England’s third-highest Rugby scorer of all time, Martin Offiah once worked in McDonald’s for free food

by Rachel Ogbu//

Martin Nwokocha Offiah who was nicknamed “Chariots”due to his running speed has been working as a pundit for Sky Sports.

Before that, the 50-year-old who was awarded with an MBE in 1997, played Rugby League for England in a career which spanned 14 years.

Offiah is the third-highest scorer of all time after he played for English clubs Widnes, Wigan, London and Salford, and in Australia for Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs and St. George clubs. He scored 501 tries during his rugby league career. About his time with the Widnes, he said: “My memories are still very vivid of my time at Widnes. It was a place where my three children were born and raised for a time, a place where I experienced many high points in my career”.

I thought I played my most consistent football there as well. Generally, it was a big part of my life being there and I have many fond memories. A lot of that has to do with the warm welcome I always received. Widnes people are tremendous,” he told Rugby League World.

Offiah was one of the celebrities to appear in the inaugural series of Strictly Come Dancing, finishing in fourth place with his partner Erin Boag. He has also appeared on numerous celebrity specials of TV shows, including The Weakest Link and Pointless.

Speaking candidly to thisismoney.co.uk, the former England rugby league player, lost £200,000 in the 2008 financial crisis and £45,000 in the 2000 dotcom stock market crash – but says buying a £70,000 Mercedes was the most stupid thing he ever did.

Offiah, who owns a multi-million pound property portfolio, also regrets buying a diamond-encrusted Jacob & Co watch he is now too embarrassed to wear but has never forgotten the brief period in his youth when he worked in McDonald’s to get free food.

In an interview, Martin Offiah was asked what his parents taught him about money?

He responded: “To value it, to be careful with it and to respect it. My parents did not have that much, but they looked after what they had. My mum, Regina, came over here from Nigeria and studied to become a teacher. My dad, George, is also Nigerian. He came to the UK to study law and was called to the bar in the 1970s. They came here to make a better life for themselves and they worked hard to make that happen.

We always had food on the table, but we didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up. I was the youngest of three and all my stuff was hand-me-downs. We never went on holidays. I had my first holiday abroad when I was 29 years old“.Martin Offiah

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