Former Premier League star got recognised while interviewing suspect after becoming police detective

A former Premier League defender was recognised while interviewing a suspect as part of his post-football job as a police detective.

After retiring from football, many players either decide to stay in the game as a coach or manager, or take up a different sport entirely.

It is very rare, though, for an ex-footballer to move into the police force or other emergency service.

Former Leicester striker Tommy Wright, who played for Leicester between 2001 and 2006 and spent one season in the Premier League, became a police officer in Leicestershire after graduating from the police academy in 2020.

Meanwhile, ex-Wigan defender Arjan de Zeeuw became a detective after he decided to hang up his boots.

The Dutch centre-back played five seasons in the Premier League with Barnsley, Portsmouth and Wigan between 1997 and 2007, and played in Arsenal's final game at Highbury against the Latics in 2006.

He retired at the age of 39 in 2009 and subsequently became an investigative detective in his home country, where he specialises in forensics.

De Zeeuw ended his career with Dutch side ADO '20, and played for Telstar between 1992 and 1995, but otherwise spent his entire senior playing career in England.

Arjan de Zeeuw represented Premier League sides Barnsley, Portsmouth and Wigan during his playing career (Image: Getty)

But speaking to The Guardian in 2015, the now 54-year-old revealed that he was once recognised during a police interview - and briefly paused to talk to the suspect about football.

"We were interviewing a suspect about numerous burglaries," he said. "And the guy said, 'I know you. You used to be that footballer who played in England!'

"So we chatted about football and then carried on discussing the crime."

De Zeeuw is still working with the Dutch police force - but admitted to his former Wigan team-mate Emmerson Boyce in 2020 that, although he has loved the job, it wasn't necessarily his initial first choice for his post-playing career.

He said: "I realised that I loved playing football so much that I didn't not want to play it and be on the side of the pitch all the time.

"I thought, 'No, I'm not going to do all the badges and go into management. I'm just going to get out of football altogether'.

"Having a medical degree, my first idea was to become a doctor, but at the time the Dutch police were looking for people with higher education to do a fast-track course into the police force. It sounded like a little bit of a boys' dream - being in fast cars and having a gun and all that stuff.

"I realised it still going to take me a long time to become a doctor, whereas it was a much quicker route into the police force."

De Zeeuw has still kept involved with football, coaching at several amateur sides - and he is set to begin his first role in management from next season.

He has agreed to take charge of Dutch fourth-tier amateur side Voetbal Vereniging Sint Bavo (VVSB), and will assume the role at the end of the current campaign.

It is expected that he will combine the job with his work in the police force, having coached at several amateur clubs over recent years.

VVSB board member Theo Nulkes said: "Arjan fits in well with our policy and concretely developed profile.

"He has always played and worked in an environment where struggle, passion and team spirit are central. He is a modern trainer, a motivator with an enthusiastic positive approach and has empathy."