ENGLAND U21. GOLF. BORO.

Once a walking yellow card, Lee Cattermole has discovered his inner peace on the golf course since retirement, and he might be even better than Gareth Bale

- Ryan Dabbs

Lee Cattermole was a no-nonsense footballer – 91 yellow cards and seven reds in 272 Premier League games are testament to that. Since hanging up his boots, however, the former Middlesbrough, Wigan and Sunderland man has found serenity on the fairways after swapping the pitch for the pitching wedge.

“I started playing when I was 11,” Cattermole explains to FFT. “I’m not sure why but I just took an interest. A couple of my dad’s work-mates at the time were playing at a club called Dinsdale Spa in Middleton St George, so I joined there and fell in love with the game from then.

“I played every summer, all the way through until I made my first-team debut for Middlesbrough at 17. I went a bit quiet on golf for a few years, then quickly realised I needed it again so picked it back up.”