Tottenham goalkeeper and Europa League winner Alfie Whiteman quits football at 27 to pursue photography

Alfie Whiteman, a Tottenham Hotspur Europa League winner, quietly retired from professional football over the summer at the age of 27 to pursue a career in photography. The former goalkeeper walked away with a winner's medal from Spurs' victory over Manchester United in Bilbao in May. However, Whiteman found himself dropping further down the pecking order at his boyhood club, often being the third, fourth, or even fifth choice between the sticks. With his chances of playing for the club he loved, he lived just two minutes from the stadiumlooking low, he channeled his energy into other passions, including acting classes, hosting a radio show, and developing his skills as a photographer.  The star, who joined Spurs when he was 10 years old, left the club as a free agent in the summer with only a single senior appearance to his namea second-half substitute role in the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2021. He had transfer interest from clubs as high as the Championship, where he was offered a six-month contract to be a No. 2, and also had a trial at a League One side that ultimately couldn't offer a deal due to financial issues. But rather than trying to forge a career in the EFL, Whiteman chose to hang up his gloves. That decision, made just months after Spurs glorious night in Spain, has sparked an incredibly unique career switch. Whiteman has since signed as a photographer to Somesuch, a global production company with offices in London and Los Angeles. Somesuch notably produced Aneil Karias The Long Goodbye, which won the 2022 Oscar for Best Live Action Short. Speaking to The Athletic (via The Sun) about his decision, Whiteman explained his early disillusionment with the sport: I signed for Spurs at 10 years old. Then I left school at 16 and went straight into this full-time life of football. When I was around 17 or 18, living in digs, I just had this feeling inside of, Is this it? Getting on the mini bus, going to training, doing the Sports Science BTEC (he also did an A Level in Economics) and going home to play video games. I realised, Oh, Im not happy here from quite a young age," he admitted. He described the insular nature of the football world, noting: "The stereotype of a footballer is generally quite true. Its the golf, washbag culture. I was that young footballer.  I wanted the Gucci washbag and I drove the Mercedes. You all just become a reflection of each other. Youre a product of your environment. Its the way football is in this country; its so shut off from anything else. You go to training and then you go home, thats it. Whiteman felt he didn't quite fit in. I guess I always felt a little bit different. My team-mates who I got on well with called me a hippie. That was their definition."  Meeting his ex-girlfriend, a model, and her friend, a director, changed his perspective: It just started opening my eyes to what life has to offer. So as I was getting a bit older around 18 or 19, I started meeting new people and realising a bit more about myself, and understanding the football bubble, because its so insular. The post Tottenham goalkeeper and Europa League winnerAlfie Whiteman quits football at 27 to pursue photography appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.