Unrecognisable ex-Prem star ‘the Backflip King’ now working as smartly-dressed librarian
Julius Aghahowa was once crowned as football’s backflip king – but after tumbling in retirement he’s set up shop as a librarian in Kempston, Bedfordshire.
You might not recognise Julius Aghahowa these days – especially as he’s no longer upside down.
The former Premier League star, who turned 42-years-old earlier this week, backflipped his way into the hearts of football fans after his famous celebration against Sweden in the 2002 World Cup.
Even Max Whitlock would have looked on in envy as Aghahowa darted to the corner of the pitch and performed seven back-flips, after heading the Super Eagles into a 1-0 lead against the Swedes.
However, the former Wigan Athletic star, who made 14 Premier League appearances for the Latics, is now an assistant librarian in Kempston, Bedfordshire.
His new career path is a fascinating contrast to a footballing career as dizzying, exciting, and unpredictable as his formidable celebration.
Shortly after bringing his football days to a close, Aghahowa got himself on the sleeper train to Falmouth University. His creative juices were redirected to a degree in Art and Textiles at Falmouth, which was then known as the University College of Falmouth.
While the former striker has almost flipped off the footballing radar, his last known venture was as an assistant librarian in a Bedfordshire-based library.
Aghahowa’s reputation is firmly rooted in his two spells at Shakhtar Donetsk. The Nigerian contributed a very impressive 45 goals and seven assists in 154 appearances for the Ukrainian giants, including two goals in eleven Champions League appearances.
It was there he attracted the attention of Wigan Athletic, who quickly snapped up the opportunity to bring him to Greater Manchester in the 2007 January transfer window.
While stories and reminiscent memories of his iconic celebration injected extra excitement and anticipation, the DW stadium rarely saw his iconic signature move.
He only managed to contribute one assist in 20 Premier League appearances for the Latics.
After one and a half seasons with Wigan, he was moved on to Turkish giants Kayserispor, before eventually returning to Shakhtar for a second spell with the club in 2009.
Aside from a brief loan spell with FK Sevastopol, he briefly dropped down to Shakhtar’s reserve team, before eventually calling time on his acrobatic career in 2012.
