A World Cup winner doesn’t visit a coffee shop in central Manchester every day.
However, there are no autograph signings or fan selfies. Curtis Anderson’s situation has changed.
As he explains why he abandoned his dream and instead became a financial adviser, Anderson, a former Manchester City goalkeeper, enjoys sipping his flat white in relative tranquility as he sips his flat white.
Anderson is the only player who is no longer playing football at any level out of the 21 players who triumphed in India eight years ago.
Anderson is in charge of the sports department for an independent financial adviser.
He spends the majority of his free time with football players, helping them make informed financial decisions to maximize their earnings from a short career.
According to Anderson, “You can literally change people’s lives by removing financial stresses.”
Making things clearer for people and assisting them keeps me motivated because “people don’t understand the fundamentals of finance.”
“I want to assist as many people as possible.” I’m so passionate about teaching young football players. “
The spark was gone, I thought.
Anderson won the title of world champion on October 28, 2017.
Anderson didn’t miss a minute as Steve Cooper’s men reached the U17 World Cup final in India five months after England spent the majority of its campaign on the bench.
England made a remarkable comeback to defeat Spain 5-2 after going behind 2-0 with the addition of former Premier League stars Phil Foden, who was named player of the tournament, Conor Gallagher, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Marc Guehi.
Nobody panicked because we were so relaxed and self-assured, Anderson recalls.
We pulled a goal back and then went into half-time believing “we’ve got this.” No one in the dressing room became anxious or crazy. “
Anderson was still at City when the transfer window closed after a failed loan to a Championship club. He sought a move away and sought out more opportunities.
Anderson made the decision to resign from the United Soccer League’s Charlotte Independence in March 2019 with only a few options open.
He regretted making the decision; three months later, Anderson was fired as manager and found himself in disrepute.
What was I in a rush for when I look back and wonder, at age 18? Anderson remarks.
I was “in such a desperate rush to do everything.” I anticipated everything after the World Cup. I didn’t really value the path I was taking when I was watching other young players and what they were up to.
My trajectory would have been straight forward if I had played for City and England. “
Anderson left Wycombe Wanderers for a year before moving to non-league before retiring in 2023.
He claims that the “spark of football” simply wasn’t present.
“Football gave me everything,” he said.
Anderson was a young footballer like most of the others.
His first experience with football was in his hometown of Barrow-in-Furness, where he both played in the under-six team coached by his father and in the outfield.
Before long, he was scouted by Blackpool, where he played until the two Manchester giants called.
The 11-year-old was both wanted by Manchester United and City, but the latter’s plans for the state-of-the-art City Football Academy swayed him and his family.
It was a challenging transition from a small Cumbrian town to a new city and elite club, but Anderson believes it helped him grow as a person and change his profession years later.
Not many kids are exposed to that, he says, “being in a high performance environment every day, where you try to achieve the highest level, working as hard as you can, and being called out if you’re not at the level.”
It “shaped” you as a person. People frequently ask me if I regret my football career, but I don’t.
“I don’t regret anything.”
Anderson began to wonder how the money he had earned at City had been dwindling away when the Coronavirus lockdown prevented him from finding a new club.
He claims that it was intimidating when I was 17 and unsure of what to do with the money.
After getting advice from the Professional Footballers’ Association, Anderson successfully passed the accounting and finance exams.
He made the decision to pursue a career that was not for him, and he ended up working as a financial adviser close to the home of his parents.
Since then, he has worked in financial planning and financial guidance, turning down numerous offers to join the Football League because of his heartlessness.
His new endeavor gave him a degree of control and security, as well as a sense of purpose that playing lower-league football couldn’t.
He claims that I would frequently receive questions from older players at Wycombe. I became aware that football does not offer enough education and support for finance.
Young people with high earnings do not receive enough education, guidance, and support.
Your first priority should be making plans for life after playing football if you’re a lower-league player. If everything is well, you can financially secure your family for years.
I consider what I currently know to be relevant and need to offer my best assistance to as many football players as possible. “
Does he have any regrets about seeing his former England team-mates win the game?
He says, “I’m proud to see them doing so well; I don’t sit there and wonder what could have happened.”
I’m not envious and have no regrets. Simply put, I have stopped enjoying it. I wouldn’t trade what I’m doing for what I’m doing right now if you offered to put me in their circumstances, where I play week-in-week-out in the Premier League.
Source: BBC
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