I’m a former England midfielder… now I spend my days fishing carp on picturesque lakes
A FORMER England midfielder has revealed that he now spends his days fishing carp on a secluded lake.
Lee Bowyer, 46, helped Leeds reach the Champions League semi-final before playing his last game for the Three Lions in 2012.
He later managed Charlton and Birmingham City before he was sacked last year.
But Bowyer now passes his time running a fishing lake in France.
Lee started fishing when he was still a hard man midfielder, as a way to wind down with his teammates.
Even now, he goes fishing with England legends David Seaman, Mark Noble and Bobby Zamora.
Bowyer, known to Leeds fans as Bows, told the Mail that after he retired, he bought La Fritterie, a lake in France which he used to visit in his playing days – renaming it Etang de Bows, or Bows’ Lake.
He said: “You either love or hate fishing. I love it — I used it as my getaway as a player.
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“It allowed me to switch off because I was a nightmare otherwise.
Bowyer divides his time between the fishing lake and his home in Essex, where he lives with his twin sons.
He was a renowned hard man as a Leeds player, picking up a record number of bookings and ending up in court accused of GBH.
Bowyer said: “Everyone has got this pre-conception of me, that the way I played is the person I am.
“I suppose it’s understandable, but I am the complete opposite.
In 2001, Bowyer was acquitted of grievous bodily harm and affray after a fight in Leeds city centre left a man with serious injuries.
During a later spell at Newcastle, Bowyer had an infamous on-pitch fight with teammate Kieron Dyer.
He never publicly announced he was retiring, instead quietly hanging up his boots in 2012.
Bowyer said: “We can announce it now, I am officially retired.”
