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In sports and politics there are men who are hungry for power. And in both areas there are personalities that are not enough to stand out in an area and decide to make the leap to something else. Like the athletes listed below, who tried their luck (successfully) in the world of public service.
Football
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Footballers who dabbled in politics
George weah
One of the best African footballers in history, who went through teams like Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan or Chelsea, began to pursue his dream of being President of Liberia since 2005 and after more than a decade he was elected on January 29, 2018.
Cuauhtémoc Blanco
The idol of the fans of America of Mexico rose as the winner of the electoral contest for the mayor of Cuernavaca, Morelos, and before finishing his term in office he sought the governorship of the state of Morelos, which he occupies since 1 October 2018.
Romario
The world champion with the "Canairinha" in 1994 opted for politics after his retirement. His first position was as a deputy of Brazil in 2010 and four years later he assumed the functions of senator, both representing Rio de Janeiro.
Bebeto
In 2014, just when his former partner in the Brazilian national team ran for the Senate, Bebeto (also a champion in the United States 94) looked for a seat as a deputy of the South American nation, which he achieved.
Kakha Kaladze
After a prolific career that took him to clubs in Italy and the Georgian national team, Kaladze was elected to the Parliament of his nation. He also served as mayor of Tifilis, the most important city and capital of Georgia.
Manuel Negrete
The person in charge of scoring the best goal in the history of the World Cups (scored against Bulgaria in 1986), competed to become the mayor of Coyoacán, in Mexico City, in 2018, a position he assumed that same year.
Andriy Shevchenko
The best footballer in the world in 2004 began to have political activity since the 1990s, but in 2012 he joined the Social Democratic Party looking for a seat in the Ukrainian Parliament, a company he could not achieve.
Pelé
In 1995 the mythical striker was appointed as extraordinary Minister of Sports by the government of Fernando Henrique Cardoso. During his tenure, Pelé promoted a law that forces Brazilian clubs to cover their tax obligations; This initiative was named in honor of the former soccer player.
Gianni Rivera
One of the legendary AC Milan players tried his luck in politics and made an important career. In addition to serving in the Italian Parliament, he was Secretary of Defense and was also a representative of the Italian government in the European Parliament.
Antonio Ubaldo Rattín
The multi-champion midfielder with Boca Juniors arrived at a seat of the Chamber of Deputies of Argentina in 2001 and left office in 2005.
Kaj Leo Johannesen
Johannesen was an archer during the 1990s and received several calls to the Faroe Islands National Team. Although his most important achievement was to be the Prime Minister of the nation between 2008 and 2015.
Combat sports
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Fighters who dabbled in politics
Manny Pacquiao
The famous Filipino boxer has expressed interest in the politics of his country of origin during much of his sports career. In 2010 he got his first public position as a congressman and in 2016 he was appointed senator.
Vitali Klichkó
Since 2004, the former boxer was actively involved in the politics of Ukraine and in 2012 he was part of the Parliament of that nation. In addition, in 2015 it swept the votes for mayor of Kiev, a position he still holds.
Jackie nava
The Mexican multi-champion competed for a seat of the Chamber of Deputies during the elections in 2015, a position she won by popular vote and represented the city of Mexicali for a triennium.
Nikolai Valyev
The so-called "Russian Giant" was elected to assume a position in the State Duma, which is the lower house of legislative power in the nation of Eastern Europe.
Erik Morales
After a career that gave him countless championships in low boxing weights, Morales proclaimed himself a federal deputy for Mexicali as well as Jackie Nava.
Fiódor Yemeliánenko
A long and prolific career in mixed martial arts led him to be a local deputy of Russia. In addition, he was part of the Physical Education and Sports Council of the Vladimir Putin government.
Miriam Blasco
Blasco presented two gold medals to Spain in Judo, one of them in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and one more in world championships. When she decided to retire she managed to be a senator and deputy for Alicante.
David Douillet
Douillet was a dominant judoca in the nineties (three Olympic medals and four in championships), gave him the opportunity to be Minister of Sport of France. In addition, he was a member of the National Assembly.
More sport
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Athletes who dabbled in politics
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
One of the best basketball players in history was appointed cultural ambassador of the Barack Obama administration. In addition, he served as a member of the President's Health, Sports and Nutrition Council.
Ana Gabriela Guevara
The best athlete in the history of Mexico had her first political adventure in the Government of Mexico City during 2008. Then, she was part of the Senate since 2012 and for 2018 she was elected as Deputy, a position she left to chair the Physical Culture Commission and sport.
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Despite being born in Austria, after his career in bodybuilding and cinema, Schwarzenegger was governor of California for a couple of periods (from 2003 to 2011). Although previously he was the president of the Health, Sports and Nutrition Council of George H. Bush.
Ruth Beitia
The Olympic champion in Rio 2016 (high jump) was elected deputy in the Parliament of Cantabria. Also, he tried to contend for the mayor of that region, although shortly after he got out of the contest.
Felipe Muñoz
The only gold medalist in the Olympic Games for Mexico in swimming presided over the Mexican Olympic Committee between 2000 and 2005. Seven years later he was elected as a congressman, representing Mexico City.
Carlos Reutemann
The Argentine driver, who reached 45 podiums and 12 victories in Formula 1, was governor of the province of Santa Fe in two periods (1991-1995 and 1999-2003). At the end of his administration, he became a senator and so far remains in office after a couple of reelections.
María Isabel Urrutia
The winner of the Olympic gold in Sydney 2000 in weightlifting was elected to the House of Representatives of Colombia in 2002, just two years after triumphing in the Olympic Games, and had a second term after a re-election.
Colomán Locked
The Spanish long distance athlete has been part of the Madrid Assembly in five different steps.
Prudencio Induráin
The former Spanish cyclist was part of the Parliament of Navarra (elected in 2011) and a year later he was in charge of the Navarro Institute of Sports and Youth, where he stayed for three years.
Carlos Mauricio Espínola
Espínola represented Argentina in four Olympic periods (from Atlanta to Beijing) with a balance of four medals and after moving away from the candle, he was Mayor of Corrientes, Secretary of Sports and Senator.
Imran Khan
Another paradigmatic case is that of Khan, who was part of Pakistan's cricket team for 16 years. However, his greatest achievements are in politics because he has been a member of the National Assembly and is the current Minister of Interior and Prime Minister.
Kevin Johnson
Johnson was named to three NBA All-Star Game and emerged 1994 world champion in the specialty World. With these credentials the base arrived at the mayor's office in Sacramento, California.
Jack kemp
Kemp arrived in Chargers in 1960 and finished with two titles of the former AFL. When he retired from the gang, he was a member of the House of Representatives in the 1970s, as well as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the George H. Bush administration.
Dave Bing
Bing had an illustrious career in the NBA, although he could never get a champion ring. In 2009 he was interim mayor of Detroit and that same year was elected to hold the position of new account.
Joao Havelange
The seventh president of FIFA was an avid follower of water polo and swimming, even competing in two Olympic Games (1936 and 1952). For 17 years he was president of the Brazilian Sports Confederation and for eight years he was part of the Brazilian Olympic Committee.
