THEY have plenty of spare cash and time on their hands.
So when top footballers in the world are not playing football or training, what do they do during their free time?
Most footballers have always use golf to while their spare time away.
It is a sport their managers and insurers are happy for them to play.
Injuries are rare, and golf fills those long, empty afternoons after training.
Like many of his peers, Chelsea's record-signing, Andriy Shevchenko, enjoys playing golf during his free time.
The golf-mad Ukrainian striker is a regular at London's prestigious Wisley Golf Club and even got married on a golf course.
But looking at the way he constantly misses the target for the Blues, one wonders if he is also three-putting from two feet out on the green.
Brazilian striker Ronaldo is also an avid golfer.
'Most footballers are just quite naturally good at golf,' explained the Real Madrid star. 'It takes timing and rhythm. Footballers understand what it takes to manipulate a ball and, mainly, they've got a lot of time to play as well.'
Shevchenko's Chelsea strike partner, Didier Drogba, doesn't like golf, but he prefers to relax by playing football computer games.
Drogba said: 'I have fun playing as Thierry Henry and shooting wide of the goal.
'However, it just seems my virtual copy doesn't play as well as the Henry character - although, in real life, especially this season, I'm better than him.'
Former Argentina hot-shot Gabriel Batistuta likes to go hunting in the wild with a rifle. It is no wonder the former Roma striker had strong predatory instincts and always zero in for the kill once he smelt blood in the penalty box.
And if you are wondering why Italy playmaker Alessandro Del Piero always manages to skip past defenders with ease, that's because his favourite past-time is dancing to the soundtrack of The Full Monty.:faq1:
When Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro is not busy chewing up opposing strikers for dinner, he spends his free time cooking pizzas at home.
He even named a pizza creation after himself, calling it 'pizza alla Cannavaro'.
Said the European Player of the Year: 'I love cooking pizzas, and if I wasn't a footballer, I would probably be a pizza chef.'
Middlesbrough striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni's swashbuckling style on the pitch is inspired by his penchant for Bruce Willis' movies. The giant Nigerian has watched Die Hard countless times and can even memorise the lines.
Italy goalkeeper Gigi Buffon may have the safest pair of hands in the world, pulling off breathtaking saves with his fingertips.
But during his free time, the Juventus star will patiently piece together jigsaw puzzles with his World Cup-winning hands for long hours.:confused2
Music is also an area where footballers spend lots of their time on.
Portsmouth striker Andy Cole and his former Manchester United team-mate, Rio Ferdinand, fancy themselves as top deejays, producing their own rap tracks.
West Ham defender Christian Dailly prefers rock n'roll. The Scotland international is the lead singer and guitarist of a band named Hooligan.
Some other players prefer keeping pets. Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane is known for his love for dogs.
But some players prefer to own race horses, like former Liverpool and Real Madrid winger Steve Mcmanaman.
McManaman's buddy, Robbie Foweler, though, spends his spare time and spare cash investing in a huge portfolio of landed property.
Some footballers are collectors. France and Marseille striker Djibril Cisse is a keen collector of vintage American cars. England and Portsmouth goalkeeper David James, though, collects Matchbox toy cars.
Wolves defender Jody Craddock may be a hard-tackling manace on the pitch, but he seeks serenity in art, painting potraits of footballers like Wayne Rooney and Henry on canvas.
While these football stars have diverse hobbies, they do have one thing in common: They hate watching football on television.:faq1:
Except for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman revealed that his only hobby is 'watching football' on his wall-mounted flatscreen TV in his living room. Those who have been inside Wenger's abode claim that the television is roughly the size of a pub's 'big screen'.
'I don't have any hobbies, apart from my family. I stay at home,' said Wenger, proving that his dour persona is not a myth.
SOMETIME, they can lose tens of thousands of dollars in just a few hours.
Gambling is fast becoming a problem for Premiership footballers who have too much money and time on their hands.
Card schools on the team bus or airplane is a common feature, as players try to while their time away on long journeys for away matches.
But as the players in the top-flight earn a massive pay packet, the stakes on the table are obscenely high as well.
Northern Ireland and West Ham goalkeeper Roy Carroll reportedly lost 50,000 ($150,000) playing cards with team-mates.
His heavy losses contributed to a string of late night booze binges which culminated in him checking into a London rehabilitation clinic in October.
England and Newcastle striker Michael Owen is reported to have lost as much as 40,000 over the last couple of years.
The 70,000-a-week star admitted that he loves gambling in casinos and on horse-racing.
Owen also introduced England team-mate Wayne Rooney to the bookies, and in less than five months, Rooney accumulated a 700,000 debt through gambling on horses, dogs and football matches.
Rooney's debt was revealed amid claims that he was part of an England betting ring which included Owen, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand.
The group was reported to bet on football, but not matches they were involved in. Revelations of England's betting ring sparked warnings of a gambling 'epidemic' among leading footballers in Britain.
Peter Kay, the chief executive of the Sporting Chance charity, described gambling as 'the largest addiction within football' and warned that it has become 'an accepted, tolerated form of relaxation for players condoned by clubs and managers'.
West Ham veteran Teddy Sheringham warned about the perils of gambling during an interview.
He said: 'It's a problem, especially for youngsters coming into the game. They have so much money and so much time on their hands that they don't know what to do with it.'
But, shockingly, the former England and Tottenham forward has signed an endorsement deal promoting an online casino and poker room.
Sheringham declared: 'I take poker seriously and I like to win.
'On a day off, a round of golf followed by a few hours of online poker is unbeatable entertainment.'
Entertainment? He won't be amused if he starts losing by the thousands.
Wire Services
So when top footballers in the world are not playing football or training, what do they do during their free time?
Most footballers have always use golf to while their spare time away.
It is a sport their managers and insurers are happy for them to play.
Injuries are rare, and golf fills those long, empty afternoons after training.
Like many of his peers, Chelsea's record-signing, Andriy Shevchenko, enjoys playing golf during his free time.
The golf-mad Ukrainian striker is a regular at London's prestigious Wisley Golf Club and even got married on a golf course.
But looking at the way he constantly misses the target for the Blues, one wonders if he is also three-putting from two feet out on the green.
Brazilian striker Ronaldo is also an avid golfer.
'Most footballers are just quite naturally good at golf,' explained the Real Madrid star. 'It takes timing and rhythm. Footballers understand what it takes to manipulate a ball and, mainly, they've got a lot of time to play as well.'
Shevchenko's Chelsea strike partner, Didier Drogba, doesn't like golf, but he prefers to relax by playing football computer games.
Drogba said: 'I have fun playing as Thierry Henry and shooting wide of the goal.
'However, it just seems my virtual copy doesn't play as well as the Henry character - although, in real life, especially this season, I'm better than him.'
Former Argentina hot-shot Gabriel Batistuta likes to go hunting in the wild with a rifle. It is no wonder the former Roma striker had strong predatory instincts and always zero in for the kill once he smelt blood in the penalty box.
And if you are wondering why Italy playmaker Alessandro Del Piero always manages to skip past defenders with ease, that's because his favourite past-time is dancing to the soundtrack of The Full Monty.:faq1:
When Italy's World Cup-winning captain Fabio Cannavaro is not busy chewing up opposing strikers for dinner, he spends his free time cooking pizzas at home.
He even named a pizza creation after himself, calling it 'pizza alla Cannavaro'.
Said the European Player of the Year: 'I love cooking pizzas, and if I wasn't a footballer, I would probably be a pizza chef.'
Middlesbrough striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni's swashbuckling style on the pitch is inspired by his penchant for Bruce Willis' movies. The giant Nigerian has watched Die Hard countless times and can even memorise the lines.
Italy goalkeeper Gigi Buffon may have the safest pair of hands in the world, pulling off breathtaking saves with his fingertips.
But during his free time, the Juventus star will patiently piece together jigsaw puzzles with his World Cup-winning hands for long hours.:confused2
Music is also an area where footballers spend lots of their time on.
Portsmouth striker Andy Cole and his former Manchester United team-mate, Rio Ferdinand, fancy themselves as top deejays, producing their own rap tracks.
West Ham defender Christian Dailly prefers rock n'roll. The Scotland international is the lead singer and guitarist of a band named Hooligan.
Some other players prefer keeping pets. Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane is known for his love for dogs.
But some players prefer to own race horses, like former Liverpool and Real Madrid winger Steve Mcmanaman.
McManaman's buddy, Robbie Foweler, though, spends his spare time and spare cash investing in a huge portfolio of landed property.
Some footballers are collectors. France and Marseille striker Djibril Cisse is a keen collector of vintage American cars. England and Portsmouth goalkeeper David James, though, collects Matchbox toy cars.
Wolves defender Jody Craddock may be a hard-tackling manace on the pitch, but he seeks serenity in art, painting potraits of footballers like Wayne Rooney and Henry on canvas.
While these football stars have diverse hobbies, they do have one thing in common: They hate watching football on television.:faq1:
Except for Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger. The Frenchman revealed that his only hobby is 'watching football' on his wall-mounted flatscreen TV in his living room. Those who have been inside Wenger's abode claim that the television is roughly the size of a pub's 'big screen'.
'I don't have any hobbies, apart from my family. I stay at home,' said Wenger, proving that his dour persona is not a myth.
SOMETIME, they can lose tens of thousands of dollars in just a few hours.
Gambling is fast becoming a problem for Premiership footballers who have too much money and time on their hands.
Card schools on the team bus or airplane is a common feature, as players try to while their time away on long journeys for away matches.
But as the players in the top-flight earn a massive pay packet, the stakes on the table are obscenely high as well.
Northern Ireland and West Ham goalkeeper Roy Carroll reportedly lost 50,000 ($150,000) playing cards with team-mates.
His heavy losses contributed to a string of late night booze binges which culminated in him checking into a London rehabilitation clinic in October.
England and Newcastle striker Michael Owen is reported to have lost as much as 40,000 over the last couple of years.
The 70,000-a-week star admitted that he loves gambling in casinos and on horse-racing.
Owen also introduced England team-mate Wayne Rooney to the bookies, and in less than five months, Rooney accumulated a 700,000 debt through gambling on horses, dogs and football matches.
Rooney's debt was revealed amid claims that he was part of an England betting ring which included Owen, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand.
The group was reported to bet on football, but not matches they were involved in. Revelations of England's betting ring sparked warnings of a gambling 'epidemic' among leading footballers in Britain.
Peter Kay, the chief executive of the Sporting Chance charity, described gambling as 'the largest addiction within football' and warned that it has become 'an accepted, tolerated form of relaxation for players condoned by clubs and managers'.
West Ham veteran Teddy Sheringham warned about the perils of gambling during an interview.
He said: 'It's a problem, especially for youngsters coming into the game. They have so much money and so much time on their hands that they don't know what to do with it.'
But, shockingly, the former England and Tottenham forward has signed an endorsement deal promoting an online casino and poker room.
Sheringham declared: 'I take poker seriously and I like to win.
'On a day off, a round of golf followed by a few hours of online poker is unbeatable entertainment.'
Entertainment? He won't be amused if he starts losing by the thousands.
Wire Services
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