Every youngster dreams of becoming a professional footballer, but for some players the road to the elite league is one with many bends and hurdles.
In order to make a living while trying to get to the top divisions, these players ended up in other fields of work - all while crossing their fingers to land a contract in the paid ranks.
Here's a list of players that had other jobs before turning professional…
Gary Goldstone
The former Kaizer Chiefs and Bloemfontein Celtic defender was a firefighter before being snapped up by the Amakhosi. Having had such a challenging job as a youngster, Goldstone quickly adapted to the conditions at the Naturena-based side in his maiden season.
Bradley Ritson
Ritson was a late bloomer as he only turned professional at the ripe age of 27, when he put pen-to-paper at AmaZulu. The striker, who also had a brief stint at Moroka Swallows, worked as a plumber before signing with Usuthu. Having had a short professional football career, Ritson is back in the plumbing business as his family owns a plumbing company.
Ayanda Dlamini
'Cobra', as the AmaZulu forward is fondly known in football circles, was a male- nurse before turning professional. After having had unsuccessful trials at Silver Stars, the striker from Kwa-Ceza on the north coast of KZN had to find other means of putting food on the table for his family. He then enrolled for a nursing course at Kwa-Ceza Nursing College. Being a nurse didn't distract Dlamini from achieving his childhood dream, and his perseverance paid off when AmaZulu signed him.
Moeketsi Sekola
The Free State Stars striker, who has been in red-hot form this season, used to work in the mines prior to becoming a full-time soccer player. The man, who once dug for diamonds, is now smashing in goals in the PSL.
Do you know of any other players that had jobs before turning professional?
