The former Manchester United player suddenly announced his retirement in 2009 at the age of 31. And he entered the seminary to become a priest.
In the early 2000s, boasting a salary of £600,000, he said: “Money, cars, nightclubs and female attention have become boring.”
Now, about 13 years have passed since then, he has become a priest. “Football and religion have so much in common,” he says… The
British press introduced Fergie’s former disciple, who became a clergyman after liquidating his professional career. His name is Philip Merlin. The 45-year-old now works as a religious leader in Northern Ireland.
Merlin played for Manchester United before becoming his priest. He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but he spent seven years at Manchester United displaying his footballing talent. He played for the youth team from 1992 to 1996 and made his United debut under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Merlin made his adult stage debut in October 1997, but was not very successful at United. He did not play in many matches for United, although he showed qualities as a midfielder in both forward and midfield positions.
After ending his life at Manchester United, he moved to Norwich in 1999 and scored 18 goals in 161 appearances until 2005. The Norwich poet Peter Crouch, his teammate, is said to have helped the team reach the Premier League alongside Merlin.
“He never talked to me about religion,” Crouch said. “Looking back, I don’t know if I should have asked him,” he recalled. 스포츠토토
Northern Ireland’s national team career also built up step by step. He has blossomed as a footballer as well, progressing his career from the U15s to the senior national team.
Then Merlin suddenly announced his retirement in 2009 at the age of 31. After leaving his professional coaching career, he went to seminary to become a Roman Catholic priest.
After Merlin returned to Belfast after suffering an injury in 2009, he was said to have “felt a certain feeling.” And he immediately took up his retirement and entered his priestly path.
“I love football, I love training. Such a life brought joy to me. “I bought 3 or 4 cars a year because I got bored with my routine and always wanted more. It was the same with clothes and houses,” he recalled at the time.
“I started asking myself, ‘Why am I doing this?’ And basically, the answer was that nothing was good enough.” Merlin eventually enrolled at the Diocesan Seminary in Belfast.
And in 2017, he was ordained a priest of the Dominican Order and is now a pastor belonging to a local St. Mary’s Congregational Church.
Two years ago, Merlin explained the advantages of soccer in a lecture, saying, “Sports are a good means of teaching great virtues.”