SINGAPORE: He was Singapore's safest pair of hands for almost a decade and, despite retiring from international football last year with 73 caps, Lionel Lewis was playing well enough to warrant consideration for a recall to the national squad for the current ASEAN Football Federation Championship.
But a persistent ankle injury put paid to the possibility of that happening, and now Lewis has decided to call it a day.
The 29-year-old Home United custodian will hang up his gloves to get a head start on his post-football career at Nanyang Polytechnic, his former school. He will be joining its Student Affairs Department.
"My friends and family know I have been thinking about my career after football," said Lewis, who had a training stint with Manchester City in 2007 and a week-long trial with Swiss side Grasshopper-Club Zurich.
"The job offer from Nanyang Polytechnic has been on the table for several months and after working out all the options, including the possibility of playing football on a part-time basis, I've decided to stop instead when my contract with Home runs out at the end of this month."
With a young family - his wife Jenny gave birth to their son Jonas only 10 weeks ago and his daughter Jennel is four - Lewis, who has a Sports Management degree from the University of Wolverhampton, felt it was necessary to not delay the start of his second career.
"I can play for another five to eight years, and if I were getting the kind of money that an English Premier League player earns, maybe it would be harder to walk away. But a footballer's pay here... you can't even smell their one-week wages," said Lewis, who did not say how much he earned at Home.
"I'm not putting down local football but that is the reality. Getting started now means that when I am 35, I can have a more assured career and hopefully be able to explore more options."
Former Singapore and Home United coach P N Sivaji thinks Lewis is making the right move.
"Yes, Lionel's one of our best goalkeepers ever, and yes, keepers do get better with age. But I think he's probably tired of the life of a footballer and its routines," he said.
Lewis' 12-year playing career has left him with a litany of injuries. He even had surgery three weeks ago to repair a tear to his anterior talofibula ligament. But he said he was not quitting because of his injuries.
"I've got to be satisfied with my 12 years, having won many trophies and travelled to most parts of the world," he said. "It has been an absolutely wonderful journey, and I am looking forward to this career change.
"I still plan to play football once a week and my friends will be happy because I can now join their social games."
- TODAY
Football: Lionel Lewis calls it a day
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Football: Lionel Lewis calls it a day
