Gary Neville: Former Man United captain linked to seismic career switch | OneFootball

If there is one arena that matches football’s penchant for drama, it is politics.

Footballer politicians

The 1995 FIFA Player of the Year, George Weah, famously became the president of Liberia in 2018.

Romario was also elected to become a Brazilian senator, and former Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko briefly entered the political arena in his native Ukraine.

Gary Neville

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has had an incredibly busy post-playing career.

He has worked as a pundit and commentator on Sky Sports since 2012.

Neville is also a hotelier, property developer, and university founder.

The former fullback has also dipped his toes into the political pool before, making his leanings well known.

Speaking in 2022, he stated, “I want to support Labour. I do believe that we need a progressive Labour party but one that not just looks after the left side … it has to come towards the centre.”

Political opportunity

With the ruling Labour party in disarray in the United Kingdom, Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is set to “make a bid to return as an MP as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Keir Starmer.”

This will leave a void at the mayor position of the city, and according to Sky News, there have been discussions that Labour may pursue Neville.

Sky reporter Sam Coates posted on X that “Gary Neville has been discussed inside Labour as a possible Andy Burnham replacement – but I’m told it is unclear if he’s been approached.”

He also asked Neville to respond on the social media platform, but no comment was forthcoming.

Neville has spoken on a possible political career in the past with BBC’s Nick Robinson and claimed, “I say to myself sometimes ‘I’m able to communicate. I know what I want. I have got a business mind, I can manage people.’ But I just think I’d get eaten alive. I don’t know what Whitehall’s like, what Westminster’s like, I can only imagine what you have to do there to survive and I don’t play the game. So how can I get in?”

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