The Unexpected Hobbies of Famous Footballers

If you ever need a children's book written, a sexy dress designed or a delicious cake baked, look no further than your average football superstar. Here are some of the more interesting hobbies that famous footballers take part in.

Bingo

Portuguese footballer Christiano Ronaldo was revealed to be a keen bingo player back in 2008 when he told a Portuguese paper: "It can be very exciting because you can be there waiting for a long time for just the one number to make the game complete."

Ronaldo apparently developed a love of bingo after receiving a bingo DVD as a Christmas present back in the early 2000s. After he was signed up to join Manchester United he decided he would brush up on his English using bingo and similar games like those that can be found here.

Drumming

Former Arsenal and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech is now an advisor for Chelsea and a semi-professional ice hockey player. However, beyond his still lucrative sporting career, the multi-talented Czech native has a burgeoning side gig as a drummer. 

He often uploads videos of his drumming to the Internet and has a strong following of subscribers on his YouTube Channel. Cech has played drums alongside Queen drummer Roger Taylor and performed Nirvana's quintessential '90s hit "Smell's Like Teen Spirit" at a music festival in his home country, the Czech Republic. 

Writing

Everton winger Theo Walcott may be well respected on the field but he is also an accomplished author of several children’s books. In the books, he writes about the efforts of a boy named TJ who is, naturally, an ambitious young football player. The books are aimed at helping to promote an interest in sport and have gained widespread readership and popularity in the UK.

Walcott recently told BT Sport how he credited interim boss Duncan Ferguson for their recent win over Chelsea. "Duncan said to go out and play your game and enjoy it. As much as it sounds a cliche, that is what we did."

Fashion Design

The famous Russian footballer and ex-Arsenal player Andrey Arshavin has possibly the strangest hobby on our list - designing women's clothing. Whilst not making speeches for Russia's World Cup bids, the former Arsenal footballer gets out his sketch pad and draws up his ideas for the latest in women's fashion. 

However, despite his degree in Fashion Design and his support for ensuring women always look their best, Arshavin isn't the biggest supporter of the fairer sex. In 2009, he was infamously quoted as saying that women should be banned from driving.

Baking

Germany's Mortiz Voltz is another sure-footed sportsman with a rather bizarre extracurricular activity. The ex-Arsenal and Fulham defender now works as an assistant coach with RB Leipzig but spends his spare time in the kitchen pursuing his favorite pastime, baking. Mortiz even maintains a detailed blog of his cooking, providing insights into exactly the kind of culinary delights that German footballers love.