Louis Rees-Zammit joins NFL Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs
- Published
Winger Louis Rees-Zammit was been capped 32 times by Wales
Louis Rees-Zammit, former Wales rugby star, has been signed to Super Bowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 23-year-old left rugby in January, and just 10 weeks later he has secured a three-year contract with the American football team.
Rees-Zammit said he "can't wait" to see the Chief fans at their Arrowhead Stadium, in Kansas City, Missouri.
He scored 14 tries in 32 internationals as a winger for Wales, and now he'll be trying his hand at playing both wide receiver and running back.
In January Rees-Zammit said he was "extremely excited to take up a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue a new challenge."
The former rugby star was part of the 2024 NFL international player pathway, a training camp that aims to give elite athletes from around the world the chance to earn a spot on an NFL team - boosting the number of international players in the league.
He's not the first sports star to have a change in career, though. Read on for others who've done the same.
Gareth Bale
From one sporting career to another, Gareth Bale is swapping his football boots for golf clubs!
Just weeks after announcing his retirement from football, Gareth Bale turned his attention towards playing professional golf instead!
The former Wales captain recently played alongside professional golfers, celebrities and amateur golfers at the PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am in September.
Bale was known for his love of golf during his football career and was even nicknamed 'The Golfer' during his time at Real Madrid!
He was also criticised for prioritising golf and Wales ahead of his club football.
It prompted Wales fans to sing "Wales, golf, Madrid" in tribute to their country's top goal scorer and appearance holder.
Usain Bolt
The fastest man on Earth, Usain Bolt trialled with a number of football clubs in 2018 following his retirement from sprint athletics.
The eight-time Olympic sprint champion joined Australian A-League side Central Coast Mariners in 2018 for an "indefinite training period".
He scored two goals for the Mariners in a friendly, but did not play in matches when the season began and leaving after only three months.
The 100m world-record holder regularly appears in the charity football match Soccer Aid each year.
Dame Sarah Storey
Dame Sarah Storey has won more medals for Great Britain than any other female Paralympian. She's now known for her success in cycling but she actually started off as a swimmer.
Cyclist Sarah Storey, became Britain's most successful Paralympian at the 2020 Summer Paralympics when she won her 16th gold medal, and 27th medal in total.
But Sarah actually started her career as a swimmer and made her debut in swimming in Barcelona in 1992.
She won five gold, eight silver and three bronze medals in swimming at Paralympics, before switching to cycling in 2005.
If she wasn't a Paralympian, Sarah says she'd be a PE teacher!
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Not quite a sport in the traditional sense, but Arnold Schwarzenegger started off his career as a bodybuilder, then he was a successful actor for many years.
However, in 2003, he decided to take a different career path and went into politics!
He became the governor of California in 2003 and held that post for four years.
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Johnson's first job was as a professional wrestler and he was part of the Word Wrestling Federation.
But after eight years in the business, he decided to do something else and became an actor.
He's featured in plenty of films that you may know, including Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Moana.
- Published9 April 2014