5 famous footballers who escaped military service

In the past, sports people have not been exempted from military service, however famous they are.  

These days the skills of top footballers are much more important for national reputation then they used to.  

Below we look at the famous star who evaded military service

Per Mertesacker

 

The ex-Germany international centre back is 6’6 feet high and he said that he wrote to the military authorities to inform them that he could not fit into a tank or submarine.

 

Nemanja Vidic

 

The former Manchester United defender couldn't have risen to the heights he attained had he joined the service.

Vidic left his home town of Uzice for Belgrade at the age of 15 and joined the Red Star.  At the time of a NATO bombing campaign which targeted both Uzice and Belgrade he could have been caught up in the action.  

Luckily for Vidic, he had visited an army training camp just two days before to hand in the paperwork which excused him from national service as a professional footballer.

Park Ji-Sung

 

All able bodied men aged 20 or older in South Korea are required to serve in the armed forces for at least 2 years.  

When the national team made it to the semi-final on their own turf In the 2002 World Cup, the government revised the law to allow exemption for key players if a national team makes it to the last 16.

Son Heung-Min