Friday, October 31, 2025 - Alfie Whiteman, a Tottenham Hotspur Europa League winner, quietly retired from professional football over the summer at the age of 27 to pursue a career in photography.
The former goalkeeper walked away with a winner's medal from
Spurs' victory over Manchester United in Bilbao in May.
However, Whiteman found himself dropping further down the
pecking order at his boyhood club, often being the third, fourth, or even fifth
choice between the sticks. With his chances of playing for the club he loved,
he lived just two minutes from the stadium—looking low, he channeled his energy
into other passions, including acting classes, hosting a radio show, and
developing his skills as a photographer.
The star, who joined Spurs when he was 10 years old, left the
club as a free agent in the summer with only a single senior appearance to his
name—a second-half substitute role in the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in
2021.
He had transfer interest from clubs as high as the
Championship, where he was offered a six-month contract to be a No. 2, and also
had a trial at a League One side that ultimately couldn't offer a deal due to
financial issues. But rather than trying to forge a career in the EFL, Whiteman
chose to hang up his gloves.
That decision, made just months after Spurs’ glorious night
in Spain, has sparked an incredibly unique career switch. Whiteman has since
signed as a photographer to Somesuch, a global production company with offices
in London and Los Angeles. Somesuch notably produced Aneil Karia’s ‘The Long
Goodbye,’ which won the 2022 Oscar for Best Live Action Short.
Speaking to The Athletic (via The Sun) about his decision,
Whiteman explained his early disillusionment with the sport: “I signed for
Spurs at 10 years old. Then I left school at 16 and went straight into this
full-time life of football. When I was around 17 or 18, living in digs, I just
had this feeling inside of, ‘Is this it?’”
“Getting on the mini bus, going to training, doing the Sports
Science BTEC (he also did an A Level in Economics) and going home to play video
games. I realized, ‘Oh, I’m not happy here’ from quite a young age," he
admitted.
He described the insular nature of the football world,
noting: "The stereotype of a footballer is generally quite true. It’s the
golf, washbag culture. I was that young footballer.
I wanted the Gucci washbag and I drove the Mercedes.
You all just become a reflection of each other. You’re a product of your
environment. It’s the way football is in this country; it’s so shut off from
anything else. You go to training and then you go home, that’s it.”
Whiteman felt he didn't quite fit in. “I guess I always felt
a little bit different. My team-mates — who I got on well with — called me a
hippie. That was their definition."
Meeting his ex-girlfriend, a model, and her friend, a
director, changed his perspective: “It just started opening my eyes to what
life has to offer. So as I was getting a bit older around 18 or 19, I started
meeting new people and realizing a bit more about myself, and understanding the
football bubble, because it’s so insular.”
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