Tottenham star who won Europa League last season quits football and decides to pursue career as photographer

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Alfie Whiteman has retired at 26 and joined Somesuch as a photographer. He left the club in the summer after the expiration of his contract.

Whiteman came through Spurs' academy and made just one senior appearance for the club. He played eight minutes in their UEFA Europa League 4-0 win over Ludogorets at home in the group stage in the 2020-21 season under Jose Mourinho. He was largely the third or fourth choice goalkeeper during his senior career at Spurs.

Whiteman was part of the Tottenham squad that ended the club's 17-year trophy drought, winning the UEFA Europa League last season. The Englishman is a boyhood Spurs fan and shared his experience of the victory parade near his stadium, telling The Athletic:

“My house is two minutes from the stadium. I used to walk to the home games. So the bus goes past my road, my sister, my best friend who lives at the house with me, they’re there waving from my street. I spotted a girl who goes to the youth centre that I was volunteering at; I did her headshots because she wants to be an actor. I was like, ‘Hey!’ And she was there in disbelief like, ‘What are you doing on the bus?’ It was funny.”

Tottenham let Whiteman go as a free agent in the summer upon the expiration of his contract.

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Alfie Whiteman explains his decision to join Somesuch after leaving Tottenham

Whiteman was always known for his love for films, shows, and photography during his time at Tottenham. He even led a collaboration between the club and Letterboxd, an online catalog service for films and shows, in June this year.

After leaving Spurs, Whiteman gave trials at one League One side and one EFL Championship club. The League One side couldn't afford him, while the Championship side offered him a six-month contract as the second-choice goalkeeper.

He then decided to quit football instead, as he explained:

“There was a weekend when I went home, and I started contemplating all my options. I had other things I’ve been building on the side and it was more exciting to me. To put it plainly, I saw happiness in these other avenues. “It got to this point where I’d rather end this on my terms than go to a club that I just didn’t want to go to. When I was younger, I always said I didn’t want to play in the lower leagues; it was always about the highest level. Otherwise, I’d rather do something else. So I just took this step into the unknown, and I was like, ‘Oh, holy s***. I’m actually doing it.’ Anything can happen. I’m in complete control of my life, and it’s really exciting and really scary,” he added.

The former Tottenham man has already worked with the likes of Central Cee and Nike. He also helped make a short film for a footwear brand, which received great reviews. Somesuch has now signed him as a professional film and commercial director.

Edited by Aditya Singh