A former Celtic title winner who played in the Uefa Cup Final has revealed how his life has gone down the drain since he quit football.
That’s because he’s retrained to become a SEWER expert.
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Joos Valgaeren was a huge part of Martin O’Neill’s successful Celtic side of the early 2000s.
The defender won three league titles with the Hoops after joining O’Neill’s revolution 25 years ago in a £3.8million deal from Roda.
A 19-times capped Belgian international, Valgaeren also won three Scottish Cups and a League Cup with Celtic.
He also played in the 2003 Uefa Cup Final defeat to Porto in Seville.
Valgaeren turns 50 next year and, unlike plenty of his former colleagues, wasn’t interested in staying in the game.
And he’s revealed he’s now a sewage management expert.
Valgaeren said: “After I quit football, I studied to get a diploma as a certified land surveyor and I got a job at a company responsible for water purification.
“It was a fantastic job that I did for 11 years, but I recently retrained as a sewer disconnection expert.
“We visit private individuals or organisations to see how we can improve their sewer systems.”
But the former Club Brugge star, who retired from playing at the age of 34, admits he has nothing but great memories from his time at Celtic.
He said: “My wife and I loved living in Glasgow. It certainly helped that the club was flourishing at that time. Eighty per cent of your well-being is determined by sporting success.
“We lived in a beautiful flat in a great neighbourhood.
“My wife preferred to go south initially, but after her first visit to a Celtic home game, she was sold.
“Lionel Messi once said he’d never experienced a better atmosphere than Celtic, although he didn’t really like the football itself!
“It was a dream, especially when you’re always winning, like at Celtic. Or playing memorable matches against Barcelona or Juventus.
“During those Champions League campaigns with Celtic, I realised I was experiencing something unique.
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“And I get that same feeling now when I find an Andres Iniesta or Xavi shirt in the attic.
“I’m still incredibly proud of playing for Belgium, but I did reach my limit there. When Luc Nilis kicked a ball, I saw a difference. With the national team, I had to be on my toes.
“I wasn’t Vincent Kompany or Jan Vertonghen. Besides, at a certain point, the national team became more of a mission. Celtic weren’t exactly eager for me to be selected either.
“You’re always dealing with a lingering injury. And then you have to fly to Belgium on a Monday and from there travel to Bulgaria for an international match. And then back again later in the week.”
And Valgaeren, in an interview in his homeland, insists he’s pleased he returned to a ‘normal’ life.
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He explained: “Going back to study was really hard at first because I hadn’t held a textbook in my hands for about 20 years.
“But those feelings soon disappeared and actually, I’m almost as proud of overcoming that hurdle as I am of my football career.”
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