Stephanie-Rose Keeling spoke with Bruce Dyer

Bruce Dyer

Bruce Dyer is a former professional footballer and the first teenager to be sold for over a million pounds. Stephanie-Rose Keeling caught up with him to chat about his career, faith and success.

Stephanie: Tell us a bit about your football career.

Bruce: It was a childhood dream to become a professional football player and to play at the clubs I've been at. I've played at some really good clubs. I started off at Watford, then Crystal Palace, then Barnsley, then back to Watford, Stoke City, Sheffield United, Doncaster Rovers, Chesterfield and York City. So I've been in some really good clubs and met some wonderful people and played against some great players too so it's been fantastic.

Stephanie: So what would you say defines success? You've been so successful in terms of football and most people would look at you and think 'I want to be like him when I am older', but what would you say to those people that perhaps are not sure where to find success and think that fame is the way to go?

Bruce: There is nothing wrong with fame, but my experience is fame doesn't satisfy you. Obviously that's how I became a Christian. Now everyone's got their own persuasion, their own choices they make in life and my choice was to become a Christian. That for me was my definition. I believe success is someone that fulfils God's will and plan for their life and that's what I call true success. Cause I have kind of had other success and still been lost in life, not been happy and still had a lot of problems, so success doesn't necessarily make you have a perfect life.

Stephanie: I love that. So if you had a bunch of people in front of you right now and they were all asking you what your favourite moment was in your career, or just in life, what would you say that was?

Bruce: There have been two things that have probably been defining in my life. When I was 18 I became the first teenager to be sold for over a million pounds, which was a real life changing moment in my life. The other moment in my life that goes in at number one is when I became a Christian. That was really defining and life changing. It forever changed my life in a positive way, which I'm so grateful to God for.

Stephanie: You said that you haven't always been a Christian. What is it that made you want to become a Christian? You're this big football star. What was that turning point for you?

Bruce: The turning point for me was, there was a Bible verse that says, 'What does it profit for a man to gain the whole world and to lose his soul?' That was me from a child. My dream literally was to become a professional football player, buy a house, buy my mum house, buy a Mercedes Convertible, see myself on Match of the Day and by the time I was 22, 21, I was living all of that. But inside I was really unhappy. I didn't like the person I was becoming. So I had everything that the world would say should complete you, but it didn't for me and that was the part of my life when I was really searching. I actually became a Christian after an older brother of mine became a Christian in prison and his life was an inspiration to me.

Stephanie: So how's life now for you then?

Bruce: Fantastic. I always say this: one of the biggest challenges for footballers is life after football. Well, thank God, my life after football's been fantastic. I get to work in prisons; I do stuff in schools; I get to come to events and do coaching with kids and my faith in Jesus plays a really important part in my life. A part of my life is preaching the Gospel, which I enjoy doing. I'm really blessed and excited about life. My life is really a purpose driven life, because of my faith in Jesus Christ.