It is an experience you have probably had, perhaps while walking through an airport or past a nice store: you saw a celebrity, maybe someone you really admire. It was a surprising experience. We do not envision famous people in regular street clothes, behaving just as we do. Still, even people as noteworthy as the great stars of football/soccer have normal lives with ordinary pursuits when they are not playing. Did you ever wonder what these stars do when not on the pitch? Where do professional soccer players spend their offseason? Would it not be amazing to take a vacation somewhere grand and just happen to bump into the star of your favorite team, maybe even have a chance to speak?
What Ideal Vacation Spots Soccer Players Choose
To be sure, the very top players with fabulous salaries may be able to purchase their own island getaways and fly there on their private jets. Still, as they mature, most of the renowned soccer players acquire spouses and children. Often, they travel with an entourage of other family members. These people, like everyone else, desire to enjoy the major travel attractions that every other family group enjoys. Thus, it is not unusual to encounter well-known individuals—including soccer heroes—at the finer family destinations like Costco Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Even if you are able to live an opulent lifestyle, there is something about a destination like a themed amusement park that turns you back into a joyful little child.
When Soccer Players Vacation
Of course, bumping into a soccer luminary requires you to be at the amusement park when he or she is not playing football. That means purposely heading to your favorite venue during the offseason. For some leagues, such as the famous British Premier League, the holidays are not vacation days. The league schedules important matches over the holidays. The league typically finishes its championship play around the third week of May and does not resume until the second week of September. So, if you want to encounter one of the greats in person, the summer months appear to be the best time to accomplish it.
Where Soccer Players Live
The very best footballers tend to have more than one home, not just because they can but for the sake of convenience and finances. As you know, in this age of recruitment, players are no longer “homegrown.” Clubs go around the globe to lure the best players. Once a player signs with a team, he or she will acquire a dwelling in proximity to the home stadium. Players also maintain homes in their native lands as well, which serve as gathering places for family and assistants. Many players find it advantageous to have additional homes in other locales. This gives them the ability to shelter some of their taxable income. Thus, it is not just on the soccer field that your favorite player is constantly in motion.
What Soccer Players Do for Recreation
A recent article on the favorite pastimes of soccer greats destroyed one potential myth: that soccer players just want to relax and do nothing when they are not playing. In fact, it seems they really want to stay active most of the time. One of the top leisure pursuits of footballers is golf, which is the antithesis of soccer: no one is trying to keep you from striking the ball. Other stars pursue dancing, fishing and exercise workouts. By their nature, the great luminaries travel the world as part of their profession. Still, many spend their off-seasons visiting locales they have never seen. Despite their active lifestyles, there are those soccer players who simply enjoy relaxing and listening to music or enjoy reflection time rocking in a hammock.
When you bump into your favorite striker, remember that beneath the luster, he or she is just a regular person like you.
