A FORMER Prem ace traded boots for batter after quitting football and buying a pancake shop.
The defender tallied just under 300 Premier League appearances for Chelsea and Southampton.
The former Premier League star made just under 300 appearances in the top flight – now he’s flipping pancakes for a livingMichael Powell – The Times
PA:Empics SportThe Dutchman played as a centre-back at Chelsea[/caption]
He played 94 of these for the Blues and 198 games for the Saints as a centre-back after starting out at Feyenoord.
The Dutchman bagged ten goals for Southampton from the back and offered great help to them during relegation battles.
The former star, now 58, played with some world-class players such as Matt Le Tissier.
At the end of his career, he moved from the South Coast to Huddersfield Town for a two-year spell.
And we can reveal the man who flipped from football to pancakes is Ken Monkou.
When finding out that a pancake shop was up for sale, Monkou decided to buy it.
His family had a history of running a bar bistro so he chose to pursue a similar route by following a career in food after retiring from football in 2001.
Monkou told Planetfootball: “It’s quite a difference, from playing to standing behind the stove flipping the pancakes.
“It’s good, though, and for me it’s sport.
“Once you’re busy it gets you going and you’re trying to make 150 pancakes a day. I don’t reckon any of the present players would do it.”
Monkou also works on Chelsea TV and is an ambassador for the Show Racism the Red Card campaign.
Due to these other occupations Monkou shut down the pancake shop in 2009.
Ken Monkou moved to Southampton after playing for the BluesTimes Newspapers Ltd
News Group Newspapers LtdMonkou celebrates avoiding Premier League relegation[/caption] Read More