Did you know that soccer and politics indirectly cavort with each other and it takes an intelligent individual to be able to manage the two together?
The basic meaning of the word “politics” in Greek is “the affairs of the city”
Now, isn’t this interesting? Soccer, on the other hand, is a game for the fans, a game for the people, and a game for the world – that’s why football and politics will forever be in a genial relationship.
Eugene J McCarthy once said :
“being in politics is like being a soccer coach. You have to be smart enough to understand the game and be dumb enough to think it’s important” It’s crystal clear that the basic meaning of soccer and politics is “managing the affairs of the people“.
It’s therefore imperative and justifiable if some soccer players are found in the corridors of politics whether in their national states or at the political side of football even after retirement.
This article was first published on 31 March 2020 and updated on 30 November 2022
Soccer Players Who Went Into Politics
Aboubacar Sidiki “Titi” Camara – Guinea
Aboubacar Sidiki “Titi” Camara is a former Guinean attacker that played for some European clubs.
He became the Anfield favorite in the 1999-2000 season when he dazzled the Merseyside fans against West Ham. A total of 9 goals were scored by the Guinean in 33 games, memorably scoring the winner in a game against Arsenal at Highbury.
Camara scored 74 goals in 354 career games. He managed the Syli National team in 2009 and after three months at the helm, he was replaced by Mamadi Souaré, a former Captain of the Syli National.
In December 2010, Camara became the Sports Minister of Guinea by president Alpha Condé making him the country’s first ex-sportsman to hold a government post in the country after retiring. He was replaced in 2012.
Romario – Brazil
Romario is one footballer that had a colorful career as a football player.
Unlike some of his colleagues, having wowed the football world and becoming one of the best players Brazil has produced, the former Barcelona striker has gone a long way to dispel the fable and sterile cliche that “players are only useful in football“.
In the 2010 general election, Romário was elected to the Chamber of Deputies on the Brazilian Socialist Party ticket.
He was the sixth most-voted candidate for deputy in Rio de Janeiro. He’s so much influential and vociferous so much so that he pushed his political agenda against the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, denouncing the event as immersed in corruption and money laundering.
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Romário announced on the 19th of February 2014 that he would run for the Brazilian senate in the 2014 general election, and the decision was officially confirmed in June.
On October 5, Romario was elected to the Brazilian senate with the most votes received ever by a candidate representing the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Romário currently is the incumbent federal senator from Rio De Janeiro- the office he assumed on the 1st of February 2015.
And he’s the fourth-highest goal scorer for the Brazil national team, behind Pelé, Ronaldo, and Neymar. He is second on the all-time list of the Brazilian league’s top scorers with 154 goals.
He is the second-most prolific goal scorer in the history of football. Football and Politics – Romário was born and shaped up for the two!
Kakha Kaladze – Georgian
The former AC Milan and Dynamo Kyiv defender was so versatile in his days as a player. The then footballer can play in the center-back, left-full back, and wide midfield positions in those days. He scored 27 goals in 538 career games.
Shortly after his retirement from football in 2012, he became an MP in October of the same year in the capacity of Deputy Prime Minister and later as Minister of Energy due to his wealth of experience in the energy business and how he can use his experience to rake in more money for his country, Georgia.
In July 2017, Kaladze resigned as Energy minister in order to run for Tbilisi mayor in the upcoming local elections and On 22 October, he was elected mayor as a candidate of Georgian Dream, winning the elections with 51% of the votes.
He was sworn in on 13 November 2017 and to date, he still occupies the position.
Segun Odegbami – Nigeria
Are you shocked to see the Nigerian football veteran on this list? Everything about “Mathematical 7” is football but he also has a tremendous love for politics.
The 69-year-old Nigerian has at one point (September 2015 precisely) stated his intention for the FIFA presidency – but never contested. Elections in Nigeria happen every four years, (just like the FIFA World Cup) and to remind you again, football and politics are in tandem!
The former captain of the Nigerian National team contested for the Governorship seat in the South-Western part of Nigeria, Ogun State on the radar of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).
Albeit, he came sixth at the polls, he has never stopped trying to serve his motherland in the political aspect. He’s worthy of a spot in our list of footballers that became politicians after retirement.
Pelè – Brazil
Edson Arantes do Nascimento commonly known and referred to as Pelé is arguably one of the Greatest players of all time, scoring 1283 goals in 1366 appearances. Can you beat that?
Although he was not directly a public office holder, he was always one way or the order involved in politics.
Pelé was appointed a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1994 and a year later, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso appointed Pelé to the position of Extraordinary Minister for Sport.
He’s also a bigwig in the proceedings and making of decisions on every soccer-related issue in the world. A soccer god!
Hakan Şükür – Turkey
The story of this young gentleman is a story one might be emotional about. A successful footballer, and after soccer, got involved in politics and is now an Uber driver and also a bookseller in the United States.
Şükür is of Albanian origin. Both his parents are immigrants from Yugoslavia, his father being born in Pristina, and his mother in Skopje.
Şükür represented Turkey a total of 112 times scoring 51 goals, making him the nation’s top goalscorer and 19th in the world at the time of his retirement.
One of the most prolific strikers of the modern era, he netted 383 goals throughout his club career as well as the fastest ever in a World Cup, in 2002.
He retired from football in 2008, only scoring once in single digits for his main team in 13 seasons; he was renowned for his heading ability.
He was elected as a Member of Parliament to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in the 2011 general elections, from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), representing the 2nd electoral district of Istanbul Province.
The Turkish was charged with insulting president Erdoğan on Twitter in 2016. In August of the same year, a warrant was issued for his arrest as he was charged with being a member of the Gülen movement, designated as a terrorist organization in Turkey.
Gianni Rivera
Rivera won the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 1969, as well as winning two European Cups with AC Milan and also winning European Cup with the Azzurri in 1968.
Only three players have made more appearances for AC Milan than Rivera, and he went on to become Rossoneri‘s vice president after retiring, holding various posts in Italy’s government.
He went on to become an MP, serve as an under-secretary of defense, and was a member of the European Parliament between 2005 and 2009.
Grzegorz Lato
Grzegorz Bolesław Lato is a retired Polish footballer and manager who played as a winger. He was a member of Poland’s golden generation of football players who rose to fame in the 1970s and early 80s.
He represented Poland at 5 major tournaments starting with Gold at the Summer Olympic Games in Munich in 1972, he reached the peak of his career in the 1974 World cup where he was the leading goal scorer and he remains the only polish player to have won the award to date.
He was a member of the Democratic Left Alliance, acting as a Polish senator for four years for the Rzeszow region, between 2001 and 2005.
Before being elected head of the Polish FA (PZPN), he sacked manager Leo Beenhaker live on TV after the country failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
George Weah – Liberia
The Liberian President loves to do unprecedented things. As a player, George was the first and only African to win the FIFA Ballon D’or and he has set another record that may take decades to be broken.
He’s the first player to be elected as the President of his country. After making his intention to run for the seat of the President of Liberia in 2005, he formed the Congress for Democratic Change to back his candidacy.
He was mocked by his opponents due to his lack of formal education as a handicap to his ability to lead the country, in contrast with his Harvard – educated opponent, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
He was even tagged as a “babe-in-the-woods” due to his lack of experience in public office.
Well, he didn’t win the election (You’ve got to crawl before you can walk, and you’ve got to walk before you can run) but traveled to the USA to acquire the formal education that served as an impediment to his first desire of governing his country.
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In 2014, he ran for election to the Senate as a Congress for Democratic Change candidate in Montserrado County. He was overwhelmingly elected to the Liberian Senate on 20 December 2014.
Weah defeated Robert Sirleaf, the son of President Sirleaf, becoming the first Liberian athlete elected to represent a county in the Legislature.
Weah again announced in April 2016 his intention to run for President of Liberia in the 2017 elections, standing for the Coalition for Democratic Change.
After winning the first round of the 2017 election with 38.4% of the vote, he and Joseph Boakai of the Unity Party went into the second round of the election.
In the second round, Weah was elected President of Liberia, winning a run-off against Vice President Joseph Boakai with more than 60% of the vote.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
The former Turkish Prime Minister has had quite a distinguished career in politics, but Erdogan was also a professional soccer player who has played for Turkish clubs such as Esenler Erokspor, Camialtı, and İETT Spor.
Erdogan’s adventure in football started when he was 15, He moved from Erokspor to play for Camialtı, another leading amateur club in the 1970s. where he played as a forward for seven years.
After Camialtı, İETT Spor secures his services and enjoyed 5 titles in his 7 years stint with İETT Spor, he was also studying and doing youth politics at the same time.
Erdoğan played soccer for Kasımpaşa before being elected as the Mayor of Istanbul in 1994-1998, as the candidate of the Islamist Welfare Party. He was later stripped of his position, banned from political office, and imprisoned for four months for inciting religious hatred.
And all this didn’t stop ambition and go on to become Turkey’s Prime Minister from 2003 to 2014, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is a Turkish politician serving as the 12th and current President of Turkey. Now you know.
