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    I’m a former Chelsea star who became a Match of the Day pundit – but I quit it all to become a pastor

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    FORMER Premier League star and pundit Gavin Peacock now works as a pastor.The 56-year-old played for the likes of Queens Park Rangers, Bournemouth, Newcastle and Chelsea.Gavin Peacock used to play for Chelsea and NewcastleCredit: Phil Shephard-Lewis – The TimesHe is now a pastor in CanadaCredit: Phil Shephard-Lewis – The TimesPeacock hung up his boots at the end of his third spell at QPR in 2002 and landed a job as a pundit for the BBC.He appeared on Match of the Day, Radio 5 Live, presented a Football Focus feature on religion in the game and even hosted an episode of Songs of Praise.But after Euro 2008 punditry duties, he quit it all to follow his dream of becoming a pastor.Peacock was a devout Christian during his playing days and was interested in leading a church after studying theology on the side of his media work.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLTherefore, the ex-midfielder packed his bags and moved to Canada to undergo a masters course in divinity at Ambrose Seminary.He now lives in Calgary and is a pastor in the area.Peacock said in an interview with QPR: “I have always spoken about my faith in Jesus Christ but never sensed a call to full-time ministry until six years ago.”This call was affirmed by the church and I began to preach. It was then that I felt compelled to pursue vocational ministry. Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS”I had been working for the BBC on Match of the Day and Football Focus as well as being sent to World Cups.”It was all going very well. So when I gave everything up, it did surprise a number of people. Ex-Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas refers to himself in third-person 6 times and says ‘my name is great’ in weird speech”It’s been the hardest few years of my life – but coming away from the UK has given me some anonymity. “Here in Canada, they consider me a preacher, not a footballer or pundit.”Peacock played 105 times for Newcastle, scoring 16 goals in the 1991/92 season and winning their Player of the Year award.He was then signed by Chelsea for £1.5m and was the Blues’ top scorer in the 1993/94 campaign as they made the FA Cup final, losing to Manchester United.Gavin Peacock was Chelsea’s top scorer in the 1993/94 seasonCredit: Richard Pelham More

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      I earned millions in the Premier League and was Thierry Henry’s ‘toughest opponent’ – but I quit and now I’m a pastor

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      A FORMER Premier League star now works as pastor in Nigeria.Taribo West was a tough tacking defender that stood out on the pitch thanks to his unique hairstyles.
      Taribo West used to play for AC and Inter MilanCredit: AFP
      The Nigerian defender now works as a pastorCredit: AFP
      West was named as one of Thierry Henry’s toughest opponentsCredit: Getty
      The left-back was one of the best around in the late 1990s, winning the Ligue 1 title with Auxerre in 1996.
      He then went on to play for both AC and Inter Milan before turning up for a spell in the Premier League with Derby in 2000.
      Not many got the better of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, but West was someone he hated playing against.
      The Frenchman previously revealed that he was one of the toughest opponents he ever faced.
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      Henry said: “At Auxerre they did man-marking. He followed you everywhere, even in the dressing room.”
      But West now follows God rather than the best attackers in the world.
      The 49-year-old is a Christian and claims he used lucky charms throughout his time as a footballer.
      After retirement, he says rather than going head-to-head against a winger, he met God “one-on-one” and was convinced his purpose was religion.
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      West founded a church in Lagos in 2014 and now works as a pastor.
      On his career change, he said: “Why would I switch from being a footballer to becoming a pastor? I saw God one-on-one. That’s where my transition started; From the field to the pulpit.
      “We were celebrating. In the middle of that, a woman stumbled into me and said: ‘Sir, please may I know your name?’
      “I said: ‘I am Mr No Name’. She said: ‘May I know where you live?’ I said: ‘I live nowhere.’ She left with annoyance.
      “In the twinkle of an eye, I just heard an audible voice and it came like a slap. It said: ‘Switch, turn.’ I turned.
      “It said: ‘Look at the woman. Look for her now and call that woman and apologise to her. I said that to you.’
      “That can only be a voice from God.
      “So I switched, like a Robocop, I start searching for the woman, and when this sister came all the way from America, she told me a lot of prophecies.
      “And she told me in the next one or two years; I would open a church. All the prophecies she gave me came to pass.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Before finding God, football was his savoir, admitting he would’ve become “one of the bad boys in town” after an abusive childhood had it not been for the beautiful game.
      The Olympic gold medal winner in 1996 is now determined to help young people in Nigeria as a coach and through religion. More

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      in Soccer

      I used to play for Man Utd before becoming a priest – football and religion have a lot in common

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      A FORMER Manchester United footballer swapped Fergie for the clergy – and warned fans not to turn supporting their team into a religion. The Northern Irishman, now 44, spent seven years at Old Trafford, coming through the academy to make a handful of first-team appearances under Sir Alex Ferguson.
      This former Manchester United player is now a Roman Catholic priestCredit: Inpho – For The Times
      He was ordained in 2017 and now serves in CorkCredit: Collect
      He made his debut in October 1997 but struggled for game time due to the abundant quality up front and in midfield.
      His only Premier League appearance for the club came on the final day of the 1997-98 season as United beat Barnsley to finish second behind Arsenal.
      The player joined Norwich in 1999 but just as his first-team career was finally taking off, he suffered a broken leg.
      However, the 27-cap Green and White Army international battled back and was a key part of the promotion-winning side in 2003-04.
      READ MORE ON MAN UTD
      He went on to have spells with Cardiff and Leyton Orient before retiring in 2009 aged 31 after a short stint at King’s Lynn.
      And rather than taking the traditional route into coaching, the footballer stepped away from the game altogether and trained to be a Roman Catholic priest.
      He once earned £600,000 per year as a pro player but revealed he got “bored” of “the money, the cars, the nightclubs and the attention of women”.
      The mystery footballer who traded the pitch for the pulpit is Philip Mulryne – or to give him his full title, the Reverend Father Philip Mulryne.
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      Fr Mulryne, who grew up in West Belfast, was ordained a priest for the Dominican Order in 2017 and is currently based at St. Mary’s Priory Church in Cork.
      Speaking in 2021, he said that sport was a “wonderful vehicle for teaching great virtues” but should be kept in perspective and not treated as a religion despite some crossover.
      Fr Mulryne added: “Even the word religion comes from the Latin Religare – to bind, to rebind yourself.
      “That’s what we are doing when we practice our religion towards God. We bind ourselves to God and Him to us.

      “In a sense, people bind themselves together into a particular club and so it is a form of worship in some way.”
      Peter Crouch played alongside Mulryne on loan at Norwich as they helped the Canaries into the Premier League and recalled enjoying a fair few nights out with the former Red Devils prodigy.
      Maybe it was hanging out with me in those giddy months that convinced him he needed a fresh directionPeter Crouch on Philip Mulryne
      The BT Sport pundit wrote in his new book How to Be an Ex-Footballer: “I’m pleased for Phil.
      “As we qualified for the Champions League, and unleashed a hell called Gareth Bale upon Maicon, Phil was moving to the Pontifical Irish College in Rome and studying theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
      “Not once did he ever talk about religion to me. Looking back, maybe I should have asked him.
      “Maybe — and this is a possibility I don’t like to entertain — it was hanging out with me in those giddy months that convinced him he needed a fresh direction in his life.”
      Read More on The Sun
      Mulryne is not the first Premier League footballer to take on a role within the church after hanging up their boots.
      Ex-Chelsea and Newcastle man Gavin Peacock relocated to Canada in 2008 to study theology and is now a pastor at Calvary Grace Church in Calgary.
      Philip Mulryne made one Premier League appearance for the Red DevilsCredit: PA:Press Association
      Fr Mulryne went through training after retiring aged 31Credit: PA:Press Association More