Football and tournament poker reward the same instincts: reading an opponent, holding your nerve when the money is big, and knowing when to commit.
Plenty of professionals have carried those instincts into live poker after the final whistle. These five have the recorded results to prove it.
Teddy Sheringham
The Manchester United and England forward moved to the felt as soon as he retired in 2008, and he is still the flagship British poker name.
Sheringham has over $325,000 in recorded live winnings, including $66,738 for 14th in the 2009 WSOP Europe Main Event. His biggest cash, $118,346, came for fifth at the 2010 EPT Main Event in Vilamoura.
Tony Cascarino
Cascarino came closest to a genuine second career. The former Republic of Ireland striker has over $600,000 from 28 recorded cashes, headlined by $283,412 for winning the GUKPT London Grand Final in November 2008. He was still recording cashes in 2025.
Max Kruse
The German forward is the most successful crossover still playing. Kruse has over $685,000 in recorded live earnings and a WSOP bracelet, won at the 2022 WSOP Europe in Rozvadov, where he beat 412 opponents in a €1,650 six-handed event for €134,152.
Gerard Piqué
Piqué has the most concentrated record on this list. The Barcelona defender finished second in the €25,000 High Roller at EPT Barcelona in 2019 for €352,950, worth roughly $392,500 at the time. His career total sits above $735,000 from just seven recorded cashes.
Jan Vang Sørensen
The most decorated footballer-turned-poker-player is the one most fans have never heard of. A knee injury ended the Dane’s career at Odense at 30.
He went on to win WSOP bracelets in 2002 and 2005, took $800,972 for the 2008 Master Classics of Poker in Amsterdam, and has over $2.2 million in live earnings, roughly three times Piqué’s total.
Who Has Won the Most?
- Jan Vang Sørensen: over $2.2 million
- Gerard Piqué: over $735,000
- Max Kruse: over $685,000
- Tony Cascarino: over $600,000
- Teddy Sheringham: over $325,000
Together, the five have won over $4.6 million in recorded live tournaments.
A note on the numbers: these are gross recorded winnings, not profit, and none of them accounts for the buy-ins that went in.
Honourable Mentions
Piqué was not the only Barcelona player at that 2019 final table: teammate Arturo Vidal finished fifth in the same event.
Andriy Shevchenko has played WSOP online bracelet events, including a $25,000 heads-up tournament, and Tomas Brolin has over $78,000 in live cashes, including $60,129 at the 2008 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo.
Poker should stay entertainment, not a way to make money or to solve a financial problem. If the game stops being fun, take a break. For independent advice and support, visit begambleaware.org. Players in Great Britain must be 18 or over.
