Tattoo Artist, Politician and Bingo Lover: The 10 Strangest Footballer Pastimes

Footballers may have to work weekends, but their weekday schedule usually consists of just a few hours of work in the morning. They have a lot of time to kill. 

While we are led to believe that most professionals spend all their spare time on their Xbox or getting into trouble in a nightclub, many have surprising hobbies.

Here's B/R's top 10 strange footballer pastimes.

Roman Pavlyuchenko the City Councillor

The former Spurs and current Lokomotiv Moscow striker holds a keen interest in local politics. 

Since 2008, the Russian has been a Dume (city council) deputy in his hometown of Stavropol. The 31-year-old represents Vladimir Putin's United Russia party.

Theo Walcott the Children's Author

In 2009, England forward Theo Walcott struck a four-book deal with Random House to write adventure novels about his own schoolboy experiences.

The 24-year-old Arsenal star has his own website where he peddles books about "T.J.," a familiar-sounding youngster who gets into some serious high jinx playing the beautiful game at school.  

Cristiano Ronaldo the Bingo Fan

It's unlikely that you'll ever find Real Madrid megastar Cristiano Ronaldo furiously inking numbered cards at your local bingo hall, but the Portuguese forward admitted to loving the game in 2008. 

"It can be very exciting because you can be there waiting for a long time for just the one number to make the game complete," he told a Portuguese newspaper (via Now Magazine) after receiving a DVD version of the game for Christmas to help his English skills.

Andrei Arshavin the Fashion Designer

A cursory glance at his official website shows that Zenit Saint Petersburg striker Andrei Arshavin is madder than a box of frogs, and he has a surprising pastime. 

While rising through the ranks, the former Arsenal star studied at the University of Technology and Design in St Petersburg, where he developed his own clothing line that designs sportswear, suits and even women's dresses. "I have designed several garments myself," he proudly told The Daily Mail.  

Dimitar Berbatov the Caricature Artist

It's hard to believe that a man who appears so relaxed on the field does anything in his spare time, but Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov is extremely talented with a pen and pencil. 

Earlier this year, the Fulham hit man started posting his artistic creations on his Facebook page, producing superb caricatures of the likes of Marlon Brando, Bruce Willis and Hugh Hefner. 

A post-football career of drawing couples at popular tourist destinations awaits.  

Daniel Agger the Tattoo Artist

While Dimi likes to draw on sketch pads, Liverpool's Daniel Agger prefers to draw on skin.

The Danish centre-back has more ink than a public library, and is a certified tattoo artist who has a passion for creating body art, too.  

Manuel Almunia the History Buff

Most of us think that professional footballers couldn't stand to do anything remotely cultured, but Manuel Almunia has a rather studious extracurricular pursuit. 

The Watford goalkeeper is a history buff, and since watching the movie Saving Private Ryan, he has made an effort to visit as many European battlefields as possible.

"Wherever you go in the Champions League, there are connections with World War Two," he told the Standard while at Arsenal.

Michael Owen the Helicopter Pilot

While at Manchester United, Michael Owen's teammates ribbed him for his love of jigsaw puzzles, but the former England star also picked up a helicopter pilot's licence during his playing days.  

Owen initially bought his own chopper so he could take it from his Cheshire home to Newcastle's training ground each day, but eventually qualified to fly it himself. Now he's retired, the 33-year-old will have plenty more time to log some extra miles in the sky.  

Noberto Solano the Trumpeter

If Ron Burgundy can be passionate about jazz flute, there is no reason why Peruvian star Nobby Solano can't love his trumpet.

While at Newcastle, the accomplished trumpeter set up his own salsa band, The Geordie Latinos. "I used to play Latin jazz duets with Dion Dublin at Villa," he told Four Four Two magazine.  

Moritz Volz the Cake Baker

Former Fulham right-back Mortiz Volz had a peculiar pre-match ritual: The German would often bake cakes themed around his opponents.

"When we played the big clubs like Arsenal or Manchester United, I made a biscuit-based cake with bananas and a dusting of green tea. If we were playing more rugged teams like Blackburn Rovers, I made something a lot heavier like carrot cake with nuts," he told the Berliner Zeitung (via FIFA.com).

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