Paul McVeigh’s football career may not have been as glittering as some of his peers, but his journey from the Premier League pitch to the corporate boardroom is a story of transformation.
The former Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, and Northern Ireland forward has carved out a niche for himself.
He has blended his footballing experiences at the top level with his expertise as a psychologist to deliver motivational keynote speeches to some of the world’s biggest companies.
There has been plenty of life after sport for McVeigh, who has smashed the stereotype that professional footballers are not very intelligent. So much so that he even wrote a book called ‘The Stupid Footballer Is Dead’.
The cliche, and something McVeigh was told from an early age, was to enjoy football while it lasts… it will be the best days of your life.
That’s why even at 17 he was thinking about what was after the curtain came down on his career.
He told talkSPORT.com: “It was interesting because it’s probably the complete opposite of where I am now, but I had a massive inferiority complex when I first came over from Northern Ireland.
“I actually think it really was highlighted whenever I met Jürgen Klinsmann. On my first day at Tottenham, I met this absolute superstar, World Cup winner, but I looked at him and just thought, there is no way in the world I’m ever going to get to that level of what Jürgen Klinsmann is.
“I just never thought I would ever do it. So to be able to have that as my benchmark from day one, to try and aspire to, and very quickly, I just started tying myself up in knots of going, people like me don’t do this and we’re never going to be able to achieve this.
“To be able to have that as your kind of mindset was a pretty destructive belief system that was kind of running rife in my life.
“Then I read a book by an American, let’s call a personal development guru called Tony Robbins, and the book just completely changed my life.”
Klinsmann wasn’t the only star McVeigh encountered during his time at Spurs. Before he even signed for the club, he went over on trial at the age of 11 and ended up starring in a TV advert with Paul Gascogine just after Italia 90.
Managed by another World Cup winner, Ossie Ardiles, McVeigh also played alongside England legends like Teddy Sheringham and Sol Campbell. These early experiences were pivotal in shaping his understanding of excellence.
“To play up front with Teddy Sheringham, who had already starred for England in Euro ’96 and won the Golden Boot, was incredible,” he says. “It set the bar for the rest of my career. What I learned was that the difference between top players and world-class players wasn’t just technical ability—it was their psychology and mindset.”
This exposure to elite performers laid the foundation for McVeigh’s later career as a speaker and psychologist, where he frequently draws on these experiences to inspire others.
In his talks, McVeigh often uses Cristiano Ronaldo as the ultimate example of what can be achieved through sheer determination and an unrelenting mindset.
Having played against Ronaldo during the Portuguese star’s early years at Manchester United, McVeigh witnessed firsthand the stark contrast between Ronaldo’s raw potential and the finished product he would later become.
“When Ronaldo joined Manchester United as an 18-year-old, he wasn’t even in the top 10 players at the club, let alone the Premier League,” McVeigh explains. “He was a good young player, but he wasn’t like Wayne Rooney, who was head and shoulders above him at the time.”
But what set Ronaldo apart was his work ethic and his ability to improve consistently. McVeigh describes Ronaldo’s rise as a masterclass in the ‘aggregation of marginal gains’, the idea that small, incremental improvements can lead to extraordinary results over time.
“By 2008, Ronaldo had become unstoppable,” McVeigh says. “He’d won the Champions League with United, gone on to Real Madrid, and become a five-time Champions League winner. His dedication, drive, and belief in himself were unparalleled. It all came down to his mindset.”
For McVeigh, Ronaldo’s story is not just a footballing tale but a universal lesson in the power of self-belief and perseverance. “He’s the best example I’ve ever seen of someone reaching the very pinnacle of their profession—not just in football but across all industries.”
McVeigh retired from football in 2010 and his transition to the corporate world was anything but conventional.
Recognising a gap in the market, he set out to become the first Premier League footballer to deliver keynote speeches to global companies. “Football is the number one sport in the world, yet no one from the Premier League had entered this space,” he explains. “I saw an opportunity.”
He’s done just that and set up Football Business Speakers, where their talent roster includes the likes of Yaya Toure, Andy Cole, and Emmanuel Petit.
Looking back on his footballing career, McVeigh is quick to highlight the players and managers he admires most. Teddy Sheringham, he says, was the best player he ever played alongside, not just for his technical ability but for his humility and kindness.
“Teddy would sit with the youth team players and talk about their weekends. He didn’t have to do that, but he did.”
As for the best he ever faced? That honour goes to Thierry Henry and the Invincibles-era Arsenal team. “It was like men against boys,” McVeigh says. “Henry still haunts me to this day.”
One regret, perhaps, is never playing under Sir Alex Ferguson. “I would have loved to experience his management style,” McVeigh says. “The stories and legends about him are fascinating. He was the greatest.”
Whether he’s sharing lessons from his time at Tottenham, analysing the mindset of Cristiano Ronaldo, or inspiring business leaders to reach their full potential, McVeigh’s message is clear: success starts with the right mindset.
From the pitch to the boardroom, his story is one of transformation—and it’s far from over.
