The 67-year-old Villa legend decided to leave football 12 years ago and start working for a courier company: I enjoy this job very much

October 28th: ​​Former England goalkeeper and Aston Villa legend Nigel Spink has replaced the green field of life with the open road after bidding farewell to football. The 67-year-old goalkeeper, who made his England debut in 1983, was called up to the Three Lions a year after heroically replacing the injured Jimmy Riemer in Villa's 1982 Champions League victory.

That was only Spink's second appearance for the club, and he kept a clean sheet against Bayern Munich, marking the beginning of a long tenure as Villa's number one goalkeeper. He made 460 appearances for Villa, including once as an outfield player, and won the UEFA Super Cup and League Cup before leaving Villa in 1996.

In the international arena, the highlight of his career was when he represented England against Australia, replacing Peter Shilton, and did not concede a goal in a 1-1 draw. After retiring, Spink had a successful career in coaching, but decided to say goodbye to football in 2013 and start a new career as a courier.

At the beginning of his coaching career, the Villa legend coached Forest Green Rovers for two years. He later served as goalkeeping coach under Steve Bruce, serving at Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Sunderland. It was towards the end of his tenure at Sunderland, when future business partner Paul Monroe lent him a van to clear out his flat, that Spink began to consider the idea that would eventually see him leave football in 2013.

He said: "When we came back in November that year with a van full of stuff, we thought it was such a great job. We spent almost 18 months researching it and doing a lot of homework and preparation."

The pair now run the SandM express company, with operations across the UK, and Spink seems to have no regrets about leaving football. However, he recently returned to the stadium where the Champions League was lifted and watched Villa beat Feyenoord.

Spink said of his courier business: "I enjoy every minute of it, we have some great long-term customers and we are open to any business. We have both painted our vans in Villa's colors and the club is still a favorite for both of us."

"We arrived on Monday Working on Fridays, it's perfect because after years of working every weekend and bank holiday as a footballer, I can now spend quality time with my family on the weekends."

Spink has left his mark on football's biggest stages, won the honor of representing his country and became a Villa legend. While many fans would have dreamed of having Spink's playing career, it seems he is equally happy with his new career.