Paul Konchesky says retirement terrifies him so he still plays for non-league Billericay
PAUL KONCHESKY signed for little Billericay Town as the thought of hanging up his boots terrified him.
The former Premier League defender, 35, joined the Essex-based Ryman League Premier club earlier this month after leaving Gillingham.
Paul Konchesky has signed for Billericay Town after leaving Sky Bet League One side Gillinghamnicky hayesThe 35-year-old has signed for the lowly Essex-based club having played for Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athleticnicky hayes
In his time, he played 627 professional games and won two England caps, after making his debut for Charlton nearly 20 years ago.
Now, having appeared in an FA Cup final with West Ham and Europa League final with Fulham — and for and against some of the biggest clubs in the world — he is turning out in the seventh tier.
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Playing in front of crowds of just a few hundred because he cannot bear to give up the game he loves and that has been his life.
He said: “I’ve got nothing other than football. I know nothing other than football. As a kid, it’s all I wanted to do and I’ve focused so much of my life on that, I don’t know how to do anything else and I don’t want to do anything else.
“I’ve been lucky enough to have the career I’ve had. But I worked hard for it and put everything I had into it that it’s all I know.
“So the thought of coming out of football completely was scary.
He has moved the Ryman Premier League club insisting money doesn’t motivate him, and he just wants to play footballnicky hayesPaul Konchesky has admitted the thought of retirement scared him, and he would like to see more players join lower league clubsnicky hayes
“I’ve got a great family but when I spoke with them about jacking it in they started asking me what I was going to do.
“They got on my case so much, probably too much, because it frightened me and I realised I wasn’t ready to hang up my boots.”
Konchesky was 16 years and 93 days when he made his Charlton bow against Oxford in August 1997.
He went on to play for Tottenham (loan), West Ham, Fulham, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest (loan), Leicester and QPR (loan) before joining Gillingham last summer.
He made his England debut on the same night Wayne Rooney made his — a friendly against Australia at Upton Park in 2003.
And he admitted: “When you are 23, 24, 25 and things are going sky high, you don’t think the day will ever come when you have to think about retiring. Now I’m here ten years later — which seems to have gone in the click of a finger — and it is suddenly upon me.
“I never thought I’d drop so far down but I want to keep playing. I’m not motivated by money, it genuinely means nothing to me.
“I know I am going to get pelters. But I am big enough to take it, I haven’t got a big ego so I don’t see why there should be a problem.
“I’m not the first player at this level to drop down from the league and I’d like to see more do it.”
Konchesky has bought his mum a pie and mash shop in Essex but admitted: “I never planned for my own future because I didn’t want to think about that day.
“Coaching is something I’m looking into now.
“I’m going to try to do my badges — and if I can do them and still play then it would be a bonus.”
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