• There has been an ongoing debate about former professionals going bankrupt within a few years of retirement.
• Nigerian football legend Sunday Oliseh has shed light on the incident, explaining the reason behind the incident.
• The 1994 CAN winner retired in 2006 after a short stint at Belgian club KRC Genk and lives in Europe.

Nigerian soccer Legend Sunday Oliseh has shared his thoughts on why professional footballers go bankrupt years after retirement, amid ongoing discussions over the incident.

Professional football careers last on average around 15 years, and many big stars have in the past squandered the majority of their earnings, due to public outcry.

One of the most recent and most publicized examples is that Ivorian footballer Emmanuel Ebouéwho lost all his career winnings after ignorantly signing him to a former partner.

Oliseh explains why players are going bankrupt

Oliseh, speaking in an interview with News Central TV, opened the big discussions about professional footballers going bankrupt after retirement.

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He claimed that people do not understand that the most difficult period for professionals athletes it is after their years of activity because they believe they have made a lot of money.

He added that the years after retirement are longer than the working years, therefore requiring a lot of money to live on if these people do not work again throughout their lives.

“Statistics show that 40% of footballers go bankrupt five years after retirement. I think that number is around 73% after 10 years, it’s huge,” he said.

Silver nest Oliseh confirmed this statistic, citing investments gone bad, gambling, extravagant lifestyles, divorce and failed relationships among the reasons.

“The reason we are fighting is because for my generation to reach the top and play there, you have to have started very young, that means it’s the only profession we know,” he said. -he added.

“It’s a job that from the age of 30 you can no longer do it and you retire around the age of 34. If God blesses you, you live to be 70, which means you have 36 years left to live. It must have been a miracle to have amassed enough to last 36 years.

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“You have to be lucky enough to have a job or create a way to generate income that will last, and that’s not easy,” he concluded.

The old Super Eagles The captain had a career that lasted 15 years. He retired in 2006 and served in several coaching roles, including with the Nigerian national team.

Oliseh praises Ademola Lookman

Legitime.ng reported that Sunday Oliseh praised Ademola Lookman as one of the best players in the world at his position, ahead of the CAF Men’s Player of the Year award.

Lookman joined Oliseh and co on the list of Nigerian footballers nominated for the Ballon d’Or this year, finishing 14th on the list in his first year at the gala.

Source: Legit.ng