Having traded the pitch for the boardroom, here's a look at how former Bafana Bafana star Dean Furman went from being a midfield maestro to a financial advisor!
The story
In 2020, the central midfielder left SuperSport United as a free agent after spending five years with the Tshwane outfit. This was followed by a season-long stint at Carlisle United and a sixth-month stay at Altrincham before finally joining Warrington Rylands who play in the eighth tier of English football.
It is unclear whether the now 35-year-old is still on the books of Rylands, as he is yet to make an appearance for the club in 2023/24, according to the team's official website.
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Nevertheless, he doesn't seem to need to return to the pitch, as he is now thriving in a different industry. The Cape Town-born player is a financial advisor at Gameplan Financial, a company based in Newcastle, England.
The former Doncaster Rovers star is a natural fit for the organisation, as their team is formed by current and former professional athletes seeking a new career outside of sport.
According to Gameplan Financial's official website, they "specialise in providing bespoke life insurance and income protection to our clients, and we endeavour to ensure that whatever your circumstances, you can rest easy knowing that you have the right insurance policies in place to protect your family, should you be unable to provide for them due to serious illness, accident or sickness, or in worst case scenarios, death."
While the boardroom certainly doesn't seem to be more fun than being on the pitch, the importance of Furman's new occupation is quite profound, especially given that fact that he is South African. There have been countless cases of local stars going broke after retirement and financial literacy and healthy spending has evidently been a challenge for some stars.
Professional sport is not a life-long career and it is paramount for athletes to realise that they need to invest more into their post-retirement life. Having captained Bafana Bafana, there's perhaps no better example to learn from than Furman, as the choices he has made can inspire future stars to avoid a regressive path after hanging up their boots.
A devoted husband and father, the ex-Rangers magician often references the importance of family and why it is crucial to take care of them and ensure a legacy for them as well.
His journey as a financial advisor began in March 2021 and he hasn't looked back since, despite still having not confirmed is retirement.
"I am incredibly proud of everything I have achieved in my professional football career and will look back on it with some brilliant memories. Whilst the day has not quite arrived to hang up my boots, the time has come to start focusing on life after football," he wrote on his Instagram.
"Taking many of the skills and disciplines I developed in my football career into my role as a protection specialist, it has allowed me to assist a number of clients with their financial planning and look after what matters to them most.
"If you are interested in having a chat and getting some free, impartial advice on how to protect you and your families with life cover, income protection, critical illness cover and more, drop me a message and I will be happy to get in touch."
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Did you know?
According to Transfermarkt, Furman made 55 appearances for Bafana Bafana and took part in three Africa Cup of Nations.
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