ONE OF the first Belgian stars to grace the Premier League embarked on a very different career as a GREENGROCER after retirement.
The 56-year-old is now back on TV screens in his homeland as a TV pundit and may be in action to cover Belgium’s clash away to England at Wembley on Tuesday.
Philippe Albert is still fondly remembered on these shores after hitting the big time in the 1990s.
He caught the eye after his outstanding performance for Belgium at the 1994 World Cup, where he scored crucial goals against Germany and the Netherlands.
Albert left Anderlecht to sign for Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United after turning down transfers to Italian sides Juventus and Fiorentina.
He also revealed that he was a huge fan of Keegan from his Liverpool days and it was a dream come true for him to play under his hero.
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And Albert loved being part of Keegan’s attack-minded team – who were dubbed The Entertainers.
Despite being a centre-half, he would often be found loitering on the edge of the opposition’s box.
However, he hadn’t even made it that far up the pitch when his most famous and magical moment occurred for the Magpies.
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It was a scintillating day in October 1996 when Manchester United were in the North East.
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Newcastle smashed Sir Alex Ferguson’s side and were 4-0 up thanks to goals from Darren Peacock, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer when Albert wanted in on the action.
With only seven minutes left, the towering defender picked up the ball 45 yards out, ran forward 10, and chipped it straight over Peter Schmeichel in the United goal to send the Toon Army wild.
Unfortunately for Albert he left Newcastle once Ruud Gullit had taken over in 1998 to reunite with Keegan at Fulham on loan.
Eventually, he was sold back to Belgium when Charleroi paid £600,000 for him in 1999 and he hung up his boots the following season after a great career that also saw him capped 41 times by his country, with him scoring five times.
But rather than embark on a career in coaching, the 6ft 3in ace gave up the beautiful game to start life as a greengrocer back home.
Albert told the Guardian: “I would prepare the produce for customers.
“I did for 11 years and I didn’t touch the money I earned as a footballer. Up early, finishing late, that’s what I wanted: a normal life. I’m very proud of it.
“Otherwise when you stop football, you do nothing. You have no life.”
Albert worked as a greengrocer until 2012, when he became a full-time pundit for Belgian TV.
He explained to FourFourTwo: “For 11 years, before moving into television, I wanted to experience the real world.
“I enjoyed life, going about my business each day just like everybody else. And I love eating spinach, to stay strong, and apples.”
Albert is still best remembered for THAT goal against United, and he told the Newcastle Chronicle: “Remember Peter Schmeichel was one of the best keepers in the world.
“He used to come off his line a lot. He did it to reduce the angles of attackers.
“It was something special for me, I saw him come off his line and I just thought: ‘Why not?’
“It was Man United and Schmeichel, and I knew if it came off people would be talking about it for years. If it didn’t work it was 4-0 anyway.
“That’s why I tried something you’d consider very special for a defender.
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“Technically it’s very difficult to score a goal like this – especially for a defender.
“I was lucky to score that type of goal.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
