When football became too much for this Manchester United star, he turned his back on the sport and chose a life of religion.
Feeling bored of the money and attention from women, Phil Mulryne, 46, was once one of the budding starlets to come out of United’s academy, but he swapped his boots for the bible when he became disillusioned with the perks that came with the game such as money and women.
Despite his love for the game, and a whopping £600,000 a year pay check, he hung up his boots for the last time in 2009. According to Glassdoor, a Catholic Priest in the UK makes around £32,400 a year.
READ MORE: ‘Horny Premier League footballers always message us – WAGs need to be careful’
Click for more of the latest news from across the world from the Daily Star.
The handsome footballer’s sum and all its trappings made the former Northern Ireland international miserable, and the emptiness that engulfed him led him to the lord’s house. Mulryne began his career at Old Trafford, where he made his debut in October 1997. But he failed to break into United’s first team and only made one Premier League appearance before moving to Norwich in 1999.
(Image: PA)
Mulryne fared better at Carrow Road and made 172 appearances and scored 20 goals between 1995 and 2005. The midfield maestro also had stints with Cardiff, Leyton Orient, and Kings Lynn. He was 31 when he retired.
Speaking on his transition into priesthood, Mulryne previously told Norwich’s official website: “It’s hard to pin down a particular moment. I would say it started in my last year at Norwich, not explicitly and I wasn’t thinking about it at that time but I started to get dissatisfied with the whole lifestyle.
(Image: PA)
“We have a wonderful life as a footballer and I was very privileged, but I found with all the surrounding stuff that eventually there was a kind of emptiness with it. I was quite shocked – why am I not happy when I have everything that young men want?
“It started me on a journey towards exploring my faith again, the faith that I had as a young man. I took a decision to come home for a year and it was really during that year that everything turned upside down.
(Image: PA)
“I volunteered at a homeless shelter for a while. I started going back to mass and I started praying again on a regular basis. I just found a real sense of fulfilment with it. Football was huge highs and lows and here was something that was giving me a steady sense of contentment.”
Phil currently oversees a congregation at St. Mary’s Priory Church in Cork.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.