FORMER Tottenham icon Ramon Vega earned millions of pounds away from the game.
But his various attempts to get back into football have been repeatedly laughed off.
Vega, 52, joined Spurs from Cagliari in 1997 and spent four years at White Hart Lane, spending the final six months on loan with Celtic.
He managed 84 appearances for the club – scoring eight – but was hardly a cult hero in North London, leaving to join Watford in 2001 where he was equally unremarkable.
But after retiring from the beautiful game in 2003, the 23-cap Switzerland man took the unconventional route into finance.
Vega, who read the Economist on the Spurs team bus, became a founding member of Duet Asset Management, a London-based hedge fund which managed £1.9billion of assets.
READ MORE ON FOOTBALL
I started a football team aged 18 & now we are in Europa Conference League
World-class stadium looks unrecognisable as iconic walls are torn down
Six years later he founded Vega Swiss Asset Management, where he started work at 7am, finished around 10pm and still found time to play 5-a-side.
However, the effects of Brexit saw the firm collapse – and it dissolved in May 2023.
Vega also had the Matterhorn Capital Rosalp which saw him develop luxury hotels.
He co-owned a jewellery shop in Romford and opened a football school in Marbella, too.
Most read in Football
Harry Maguire to Chelsea TWIST, Andre Onana £47.2m deal imminent
Man City 'keen' on Raphinha after Gvradiol agreement, Barca 'join' Kane race
Wrexham let Chelsea break blatant rule in pre-season friendly thrashing
Henderson snubs Klopp for £108m Saudi deal… and England stars could follow
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
The former defender, though, told SunSport he is desperately keen to make a return to the sport.
In 2009, he made an ambitious attempt to buy Portsmouth – but it fell apart.
The Fratton Park club said: "As Mr Vega was consistently unable to demonstrate an ability to secure financing for his proposal, the board, which includes the owner, decided to reject the proposal unless Mr Vega could satisfy them that the club's future would not be compromised. This was not forthcoming."
And Vega even had grand plans to take over as Celtic's CEO and even as the Fifa president – in charge at the very top of world football.
But once again his initial efforts in 2015 and 2019 were thwarted.
However, he has not given up hope on succeeding Gianni Infantino at the next election.
Vega told World Soccer: "Fifa is a closed shop. I’m an outsider and I’m up against a cartel.
"I’ve spent my own money travelling around the world speaking to associations and they want change.
Read More on The Sun
I got my lips tattooed but it went wrong…trolls say I look like a Flappy Bird
Tesco shoppers rush to buy must-have that’s scanning for £19.50 instead of £70
"They are not happy with the current system but they’re too scared to speak out. They’re scared that the money they’ve been promised will be withheld.
"However, my ambition remains the same in that I’ll return to my hometown of Zurich in four years’ time as Fifa president."
Source: Read Full Article