I was a lifeguard and personal trainer – now I’m scoring goals in Premier League and have even played at World Cup

KIEFFER MOORE has enjoyed a unique journey to being a Premier League star.

The Bournemouth striker once worked as a lifeguard and personal trainer on top of having an unusual spell in Norway.

Moore’s, 31, difficult rise to the top started when he was aged just 12 in the academy at Torquay.

The Devon-based side folded their academy and he was left without a club.

After bouncing around amateur sides on the south coast and working in a sweet shop and a restaurant as a teenager, Moore was then picked up by Truro City.

To make ends meet he continued to work as a lifeguard and personal trainer, waking up at 5am, working a full-day and then travelling two hours each way to make training.

Many would’ve struggled with the schedule but Moore never lacked belief he would one day score goals in the Prem.

He told The Telegraph: “It sounds stupid but it felt like it was my destiny.

“I always believed I would be a footballer from a very young age.

“I had to be there. It was meant for me to make it in football.”

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After impressing at Truro, he scored for fun at Dorchester Town and was snapped up by then Championship side Yeovil.

Moore was with the club as they tumbled down the divisions, eventually leaving as they were relegated from League One in 2015.

He then penned a one-year deal with Norwegian side Viking and failed to score while in Scandinavia.

The Welshman ended up going full circle and re-signing for Torquay in National League, admitting: “I was back to where I started in the blink of an eye.”

But being back closer to friends and family helped his career as he begun to climb the football pyramid again.

Moore was signed for £10,000 by Championship side Ipswich and was then loaned out to Rotherham in 2017.

The towering 6ft 5in striker scored 13 goals in 22 League One games and then 17 in 31 matches for Barnsley a year later.

His performances saw him earn a spot in the division’s team of the year and a subsequent move to Championship outfit Wigan.

But the Lactics were soon relegated after a points deduction.

However, he did enough to convince Cardiff to keep him in the second tier and he netted 25 times in 66 games.

Moore then became a mainstay in Wales’ starting XI as they qualified for the World Cup in Qatar.

He featured in all three games as the Dragons crashed out in the group stages.

On his return home, Moore signed for his 12th club Bournemouth in January 2022.

The £5million man swiftly made himself a fan’s favourite as he scored the goal to earn the club a draw against Nottingham Forest, which sealed their promotion to the Premier League.

Moore has played six games this season and scored one goal as he looks to improve on his tally of four last season.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk