I’m a former West Ham striker & football pundit… but I gave it all up for a VERY different career
A FORMER West Ham and Crystal Palace striker and pundit has revealed his shock career change.
Iain Dowie, 58, played 400 games for clubs including Crystal Palace, West Ham, and Southampton.
After retiring in 2001, the Northern Ireland striker went on to manage a range of teams including his old team, South London titans Palace.
He later tried his hand as TV punditry, becoming a fixture of Sky Soccer Saturday alongside host Jeff Stelling.
But Iain recently gave it all up for a completely new career as a mortgage advisor at a Lancashire law firm.
Alexander Grace Law, based near Burnley, has taken him on as a business director leading its re-mortgaging team.
Iain’s wife Debbie also works at the company’s office near Preston.
He told the Daily Star: “While people may wonder how I’ve gone from the football pitch to the office I have been working within the conveyancing arena for some four years now and when I was asked if I would come on board with them it was a no-brainer.
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“I’m a real people person and much of my role will be out on the road meeting potential new partners and clients.
“And while I learned my management skills in the football world everything is transferable – but with less swearing!’
“I’ve really got stuck into the new role and can’t wait to get out there and meet some new faces.”
James Young, the solicitor who founded the firm, said he loved Iain’s locker-room stories.
It comes after former Premier League striker Marco Gabbiadini told how he gave up football to run a B&B in York.
Sunderland legend Marco Gabbiadini, 55, embarked on the unlikely second chapter after giving up football at the age of 35.
Former England midfielder Lee Bowyer also revealed that he now spends his days fishing carp on a secluded lake.