: “They would say things like, ‘Play as long as you can, wee man’ or ‘These are the best days of your life.’
“They were inferring the rest of my life was downhill. I’m never going to be as happy, never going to make as much money, never going to be as successful.”
of course, this was not the case, and McVeigh insists his current job is the best buzz of his life.
He added: “I still get a massive buzz from doing it.
“It’s the best rush I’ve gotten in my entire professional life.”
However, he is not nescient to some of his former colleague’s difficulties when hanging up their boots, but McVeigh also does not believe football stars should not be given special treatment.
He explained: “I’m empathetic. But why are we special? We’re not.
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“We might be good at football but why should we get special treatment?”
To that end, McVeigh has launched a leadership programme which lists Harry Kane, Yaya Toure and Mo Farah among more than 50 potential speakers.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
