Ex-Premier league superstar becomes a pilot despite breaking his two legs at just age 27 (photo)

What do you do as a footballer when your promising career is shattered at the prime age of 27 by two broken legs? 

For many, it would likely lead to some form of depression as a lot of players solely rely on their feet to earn quite a living. 

But for Richard Kell, he had a backup plan which was arguably better than playing football. Sunsport reports the former Middlesbrough took interest in learning how to fly planes when he was recuperating from an injury at Scunthorpe United from 2001-2004. 

Fast forward 18 years later and Kell is now a licensed airline captain for commercial airline Jet2. Super Eagles forward named among worst English Premier League players in history At the time, he had just recovered from a broken leg but was still struggling to get back to full fitness. 

How he got to gain interest in flying is quite a story of chance as he explained in a recent interview. 

Since he was on a month-to-month contract, he found himself travelling quite a lot during his injury spell and during one pre-season tour, he fortuitously found himself in a conversation with his pilot just before a flight to Ireland. 

It turned out his injuries were a blessing in disguise as he was able to pursue pilot training on a more regular basis. 

"I had completed about 10-15 hours training, however, my fitness returned, I signed a new contract and my pilots training was put on the 'back burner' for a time," he explained as quoted by Sunsport. 

Kell also credited his analytical skills in football for the fast manner in which he was able to grasp some plane concepts. 

"Finally, I was a fairly technical player so my overall touch and hand/ eye coordination is a great attribute to have as a pilot, helping me instinctively know when to apply power and rudder," he said. 

The pre-mature retirement from football came with its own blessing as Kell was handed a huge token by the PFA, as well as an educational grant which enabled him to finance his aviation courses. 

Since one can fly well into their 60s, Kell considers his post-football career choice a long-term investment.