Episode 36 of Winners on Wednesday features ex Welsh international footballer Christian Ribeiro. Christian shares his unique story from teen football sensation to being forced to retire at the early age of just 27.
Having been on the rise as a young footballer Christian was slated for great things. Playing for the Welsh U21 at 17 and breaking into the Bristol first team. Disaster struck for Christian as he suffered a career-threatening knee injury at 20. After a somewhat full recover from this injury, he physically was never the same again.
This contributed to a slow decline in Christian’s football career and by the age of 27, he was told he would never able to run again. He made the decision to retire. Unsure of what move to make next after playing football. His whole life had been dedicated to football retiring left a huge void in his life. Luckily for Christian being injured early on in his career, he was able to be better prepared for life after football.
He purchased his first property at 19. At the time of his retirement he decided that property would be the best route for him to go to after football. Samuel and Christian have been in constant communication for over five years. He attended the very first property investor’s crash course run by Samuel.
Christian believes that education is vital for all sports when they approach retire. A lot of footballers believe that the money they are making will last forever but it doesn’t. As quickly as they are making money they are spending it not preparing themselves for life after the game. The higher the earnings the higher the expenditure on life.
Owning over 60 houses Christian dream and focus on properties has really taken fruition. Being based in Manchester he along with his business partner have created a bespoke portfolio building service. This is designed to help sportsmen and women who may not have the necessary knowledge to invest. He offers an end to end service that helps people get ready to buy property and close deals when they have done all the steps.
In order to be successful Christian believes along with the knowledge you must take action. This is can make or break for anyone getting started. Having been mentored by Samuel for a whole year in 2015 he was instilled with this philosophy and wants to pass it on.
