There is an increasing number of footballers that have made the shift to horse racing at the end of their footballing career. However, this is not a new trend as there are a few footballers that had done so in the past. Here are 4 former footballers that have made the transition to horse racing.

Joey Barton
Most football fans will remember the former Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder for his antics off the pitch rather than his playing skills. The player was a nightmare to manage for every manager he has played for, and the majority of them will be hoping that he never play for them again.

Minnesota United moved from the bottom of the Western Conference following a convincing 4-0 win over DC United.

Minnesota had failed to find the net in their previous three outings, but they managed to settle the scores against DC. Christian Ramirez and Abu Danladi gave Minnesota a 2-0 lead before halftime while an own goal added another to their tally. Miguel Ibarra finished things off with a delightful in injury time in the second half. Meanwhile, Seattle Sounders had to adjust with a 1-1 draw against LA Galaxy after they failed to find the breakthrough despite their opponents playing with 10 men in the dying minutes.

Sunderland take on Derby in the first weekend of the Championship action as they seek a return to the top flight in the first instance.

After having been relegated from the top division in extremely poor circumstances by finishing bottom of the table, Sunderland will have their work cut out in the 2017-18 season. Simon Grayson was appointed as the new manager for the club in place of David Moyes, who left Sunderland at the end of the season. The club have been reasonably active in the summer transfer window by bringing in the likes of James Vaughan, Jason Steele, Aiden McGeady, and Tyias Browning. There have also been a couple of loan signings in the form of Lewis Grabban and Brendan Galloway.

Orlando City succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to Toronto FC in their previous Major League Soccer outing.

Jozy Altidore pulled Toronto ahead with an 18th minute opener from close range. Sebastian Giovinco therein doubled the lead for the Canadian-based club just a minute into the second-half. Carlos Rivas managed to make it 1-2 for Orlando on the night but Giovinco’s brilliant free-kick in the 65th minute sealed all three points for Greg Vanney’s side. On the other hand, Atlanta United enjoyed a fairly routine win over San Jose Earthquakes, but the game was marred with disciplinary issues.

Seattle Sounders will look to get back to winning ways when they take on Eastern Conference opponents Orlando City in Major League Soccer on Wednesday.

The MLS Cup winners suffered an unfortunate defeat at the hands of New York City FC last weekend, and this has seen them drop further down the table. Sounders are currently placed eighth in the Western Conference, eighth points behind Sporting KC, who have played a game more.

Having already been bought by Jose Mourinho twice before, the bookies fancy that Nemanja Matic will be following the Portuguese to Old Trafford before the summer transfer window slams shut.

He had his first stint with the Blues before the turn of the current decade and succeeded in making just two Premier League appearances before Vitesse and later Benfica offered to give him something Abrahamovic’s philosophy of squad building (i.e. buying world class footballers instead of promoting from within), would never permit, the chance to have a consistent run of match appearances.

Although Matic’s stay with the Primeira Liga giants yielded both happy and sad times as the team won a couple of Portugal’s league championships, the back to back Europa League final losses did enough to impress the rest of europe with the progress made by the club as a whole.

Struggling to think of something to bet on while the football season takes a break? Have you ever considered Forex?

If you attempt to make a profit by speculating on the currency exchanges – whether by conventional forex trading or the relatively recent phenomenon of spread betting – it may sometimes seem as if those exchanges have a will of their own. Even the terms in which they are discussed lend fuel to this line of reasoning, with seasoned commentators speaking of the markets ‘reacting nervously’ or ‘responding well’ as if a collection of literally millions of individuals taking part in a global, decentralised market could be treated as a unified organism with a single ‘point of view’.

Eastern Conference leaders Toronto FC will take on bottom club DC United in Major League Soccer on Saturday night.

The Canadian-based franchise have lost just twice in their opening 15 games of the season, and this has propelled them to the top of the league standings. On the other hand, DC United have suffered the exact opposite with 10 defeats in 14 outings. The game could be termed as a one-sided encounter on paper, but Toronto recently faced a 3-0 thumping at the hands of New England, who are seventh in the table.

Spanish side Real Madrid could be the first side to successfully defend the Champions League title they won last year.

After seeing off a resilient Atletico side, they made the final against Juventus who had defeated French side Monaco in the semis as well. Madrid have an excellent attack but they would come against a side with top notch defence this year.

LA Galaxy will be making the trip to Minnesota United full of confidence. Manager Curt Onalfo has started making an impact on the team, despite the club being away from a consistent set of results.

The team lost a number of key players like Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane over the summer. Hence, they were always expected to struggle at the start of the 2017 campaign. This has only been compounded by the absence of key players like Ashley Cole and Giovanni Dos Santos in the first few games of the season. Now, though, LA Galaxy are unbeaten in the last three matches as they head into the game against Minnesota United.