Former Tottenham goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman has opened up on his decision to retire from professional football at the age of 26, just weeks after winning the Europa League
Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman has called time on his professional football career. The 27-year-old made the choice at the conclusion of last season, whilst still just 26.
Whiteman was part of Ange Postecoglou's Europa League-winning squad, having progressed through the club's youth ranks before penning his first professional contract.
Throughout his stint at Tottenham he enjoyed two loan periods - both with Swedish outfit Degerfors - but never truly appeared likely to break into the first team and consistently found himself far down the hierarchy.
His lack of first-team opportunities prompted him to explore alternative pursuits, including drama lessons, media work, and photography. The Athletic reports that he anticipated continuing his footballing journey when Spurs released him at the season's end.
Nevertheless, the keeper decided to hang up his gloves on his own terms during the summer and is now pursuing a photography career, acknowledging that he was dissatisfied as a professional footballer.
He revealed: "I signed for Spurs at 10 years old. Then I left school at 16 and went straight into this full-time life of football.
"When I was around 17 or 18, living in digs, I just had this feeling inside of, 'Is this it?' Getting on the mini bus, going to training, doing the Sports Science BTEC and going home to play video games. I realised, 'Oh, I'm not happy here' from quite a young age.
"The stereotype of a footballer is generally quite true. It's the golf, washbag culture. I was that young footballer. I wanted the Gucci washbag and I drove the Mercedes. You all just become a reflection of each other.
"You're a product of your environment. It's the way football is in this country; it's so shut off from anything else. You go to training and then you go home, that's it."
Whiteman added: "Football is a short career regardless, even if you do really well, and I knew that I didn't want to stay in it.
"It was about trying to gain experience and be proactive in learning about these things I was also interested in, but mainly because I was enjoying it, and was surrounded by the kinds of people that were doing what I enjoyed as a job.
"They were making things. It was really inspiring."