The reasons for calling it a day were more rational. As a footballer it is not just about the playing a match, that was the easy bit.

The first year I sold a photo to was a lady who thought I was a chef, for some reason. I’ve no idea why.

Training is such a vital part of preparation for a game, you really do train to play. It tops up your ability, like sharpening a carving knife. You can get away with not doing it...

I was pleased that two very disparate photographs, two images that each worked in their own way had appealed enough to other people for them to buy them. I was also relieved they weren’t the...

What it all boils down to for me is having the enthusiasm to do something for enjoyment and being stimulated by what’s around you. That’s what photography does for me.

Why go now? That is the question people asked when I announced I was retiring. A combination of things made me feel it was all drawing to a natural end.

When you live by the sea, there are definite seasons when you can see the weather coming and going, which lends itself to photography.

You need to be an adrenalin junkie when you travel with kids.

The problem for me is that I’ve never actually studied photography, so it’s quite a steep learning curve. Cameras these days do so much for you automatically but I still think there’s a point where...

Your environment definitely plays a part in the things you enjoy and because mine was quite dramatic, I wanted to record my relationship with it.

We spent a lot of time on the beach when I was young so I’d also take pictures of seaweed and crabs.

In the last year my wife has noticed me struggling to get downstairs on a Sunday morning. I’ve two young children and football has been so good to me over the years I don’t want...

From my point of view what I have to do now is appreciate and enjoy what football gave me, but now do something else with the same energy and enthusiasm I gave to football without...

So it was a hard decision but I know it is the right one.

I was 36, my contract was coming to an end and a series of persistent minor injuries were stopping me playing as regularly as I wanted to.

Digital has obviously changed things a lot, but not all for the better as far as I’m concerned. Of course it’s much more convenient and you’re getting instant results, but to me it just lacks...

I’d very much like to create my own style as a photographer, even if it’s just for myself.

My wife Mariana is a good photographer too and, like me, she just picks up a camera and takes a picture when she sees something, rather than looking too deeply into it.

I’ve had one very bad ankle injury but otherwise I’ve been incredibly lucky with my fitness. I’ve worked hard at it and I’ve always been fit even compared to other players. That sustains you through...

Sometimes I’ll go by and there are a couple of swans, the next day it’s a few ducks. I’d like to stop there every day for a year and capture how it changes, then put...