Beyond Football: Ronaldo, Messi, Salah and the Secret Lives of Sports Superstars
From padel and chess to golf, gaming, travel and business, the second lives of the world’s biggest sports stars
September 18, 2026
Behind the goals, trophies and record books, the world’s biggest athletes live another life, one that rarely makes the headlines.
Cristiano Ronaldo is already looking beyond football, with padel, travel and family high on his list. Lionel Messi has increasingly embraced a quieter family life while expanding his interests in football ownership. Mohamed Salah turns to chess for a different kind of competition, while stars such as Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios and LeBron James have built their own worlds around music, gaming, basketball, golf and business.
Away from the stadium lights, the pressure changes.
For some, hobbies provide an escape. For others, they offer a new form of competition. And for a growing number of sports icons, life outside the game is also about building a future that can survive long after the final whistle.
Cristiano Ronaldo: Padel, Family and Life After Football
It is difficult to imagine Cristiano Ronaldo without football. Yet at 41, the Portuguese superstar is openly discussing what comes next.
In an August 2026 interview with Vogue, Ronaldo said the 2026-27 season would “probably” be his final year in football, adding that he wants to leave a “spectacular legacy.” He also said he already has his future mapped out.
And what does that future look like?
More family time. More travel. And more padel.
Ronaldo said he wants to have more fun, travel more and watch and play padel, a sport he clearly enjoys. After roughly 25 years of professional football and enormous physical and mental demands, the superstar is preparing for a life in which football no longer occupies every hour.
His interests outside the pitch also extend into business and sports-related investments, meaning retirement would not necessarily mean leaving the sporting world behind.
For Ronaldo, the next chapter may already be taking shape before the first chapter has officially ended.
Lionel Messi: Family, Quiet and a Growing Football Empire
If Ronaldo’s post-football vision includes a new sporting passion, Lionel Messi appears to be looking for something quieter: family and normality.
The Argentine superstar has long kept his private life relatively protected, with family remaining central to his life away from football.
But Messi’s off-field story is increasingly moving beyond relaxation and into football ownership.
In September 2026, Reuters reported that Messi had reached an agreement in principle to acquire 100% of the shares of Spanish second-tier club CD Eldense, subject to final legal procedures, due diligence and approval from Spain’s High Council for Sports. It would be his second Spanish club investment after acquiring fifth-tier UE Cornellà earlier in 2026.
The move offers a glimpse of a possible future for Messi: less time simply playing football and more time owning, developing and investing in it.
His playing career is still active with Inter Miami, but the foundations of his post-playing football life are already being built.
Kylian Mbappé: Travel, Culture and Life Beyond Football
Kylian Mbappé’s life away from football is another reminder that even the world’s most intensely scrutinized athletes need an escape.
Travel, friends, music and time away from the training ground offer the French superstar a chance to step outside the relentless rhythm of elite football.
Mbappé has also maintained close links with the world of music and popular culture. His appearance within Bad Bunny’s wider celebrity circle in Puerto Rico during the artist’s 2026 tour reflected the increasingly blurred line between football, entertainment and global celebrity culture. El País has documented Mbappé among the high-profile figures connected with Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rico shows and events.
For a player constantly surrounded by cameras, contracts and expectations, the ability to disappear into travel, friendship and music can be as valuable as another training session.
Mohamed Salah: The Chessboard Away from the Pitch
Away from football, Mohamed Salah has one particularly revealing obsession: Chess.
The Egyptian star has spoken openly about his love of the game, describing himself as almost addicted to it. He said he plays virtually every day, often seven or eight games or more, and enjoys the strategic thinking involved.
BBC Sport has also highlighted Salah’s passion for blitz chess, noting that he plays online regularly under an anonymous profile.
The chessboard offers Salah something football cannot always provide: a private battle of concentration and strategy.
His football life, meanwhile, entered a dramatic new chapter in 2026.
After nine seasons and 257 goals in 442 appearances for Liverpool, Salah left England and signed a two-year contract with Trabzonspor in Turkey. The Turkish club officially announced the deal on August 6.
His competitive debut came in August, when he entered as a second-half substitute against Kasımpaşa in a 1-1 draw.
New club. New country. New chapter.
But away from the noise of Turkish football, the chessboard remains one of Salah’s most distinctive escapes.
Novak Djokovic: Music, Theatre and Life Beyond Tennis
Novak Djokovic’s world outside tennis is far broader than his record-breaking career suggests.
The Serbian champion has long shown an interest in music, theatre and the arts, while also maintaining interests in cars and other sports.
His official website has previously described his taste for music and his enjoyment of theatre and opera, particularly classical music, as a way of relaxing and entering a different world.
His off-court interests have also been increasingly intersected with business, health, sports science and technology.
And even in 2026, Djokovic’s sporting life remains demanding. On September 16, Reuters reported that the 24-time Grand Slam champion would return to the China Open after an 11-year absence, seeking to rebuild momentum after an early U.S. Open exit.
The tennis court remains his arena, but it is clearly not his entire world.
Nick Kyrgios: Video Games, Basketball and Cars
Nick Kyrgios has perhaps one of the most distinctive personalities in professional tennis, and his interests away from the court reflect that individuality.
The Australian is a passionate NBA and Boston Celtics fan, while video games are another major part of his life away from tennis.
The ATP Tour’s official profile describes Kyrgios as someone who can regularly be found discussing NBA basketball with friends or playing video games.
Cars, driving, family and friends also feature prominently in his off-court life.
For Kyrgios, stepping away from tennis does not necessarily mean becoming quieter. It means switching arenas, from the tennis court to the gaming screen, basketball court or road.
LeBron James: When Golf Becomes a New Obsession
For LeBron James, golf has moved far beyond a casual hobby.
The NBA superstar has become increasingly passionate about the sport, so much so that in August 2026 he launched his own YouTube golf channel.
The first episode reunited James with members of the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers championship team for a golf trip in Scotland, marking the 10th anniversary of Cleveland’s historic NBA title.
The channel follows James as he travels to golf courses around the world, plays with friends and explores the culture surrounding the sport.
It is an intriguing transition for one of basketball’s biggest stars: from packed arenas to open fairways, from the pressure of the NBA to a game built around patience, concentration and conversation.
But golf is only one part of James’s enormous world away from basketball. Business ventures, investments, media projects and philanthropy have become central to his identity beyond the court.
The Second Life of a Superstar
Ronaldo. Messi. Salah. Mbappé. Djokovic. Kyrgios. LeBron.
Their hobbies may be radically different, but the message is remarkably similar:
The athlete does not disappear when the game ends.
There is family. There are friends. There is travel, music, gaming, cars, golf, chess, business and philanthropy.
For some, these interests offer an escape from the pressure of elite competition. For others, they represent a second career already taking shape.
Ronaldo is preparing for life beyond football. Messi is expanding into club ownership. Salah carries his chessboard into a new football chapter. LeBron has turned golf into a media project. Kyrgios moves between tennis, basketball and gaming. Djokovic continues to explore the arts and business alongside an extraordinary tennis career.
The stadium may create a superstar.
But away from the stadium, another story is being written.
