Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Tottenham's wacky left-back has had a career change after football

Never one to conform to the expectations of a professional footballer, former Tottenham Hotspur defender Benoit Assou-Ekotto has taken an equally unconventional approach to life after retirement. After spending eight years away from the game, he's found a new purpose helping others navigate personal and emotional difficulties through his own therapy practice.

While many former players look to remain connected to the sport that defined their careers, Assou-Ekotto has taken a very different route. He joined Spurs in 2006 and went on to become a first-team regular.

After more than 200 appearances for the club, he returned to France for stints with Saint-Etienne and then Metz. He called time on his playing career in 2018.

That, though, barely scratches the surface of his relationship with football and his fascinating second act upon retirement. After his final match as a player, Assou-Ekotto was done with the spotlight.

"I really wanted to disconnect after my career,"he explained to Cameroon's CRTV. "I spent eight years dedicating myself to my family and resting.

Now, in his next step, he's looking to help others as a therapist. Recently, I opened my own practice.

I am a therapist in supportive counselling. Essentially, I accompany people through listening and dialogue to help them overcome personal or emotional difficulties.

It is something of a total reinvention, with very little ties to his past career. But in a lot of ways, that's very on brand for a man who candidly admitted he only ever saw football as a job.

He told The Guardian back in 2010 that financial security was always the driving force in pursuing a career in football. If I play football with my friends back in France, I can love football," he explained.