A former Manchester United midfielder has traded the glamour of the Premier League for the monastic life of a Catholic priest over a shocking reason.
Former Manchester United midfielder Philip Mulryne has since traded the glamour of the Premier League for the monastic life of a Catholic priest.
Now 47, the ex-footballer opened up about his decision to quit the sport and embrace a life of faith, revealing surprising parallels between football and religious life.
Philip Mulryne's journey from football to faith
Mulryne, who made his only Premier League appearance for United in 1998 alongside legends like Teddy Sheringham and Andy Cole, had a promising career that saw him earn 27 caps for Northern Ireland.
He later played for Norwich City and Cardiff City before retiring in 2008.
However, despite commanding a salary of up to £500,000 per year at his peak, he found himself increasingly disillusioned with the lifestyle of a footballer.
Speaking to Belfast Live as per Daily Mail, he reflected on his transition:
"I live in a monastery, so I am more of a monk, really. And it's not on the surface, but there are a lot of the qualities there."
He explained that teamwork and discipline-values instilled in him at Manchester United-also play a significant role in monastic life:
"They were saying, sacrifice, giving yourself to something greater than you. In the sense that I live in a community of brothers, there are 15 of us in the monastery. So there is a sense of dependence on each other, the kind of things that Man United taught me."
Beyond football: Mulryne's life of priesthood
Mulryne's dissatisfaction with the football lifestyle had been building for years.
Speaking to Norwich City's official website, he admitted:
"We have a wonderful life as a footballer and I was very privileged, but I found with all the surrounding stuff that eventually there was a kind of emptiness with it."
His faith became his guiding light, leading him to volunteer at a homeless shelter and return to regular prayer.
After enrolling at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome in 2009, he spent years studying philosophy and theology before being ordained as a Catholic priest in 2017.
He insists he has no regrets about leaving football behind, stating: "My vocation to priesthood and religious life came later in the course of that year - I felt this strong desire for this way of life and I stayed with it."
Despite his drastic career shift, Mulryne still keeps an eye on the sport that once defined his life.
While his monastery doesn't have television, he makes do with online match highlights:
"We have a room with a couple of computers, so I watch the three-minute highlights. I get all the highlights, so I keep in touch with it."
Mulryne's journey from footballer to priest is one of the most unexpected career transformations in football.
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