England Legend Swaps Football Glory for Life as a Courier

Former England goalkeeper Nigel Spink reached the pinnacle of the sport during his playing days – but he has since swapped football pitches for the open road.

An Aston Villa legend, Spink enjoyed a distinguished career that also saw him earn his sole England cap in 1983.

The 67-year-old received his Three Lions call-up a year after coming to Villa’s rescue during the club’s greatest triumph in the 1982 European Cup final.

ADVERTISEMENT

Replacing the injured Jimmy Rimmer after just 10 minutes, in only his second appearance for Villa, Spink kept a clean sheet against Bayern Munich and began his lengthy tenure as the club’s number one, totalling 460 games. On the international stage, his career highlight came as a second-half substitute for Peter Shilton, not conceding in a 1-1 draw.

After hanging up his boots, Spink enjoyed success as a coach but opted to leave football behind in 2013, choosing to map out a new career as a courier.

The Villa icon had a two-year spell as Forest Green Rovers manager and later worked as a goalkeeping coach under Steve Bruce at Birmingham City, Wigan and Sunderland. It was at the end of his time at the Black Cats, having been lent a van to clear his apartment by his future business partner Paul Munro, that Spink began to form the idea that would prompt him to leave football in 2013.

“That November, we were actually driving back with the van loaded up, and we thought, what a great job this has been,” he previously told Birmingham Live. “We spent the best part of 18 months researching it. We’ve done a lot of homework and preparation.”

The pair now run S and M Couriers, operating across the UK. Spink seemingly has no regrets about stepping away from football. However, as BirminghamLive reported, he recently returned to the stadium in which he won the European Cup ahead of Villa’s Europa League victory over Feyenoord.

“I enjoy every minute of it,” Spink said about his courier business. “We have some wonderful clients we work with all the time, and we’re open to anything. Both of us have had our vans in Villa colours – the club is still a big favourite for both of us.

“We work Monday to Friday, which is perfect because after years working every weekend and Bank Holiday as a footballer, I now get to have quality time with my family at the weekends.”

Spink made his name on the biggest stage in club football, had the honour of his representing his country and became a Villa hero. While many would dream of living out Spink’s playing days, it seems he is equally content with his unlikely new career.