Gaming industry affiliate, Matching Visions, sign the former Scottish Captain, Colin Hendry, to act as brand ambassador throughout the Summit of iGaming Malta (SIGMA) conference
It must be difficult being a professional footballer. I know what you’re thinking. What have I been smoking? But it’s true. During my days on the Iron Road, you wouldn’t believe the number of people who died within days of retiring.
Footballers?
Unless you are Ryan Giggs, you are putting your last pair of signed boots on eBay in your mid to late 30s.
What next?
There isn’t a lot of choices. Granted, Stuart Tomlinson and Tim Wiese quit football to don spandex tights with the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), but more often than not, ex-pros end up as coaches, pundits or blowing their dough gambling.
Wait.
Gambling.
It’s no coincidence that a lot of former pros are finding their way into the bosom of online gaming. Most sportsmen and women like to have a flutter, and even one match bans handed out as punishment isn’t going to stop them.
Former Liverpool stars John Barnes, and Michael Owen are two examples of former footballers being paid handsomely to represent online gambling firms and with partnerships forged with all top-tiered football clubs it makes sense for more and more former footballers to work alongside gaming companies once they retire. The latest to forge ties within the industry is Colin Hendry.
The former Premier League winner and Scotland captain know a thing or two about gambling. Hendry was declared bankrupt after it was found he owed £2.2m in debts including large six figure sums to Spreadex and Sporting Index.
Rather than look upon his gambling past as a bad thing, super-affiliate Matching Visions, have signed him up believing the coupling of his gambling and sporting experience is a great fit for the company.
Hendry represented Matching Visions at the recent Summit of iGaming Malta (SIGMA) conference where he also took part in a charity football match and charity gala dinner for the Big Foundation with the former Liverpool star John Barnes and the President of Malta. Hendry waived all appearance fees.
Times have been tough for Hendry since leaving football. Not only was he declared bankrupt, but he also lost his wife, Denise due to fatal complications arising from cosmetic surgery carried out by a team from Sweden.
He won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995 and went on to make over 500 senior appearances in the British football leagues. He also represented his country 51 times including captaining the side at the 1998 World Cup in France.
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