GORDON Ramsay's success has turned him into a household name, most notably known for his foul-mouthed meme-worthy rants, superb culinary skills and top-watched reality cooking shows.
However, Ramsay's gastronomic empire would not have existed as it wasn't his first career choice.
Did the world-famous celebrity chef almost become a world-famous football player?
Verdict:
TRUE
Life would be a very different kind of sandwich for him if it weren't for unfortunate football injuries.
They say that every cloud has a silver lining, for Ramsay, it must have been a very thick lining.
At 15, a young Gordon Ramsay started his football journey at Oxford United before being spotted by a scout employed by Scotland’s most titled club – the Rangers.
A few years later, the aspiring footballer received an offer from the Glasgow-based club.
For the uninitiated, this wasn't a small feat as the Rangers Football Club is one of the most successful and storied football teams in the world.
Ramsay's path to football stardom was clear as day, but fate had other plans.
In 1985, after being marked with injuries including damaged knee cartilage and torn cruciate ligament, the promising player had to end his pursuit in football.
Ramsay was forced to re-think his future and went back to school, earning a degree in hotel management in 1987. And the rest was history.
"I was a naturally aggressive left-back, a cut-throat tackler... You may have got past once but there was never, ever, ever a second occasion," Ramsay once told the Observer Sport Monthly.
"And I was fast, I was a great 100m sprinter. If you were to compare me to anyone, I guess it could be Stuart Pearce," he said.
Despite him giving up on his pursuit to play professional football, Ramsay still plays the beautiful game now and then, such as becoming a regular participant in Soccer Aid and other charity events.
His cooking career has gone on to achieve tremendous success, earning him US$62mil in 2018 according to Forbes.
That's behind only Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar. Not bad for a second-choice career!
Reference:
1. https://www.lironboylston.com/
2. https://www.thesun.co.uk/
3. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/
5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
