I’m an ex-Celtic trialist who was dubbed the ‘next Ryan Giggs’, now I own a luxury watch business and rake in £5m a year
HE was once trying to impress Martin O’Neill while on trial for Celtic.
Now he is making millions from his luxury watch business since hanging up his boots, despite being one of the biggest prospects to come out of British football almost 20 years ago.
Labelled the next Ryan Giggs when he trained with the Manchester United first team, Ramon Calliste was tipped for big things when he arrived onto the scene as a teenager.
He joined the Red Devils in 2001 and was invited up to the senior squad under Sir Alex Ferguson and trained alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney during his time at the club.
It didn’t work out for him at Old Trafford though and he moved on to Liverpool instead, where he became the top scorer for their reserve side.
But frustrated with his lack of first team opportunities, and taking on advice from then-Wales manager John Toshack, he moved to Scunthorpe in 2006.
After bouncing around the lower leagues in England, he realised that his career may never hit the heights many expected after struggling with injuries.
His career could have been very different though as it’s understood Calliste once had a trial with Celtic and was invited to take part in a summer youth tournament in 2004.
He joined the club for the competition but he was never offered a contract.
But despite not reaching the level he hoped he would as a player, it’s not done him any harm as he’s now raking around £5million a year after starting up his own luxury watch business.
He launched Global Watches, now known as Global Boutique, in 2013 – a company that sells high-end timepieces, including Rolex, Audemars Piguet and Hublot.
And he’s now making mega money selling products to footballers, celebrities and other high-rollers.
Speaking to SunSport last year, he said: “When I realised football wasn’t going to give me the life I desired, it was about setting up something else and moving fast.
“I started to get involved in watches through contacts I had in the world of football.
“Once I saw it could become a viable business, I set up Global Watches in 2013 and it’s become a really strong company that’s now turning over millions.
“The idea is to keep it growing and hopefully sell the company in five or ten years time, just like Watchfinder did recently.”
He admitted that he was a complete novice when it came to setting up his own business.
But having a well-known name in football helped him as other players contacted him as they trusted him due to his past playing career.
“Running any business is very difficult,” he said
“When you’re dealing with high-value goods, there’s a lot of compliance and regulations to bear in mind.
“We do everything by the book here and it’s very important to be clear on what you’re doing.
“I was lucky it was very lucrative from the beginning. Some watches we sell can go from £250,000.
“Having my footballing history has also helped.
“I dealt with footballers in the beginning, selling them watches and I already had that trust there.
“Even today, clients come online and they see it’s me and they feel comfortable buying from me.
“There might be other companies that are stronger than mine, but because I played the game it does help the business.
“We have a bespoke service where we go out to the clients, and it’s not just footballers.
“We started with an office in Mayfair. Now, we’ve got a shop front in North London.
“When you can take your inventory to a room of footballers, perhaps ten millionaires, that’s better for all concerned.
“They prefer that service and it’s an easier chance to sell goods
“I have a great relationship with the players and make sure they are looked after.”
On a regular day, the former Hoops trialist revealed he sells the watches from around £50,000-£70,000.
On the odd occasion though, he can receive around £150,000-£250,000 for a sale in a market where clients can make money from pieces that are collector’s items.
He said: “They appreciate, watches have become commodities.
“It’s nice for my clients to make money if they’ve bought a watch from me, if they want to sell the watch in the future.
“I see myself as a consultant. I know watches inside out and try to advise them on what to buy.
“So sometimes when my clients come to me with what they’ve want, I will tell them straight if it’s a good or bad idea.
“I don’t want any of my clients to lose lots of money, when they come to sell their timepiece.”
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page