Goalkeepers are often seen as enigmatic figures in football, blending physical resilience with sharp mental acuity to guard their nets. Beyond the pitch, however, some of these custodians of the game have proven their versatility by exploring more creative pursuits, from penning books to sharing their vocal gifts with the world through pop music and even stepping into the cinematic spotlight, appearing in films and on television. This unique blend of athleticism and artistry has produced mixed results on the whole but don't let that put you off. These goalkeepers-turned-authors, musicians, and actors sometimes offer an insight into how their experiences on the field have shaped their off-field passions, cementing their place as cultural icons both within and beyond the sport. That said, whoever thought it was a good idea to put Peter Shilton and Ray Clemence in a recording studio clearly wasn't cut out for show business...
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes novels, was a founder member of Portsmouth FC and also the team's first ever goalkeeper.
After writing his first book about his life as a vet, author Alf Wight couldn't find a suitable pseudonym under which to publish his memoirs until one night he was watching a game of football and was rather taken with the name of Hibernian's goalkeeper - Jim Herriot. The name James Herriot went on to become a household name in the UK thanks to the TV series All Creatures Great and Small.
Alan Simpson, one half of the comedy writing duo Galton & Simpson, who were responsible for such classics as Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe & Son, was set to sign for Chelsea in 1947 but before he could put pen to paper, he contracted tuberculosis, which brought his goalkeeping career to a premature end.
Martin Waddell, awarded winning children's author of such classics as Little Dracula and the Napper series of football books, was an aspiring footballer as a youngster and kept goal for Fulham's youth team in the late 1950s.
Philosopher, journalist and author Albert Camus' career may have taken a different path had tuberculosis not curtailed his promising football career in 1930. The Frenchman had kept goal for his university side and was reportedly quite taken with the game.
Former French international and Auxerre goalkeeper Joël Bats took up writing poetry while recovering from testicular cancer in 1982 and has had two volumes of his work published.
Slightly off subject, former Arsenal and Scotland goalkeeper Bob Wilson was immortalised in print when he signed for Melchester Rovers in the comic strip Roy of the Rovers in the mid-1980s. Wilson helped Rovers win the Milk Cup and kept a record-breaking successive number of clean sheets during the course of the season. Not a bad achievement considering he hadn't played for ten years...
Another goalkeeper to appear in a comic strip was former QPR and West Ham goalkeeper Phil Parkes, who featured a storyline of Thunderbolt and Smokey!, which featured in Eagle in 1982. Parkes was called up to provide a coaching session to a schoolboy striker who was forced to play in goal in a cup semi-final after the regular keeper was beaten up by a rival player from the opposition team!
In 2008 David James illustrated the children's book Harry's Magic Pockets: The Circus, written by his friend and Portsmouth's stadium announcer, Steve Pearson.
Argentine author Osvaldo Soriano was a keen supporter of San Lorenzo and enthusiastic goalkeeper who wrote a collection of short stories with a football theme in 1998 titled Fútbol that featured the story of a works team goalie that was later made into the film Il Rigore Più Lungo del Mondo.
Oxford University and England goalkeeper Percival Parr, who was in goal when the University lost the FA Cup Final in 1880, branched out into publishing in later life. He was partner in the publishing firm of W.H. Allen & Company, and later editor of the magazines National Observer and Ladies' Field.
American goalkeeper Jeff Attinella, who has carved out a career with Real Salt Lake and Tampa Bay Rowdies among others, founded a publishing company with his wife and father-in-law and has written a number of children books that he describes as "nursery rhymes with a sports emphasis".
It's not uncommon to find the odd Olympian among the ranks of the game's goalkeepers but Willy Meisl's achievements will never be matched. As well as being capped by Austria, Meisl also represented his country at the 1928 Summer Olympics, where his work was included in the literature event of the Art competition!
Denmark goalkeeper Poul Graae, who was part of the Danish Olympic squad in 1920, became the chief editor of the daily newspaper Politiken in 1941, a position he held until 1959.
Another publishing editor to keep goal was Polish goalie Edouard Wojtczak, who signed for York City in 1946, having been stationed in the city during the war. After retiring from football he moved to London in 1956 and edited Polish quarterly magazine Fotorama.
Following her retirement, former Hamburger SV and German goalkeeper Katja Kraus, who studied politics and German literature at university, wrote a book on power entitled Macht – Geschichten von Erfolg und Scheitern.
Norwegian artist and art critic Asbjørn Aamodt, who also drew cartoons and illustrations for various books, kept goal for Larvik Turn in his youth, winning two caps for Norway as a result.
Hamish McAlpine, formerly of Dundee United and Raith Rovers, once had a song written about him - Hamish the Goalie - by Dundonian musician Michael Marra. The song was later covered by Seventies pop star Leo Sayer.
Former United States goalkeeper Kasey Keller was once the subject of song by American indie group Barcelona. The song, Kasey Keller, was a tribute to the keeper's match-winning performance against Brazil in 1998 and appeared on the band's 2000 album, Zero One Infinity.
Former Westlife member Nicky Byrne was a professional goalkeeper before a career in the boyband beckoned. Byrne was part of Leeds United FA Youth Cup winning team of 1997 and also played for Shelbourne, Home Farm and Cobh Ramblers in his native Ireland.
In 2006, British indie pop group Saint Etienne - who took their name from the leading French football club of the 1970s - released an album entitled What Have You Done Today Mervyn Day?, which was the soundtrack to a film the band made about the redevelopment of Lea Valley. The album title was inspired by the former West Ham and Leyton Orient goalkeeper of the same name.
England goalkeeper Gordon Banks' nephew, Nick, is the drummer for the band Pulp.
Speaking of Gordon Banks, in 1970 he was part of the England team that recorded an album that included the number one hit Back Home. The album, titled The World Beaters Sing The World Beaters, saw members of the squad cover a range of popular tunes and Banks' contribution was to take lead vocals on a song called Lovey Dovey, which was described in the cover notes as "your actual reggae music"...
Probably one of the greatest crimes ever committed to vinyl was the duet featuring none other than England's finest, Ray Clemence and Peter Shilton. Recorded in time for the Three Lions' appearance in the 1980 European Championships in Italy, Side By Side failed to make any kind of impact on the UK charts.
Irish country singer Margo O'Donnell, elder sister of Irish singer Daniel, once recorded a track in honour of Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner. The track, unsurprisingly titled Packie Bonner can be found on Margo's greatest hits collection 50 Songs, 50 Years.
In a similar vein, German group Die Prinzen released the single Olli Kahn in 2002 to celebrate the World Cup performances of Oliver Kahn. The track reached number 32 in the German hit parade.
One of the more obscure songs about a goalkeeper was a track recorded by a "supergroup" of Indie pop stars who all happened to be Tottenham Hotspur fans. Called The Lillies, the band comprised of Simon Raymonde from the Cocteau Twins, Miki Berenyi and Chris Acland from Lush and Moose's Kevin McKillop and Russell Yates, but they only ever released one record - a flexi-disc given away free with a Spurs fanzine in September 1991 featuring a song called And David Seaman Will Be Very Disappointed About That... The song commemorated the club's 3-1 victory over arch rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals the previous season.
Woking stalwart Laurence Batty, who also had spells with Fulham and Brentford, is the son of songwriter Steve Wolfe, who co-wrote such hits as Beg, Borrow or Steal by the New Seekers and Lost in France by Bonnie Tyler.
Former Barcelona goalkeeper José Manuel Pinto became a music producer after retiring from football, having set up his own record label, Wahin Makinaciones, back in 2000 while with Celta Vigo.
Another former Barca goalkeeper with musical connections is international Victor Valdes, who lists AC/DC as his favourite band. In 2010, the keeper had a song written about him by Spanish soft rocker Joaquin titled Victor Valdés (el numero uno)
Reading and USA international keeper Marcus Hahnemann once performed on stage with Tenacious D at the Reading Festival and in 2012 recorded a track with thrash metallers Malefice called Omega.
South African goalkeeper Sandy Kennon, who made over 200 appearances for Norwich City, had a four-piece band called 'Sandy Kennon and his Blazes'. With Kennon on lead vocals, the band used to perform all over Norfolk during the keeper's spell at Carrow Road.
Lionel Messi's grandfather, Julio Musimessi, who was capped by Argentina in the 1950s, was known as "El Arquero cantor" (the singing goalkeeper) because of his vocal performances on radio.
Yugoslavian goalkeeper Petar Radenković, who played over 200 times for 1860 Munich, released three singles in the mid-1960s, the most famous of which was Bin I Radi - Bin I König.
Former San Jose Earthquakes, Colorado Rapids and USA goalkeeper Joe Cannon's father, Joe Snr, was a Country & Western singer in the early 1970s and released a couple of albums.
Hungary goalkeeper Gábor Király has listened to Bon Jovi's It's My Life before every game he has taken part in since 2000. Such is his devotion to the band than his car is spray painted with the band's name.
Swedish goalkeeper Aron Ekberg, who plays in the lower echelons of Sweden's football pyramid with Byttorps IF, combines his custodian duties with an unlikely career as a rapper, record producer and record label owner. Ekberg, who performs under the stage name of AronChupa, was a founding member of the electro-hip hop group Albatraoz, who spent nineteen weeks on the Swedish hit parade in 2013. However, he found more success as a solo artist and enjoyed a Number One hit in Sweden and Denmark with the single I'm an Albatraoz in August, 2014. It also reach the top ten in Germany, Austria, Norway, Finland, Australia and the Netherlands.
Former Southampton and Aldershot Town goalkeeper Gerry Gurr was an accomplished musician, forming a band called The Sunsets with teammates Mick Judd and Dave Paton during his time at The Dell. He returned to music after hanging up his gloves, as a songwriter and recording his own material.
Dean Delany, who began his career at Everton before turning out for Port Vale, Shelbourne and Bohemians among others, played rhythm guitar and was lead vocalist with Irish indie group The Novas.
Fulham and Gibraltar goalkeeper Tony Macedo appeared on the cover of the original release of Manchester band James' iconic single Sit Down.
Russian composer Alexander Pantykin is set to write a musical about legendary Soviet Union goalkeeper Lev Yashin in time for the start of the 2018 World Cup, which is due to take place in his home country. "The musical will be autobiographic," said Pantykin when the project was announced. "It will have everything: defeats and victories, happy moments and disappointments."
Druids goalkeeper Harry Adams, who won four caps for Wales in the late 19th Century, was a keen bandsman and later became bandmaster for the King's Shropshire Light Infantry's 2nd Volunteer Battalion.
Scotland keeper Frank Haffey is probably best remembered for his uncertain performance between the sticks at Wembley in 1961 when he conceded nine goals in a horrendous 9-3 defeat against England. He angered teammate Denis Law after the game by singing in the dressing room bath but later put his "talents" to better use after emigrating to Australia where he became a cabaret singer.
One-time West Ham United goalkeeper John Geggus was the grandfather of Cockney Rejects founders Jeff and Mick Geggus.
Former River Plate and Atlético Madrid goalkeeper Germán Burgos was the frontman for the rock band The Garb and despite once penning the lyric "The footballer dies, the musician lives on", he chose a coaching career in the game after hanging up his gloves and plectrum.
Zimbabwean goalkeeper Labani Kandi, who enjoyed a career with Dynamos and Eiffel Flats in his homeland, swapped his goalie gloves for a guitar after he retired, becoming part of a heavy rock/Afro jazz combo called Total Package, who released two albums under the band's former name Mixed Grill!
Belgian goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff had an organ installed in his home while playing for Bayern Munich as he believed playing the instrument helped keep his fingers supple. He also released a single - written by his hairdresser no less - while with the German side called ... jetzt bin ich ein Bayer.
Staying with Pfaff, a group calling themselves The B.B.C. Singers recorded a track simply called Jean-Marie in honour of the Belgian goalkeeper following his heroics at the 1986 World Cup Finals.
Iran international goalkeeper Nima Nakisa quit professional football in 2007 to pursue a singing career, having released an album in 2005.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech released a charity single with Queen drummer Roger Taylor in 2019 called That's Football. Cech, who is an accomplished drummer in his spare time, sung vocals on the track with all proceeds going to The Willow Foundation, which was set up in by Arsenal's double-winning goalkeeper Bob Wilson.
Stockport County's Harry Hardy was a professional oboist.
France's Joël Bats released a single in 1986 prior to the World Cup Finals in Mexico, a sultry number called Soli solitude, following it up with the ditty L'Escargot. Both tracks were from his album Gardien De Tes Nuits.
Back in 1968, West Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Sepp Maier fancied being a pop star and released the single Die bayerische Loreley, a truly awful effort that has to be heard to be believed...
There must be something about German goalkeepers and pop music as eleven years later, Maier's understudy at the 1974 World Cup Norbert Nigbur decided to release his own effort 44 Beine(44 Legs). The best thing to say about the Schalke 04 keeper's effort is that it's better than Maier's earlier attempt to appear on Top of the Pops with a chorus that went "44 legs are fighting for the small leather ball on the football pitch, 44 legs only want the one thing: score as much as they can..."
German rock band Fury in the Slaughterhouse once released a single called Jörg Sievers Blues, in honour of Hannover 96 goalkeeper Jörg Sievers.
Shortly after the car crash that effectively ended his career in 1973, Gordon Banks was the subject of a tribute single by Chris Renshaw with The Keepers simply titled Banksie.
Former Cowdenbeath goalkeeper George Kyle returned to the town after the Second World War and moved into showbiz, becoming one of West Fife's most popular entertainers. Later forming a double act with his wife, he was primarily a comedian and singer and compered shows at various venues all round Fife. Such was his fame and popularity that he was named as Cowdenbeath's 'Citizen of the Year' in 1983.
Bristol City goalkeeper Tommy Ware was a musician in the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) before the Robins bought him out of the army in 1911.
Former Grantham Town, Loughborough and Peterborough United goalie Brian Thompson ran a nightclub in Grantham after retiring promoting several bands at his venue, organising the Barbeque 67 rock concert, which featured Geno Washington, The Move and the then unknown Pink Floyd, The Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream.
After hanging up his gloves, Russia international goalkeeper Ruslan Nigmatullinm who made over 100 appearances for Lokomotiv Moscow, became a DJ.
Former Newcastle United and Portsmouth goalkeeper Shaka Hislop was the subject of a ditty recorded by an ensemble called The South Bank back in 1995 when the goalkeeper was making a name for himself at Reading. Titled Shaka - What's The Score?, it was released as a double-A side on blue vinyl and unsurprisingly failed to make a dent on the hit parade.
Having drifted out of the game, former Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton reserve goalkeeper Daniel East decided to try some new and found a degree of success as an Ed Sheeran tribute act, performing gigs around the world as when as in the UK.
Back in 2010 English progressive rock band Big Big Train released a song about "Fatty" Foulke titled Fat Billy Shouts Mine.
Back in 1970, West Brom goalkeeper John Osborne became the unlikely manager of Dudley pop group The Sprites after hearing them play at a dance arranged for the Charlie Aitken Testimonial Fund.
Following career-ending injuries as a result of the Medellín air disaster that killed many of his teammates, Chapecoense goalkeeper Jakson Follmann decided to pursue a career in music and appeared on the reality tv show Pop Star in Brazil.
Crystal Palace and Colchester United goalkeeper Ronnie Dunn was an accomplished bugle and cornet player and a member of the Crystal Palace Prize Band. In September 1937, he welcomed the players of Colchester United and Bath City onto the pitch at Layer Road to mark United's first professional game.
Romanian folk singer Victor Socaciu composed a song dedicated to international goalkeeper Răducanu Necula called Portar sub Podul Grant (Goalkeeper under the Grant Bridge).
Queens Park Rangers and West Ham goalkeeper Phil Parkes was one of an eclectic team of footballers that included Gordon McQueen, John Hollins, Peter White, Bob Latchford, Viv Anderson and Ricky Villa who recorded a song under the guise of the Peace Band called Hand of Peace back in 1979. The track also featured Kenny Lynch, who recorded a reggae song for the b-side.
Bradford City, Airdrieonians and Scotland goalkeeper Jock Ewart was an accomplished musician and played the flute, piccolo and violin.
Atalanta goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini released a rap single in 2018 called Rapper coi guanti (Rapper with gloves) under the pseudonym Gollorius, donating the proceeds to charity.
Ex-Manchester United and Southend United goalkeeper Charlie Hillam was an accomplished tenor singer and pianist, and would sing in concerts throughout Essex to earn extra money.
Former Coventry City and Hereford United goalkeeper David Icke, who was by then a well-known sports presenter, was one of several personalities listed in the 1988 song John Kettley (Is a Weatherman) by A Tribe of Toffs.
Hull City and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Alan Fettis inspired a Hull-based indie thrash band to name themselves after the stopper in the early 1990s. At first, the keeper thought his teammates were winding him up until he met his namesakes Fettis. "I'm a bit of a soul man myself," he told a local paper. "but I'll definitely go along and see them when they make their debut".
George Marks only played twice for Arsenal, thanks in part to the Second World War, but his second appearance against Brentford proved to a memorable one as the game was recorded and used the film The Arsenal Stadium Mystery, a murder whodunnit from 1939 involving a fictitious amateur side called The Trojans who draw Arsenal in the FA Cup.
Ipswich Town goalkeepers Paul Cooper and Laurie Sivell both had parts in the 1981 prisoner of war yarn Escape to Victory. Cooper, who was Ipswich's first choice keeper, acted as a stand-in and stunt double for star Sylvester Stallone while Sivell had a more prominent role as the goalkeeper of the German opposition team. World Cup winner Gordon Banks also worked on the film, coaching Stallone for his role between the sticks.
Airdrieonians Football Club goalkeeper John Martin had a small role in the Robert Duvall film, A Shot at Glory.
Former Borussia Mönchengladbach and West Germany goalkeeper Wolfgang Kleff bore such a resemblance to German actor and comedian Otto Waalkes that he was cast in a number of German films, albeit in minor cameo roles, including the 1985 farce Otto - Der Film.
Ex-Tottenham Hotspur and Norway international Erik Thorstvedt appears in the Norwegian film The Liverpool Goalkeeper, a 2010 movie about a hapless 13-year-old goalkeeper and an elusive trading card.
German international Manuel Neuer voiced the character Frank McCay in the German version of the Disney film Monsters University.
England goalkeepers Peter Shilton and David Seaman appeared as themselves in the UK film My Summer With Des.
David Seaman also had a role in the 2004 British comedy The Baby Juice Express, playing a "huge gangster".
Andreas Kontra, who played in the lower leagues of Germany with VfB Hilden and is currently a goalkeeper coach at MSV Duisburg, played Hungarian legend Gyula Grosicz in the 2003 film The Miracle of Bern.
Dino Zoff had a cameo appearance in the 2015 Italian comedy Basta Poco
Former international goalkeeper Theresa Wiseman, who won 60 caps for England, enjoyed a parallel career as an animator, working on such classics as The Snowman before moving to Los Angeles to work for Disney on programmes such as Phineas and Ferb.
Bert Trautmann and Pat Dunne both appeared in the 1965 film Cup Fever, a British film about a children's team trying to win a local cup competition with a little help from Manchester United manager Matt Busby.
Iceland's Euro 2016 goalkeeper Hannes Þór Halldórsson is a film director in his spare time and has a contract of employment with SagaFilm once his football career comes to an end. His credits include directing video to Iceland's 2012 Eurovision entry!
Italy's World Cup winning goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon made a cameo appearance in the Italian comedy L'allenatore nel Pallone 2 in 2008.
Henry Cele, who played for Aces United in the South African Soccer League in the 1960s, was also something of an accomplished actor, earning rave reviews for his portrayal of the Zulu warrior king Shaka in the miniseries Shaka Zulu. He later appeared alongside Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer in the 1996 film The Ghost and the Darkness.
Ray Clemence played a character called 'Ray Clemence the Younger' in the 1999 TV movie The Nearly Complete and Utter History of Everything.
Former Brighton & Hove Albion and Watford goalkeeper Perry Digweed appeared alongside Vinny Jones in the 2001 film Mean Machine.
Bob Wilson became better known as an anchorman after hanging up his gloves but in 1995 he appeared in the TV film The Perfect Match alongside Denis Law.
United States goalkeeper Tony Meola had a cameo in the 2001 Jason Priestly vehicle Zigs as a card player. It wasn't the first time Meola had tried his hand at acting, appearing in an off-Broadway show titled Tony and Tina's Wedding in 1995.
Much travelled American goalkeeper Devala Gorrick, who plied his trade in Sweden, Thailand, Germany and Canada before returning to the States, runs his own film production company, Angry Lion Studios. His first film, Waves of Destruction, was nominated for a number of awards.
West Germany's World Cup winning goalkeeper Sepp Maier played a kidnapper in the 1981 comedy C.O.D, which involved a rather odd plot revolving around a bumbling advertising salesman hired to save the Beaver Bra Company from impending doom. Quite.
Spain international goalkeeper Iker Casillas had a cameo in the Spanish comedy Torrente 3: El protector in 2005 and played himself in Goal II: Living the Dream two years later alongside German international Jens Lehmann.
Bruce Grobbelaar made a cameo appearance alongside Kenny Dalglish in the 1984 Channel Four comedy drama Scully, saving a shot at a local park in Liverpool dressed in full kit during a fantasy sequence.
Not content with having his own reality TV show, Jean-Marie Pfaff has also tried his hand at acting, appearing in the Belgian films Plop en de kabouterbaby and Three Crazy Jerks.
Former Luton Town, West Ham United and United States international goalkeeper Ian Feuer played one of the predators in the film Aliens vs Predator: Requiem.
Geoff Sidebottom appeared on the US game show What's My Line? in June 1967 during his spell with New York Generals, having previously played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Aston Villa in England.
Sky's football drama Dream Team featured a number of famous faces from the English game, with goalkeepers David James, Tim Howard, Shay Given, Carlo Cudicini and Thomas Sørensen among them over the course of the programme's run.
Pat Jennings had a cameo role in the 1997 drama Melissa as a party guest. It is his only acting role to date.
World Cup winner Gordon Banks made an appearance in the British teenage sitcom Renford Rejects alongside his England teammates Geoff Hurst, George Cohen and Martin Peters.
Former New York Cosmos and United States goalkeeper Shep Messing was a member of the cast of the 1986 film Hotshot
Hollywood actor Anthony LaPaglia, whose credits include So I Married an Axe Murderer, Summer of Sam and Happy Feet, was a goalkeeper in the National Soccer League, playing for Adelaide City and West Adelaide, and still turns out for Hollywood United alongside Vinny Jones.
Arsenal goalkeeper John Lukic was signed up to appear in the film version of Nick Hornby's Fever Pitch and even filmed a number of staged scenes at Highbury for the movie. Unfortunately all of his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor and cinema goers never got the chance to judge the keeper's acting skills for themselves.
Nottingham Forest's Peter Shilton and Southampton's Terry Gennoe featured heavily in the film Yesterday's Hero thanks to footage from the 1979 League Cup final being used extensively for the movie's final act, with star Ian McShane scoring the winning goal to win the Cup for his team.
Republic of Ireland and Celtic goalkeeper Packie Bonner made a guest appearance in the Irish medical drama The Clinic in 2009.
Eva Russo combined her goalkeeping duties with Lazio and Italy's Women's national team with a career in film, appearing in the dramas Rome Roméo and Soft Air.
Chelsea's Sam Millington featured in the 1930 film The Great Game, British movie about fictional Manningford FC, which was also notable for one of Rex Harrison's first screen appearances.
Michael Turnbull featured as one of the potential suitors on The Bachelorette Australia in 2015, reaching the final. He was criticised during the show's run for discussing his soccer career and falsely claiming that he had been capped by the Socceroos at full international level.
Former Poland international goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski made a cameo appearance in the Polish soap opera Barwy Szczescia in 2016.
Aston Villa and England goalkeeper Sam Hardy was recruited to appear as an extra in the 1920 film The Winning Goal, which starred fellow international Jack Cock, alongside his Villa teammates Andy Ducat and Frank Barson.
Scotland's most capped female international, goalkeeper Gemma Fay, made her acting debut in the Sky Living one-off drama Rubenesque in 2013.
Woking stalwart Laurence Batty had a role in the BBC Screen One episode Born Kicking back in 1992, naturally playing the part of the goalkeeper.
West Germany goalkeeper Harald Schumacher has made appearances in the German comedy TV series Kroymann and Freunde für immer - Das Leben ist rund since hanging up his gloves.
Former Romanian international goalkeeper Răducanu Necula was something of a charismatic character, often appearing in television shows, and was cast as an actor in two comedy films - Totul Pentru Fotbal (Everything for football) in 1978 and in the 2008 movie Legiunea Străină (The foreign legion).
IFK Norrköping goalkeeper Jan Connman played himself in the 2018 Swedish movie The Unthinkable.
Sweden's World Cup semi-final goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli made an appearance in the 1996 Swedish mini-series Silvermannen.
Former Arsenal and Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann appears in the 2010 South African film Themba, playing a character called Big John!
Sweden's goalkeeping superstar of the 1970s, Ronnie Hellström, made a number of appearances in various Swedish TV series, typically playing himself, including Café Bärs and Svensson Svensson...i Nöd & Lust plus the 1974 film Stubby.
Newcastle United and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Willie McFaul made a cameo appearance in the UK kids TV series Jossy's Giants in 1986 when he was the Magpies' manager.