Gary Neville has revealed how he led a secret "double life" during his illustrious Manchester United career, studying architecture and developing properties whilst keeping it hidden from Sir Alex Ferguson.
The former United defender, who made 602 appearances for the club between 1992 and 2011, would discreetly review architectural plans whilst his teammates played poker on team flights.
Neville knew he had to keep his property ventures under wraps from Ferguson, who demanded complete focus on football from his players.
Speaking to The Times, Neville disclosed how he managed this covert operation for over a decade, describing it as "almost double life."
Gary Neville has revealed how he led a secret "double life" during his illustrious Manchester United career, studying architecture and developing properties whilst keeping it hidden from Sir Alex Ferguson
PA
"Purely because I knew that it would be deemed a distraction," Neville explained.
"You could not be distracted by anything. At the same time, I knew that my football career would one day come to an end."
To avoid detection from Ferguson's watchful eye, Neville strategically built his properties in northern Bolton, away from the southern Manchester areas where most players lived and where the manager's network typically monitored.
The former England international would secretly study architectural drawings during team flights, particularly after matches when sleep was difficult.
Gary Neville became a key player for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United during his playing days
PA
"I'd make sure no one was sitting next to me and then get them out and start looking at the drawings, the designs and all the things I needed to do," Neville revealed.
He took extra precautions by using a trustee's name on official documents rather than his own to maintain his cover.
"If you asked me what I know most about other than football, it would be property," he admitted.
Neville's dedication to learning the property trade saw him immersing himself in every aspect of development after training sessions.
"I was going up on site every afternoon after training. I don't know what other lads did," he continued.
"But I would go on site, spend time in the design team meetings, sit on the construction meetings and make sure I was in cost meetings, bank meetings, sales meetings."
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His passion for the industry grew alongside his footballing career. "I loved every aspect of it," he revealed.
The former defender's commitment to both careers demonstrated remarkable time management, as he balanced Premier League football with his property ambitions.
"For 10, 12 years, I had this almost double life," Neville said, highlighting the extent of his secret venture.
The former right-back's secret property ventures proved highly successful, with the former defender developing 25 executive homes over the following decade.
Gary Neville won every major trophy during his time at Manchester United
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Most of these properties were sold, though Neville retained four of them, including one where his mother currently resides.
His early foray into property development laid the foundation for what would become a substantial business empire.
Today, Neville oversees 56 businesses with a combined worth of £100million.
"I've still got four. My mum lives in one of them," Neville said of his initial development project.
