In an age where Conor McGregor fights Floyd Mayweather and Paolo Maldini plays professional tennis, this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to us.
But when we heard Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic is set to make his debut professional in the sport of beach volleyball, it certainly made us raise our eyebrows.
The Manchester United target is playing in his first International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) Beach World Tour event in Porec on Wednesday, and he’s deadly serious about it all.
The 28-year-old is playing alongside his professional playing partner Niksa Dell’Orco, and have been handed a wildcard to play in the tournament.
Perisic said: “I have been given permission to play in a beach volleyball tournament of the highest importance.
“My only wish is to stay in the tournament for as long as possible.
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“I hope my participation in Poreč will help promote this unique tournament and promote this beautiful sport.
And, to top it all off, Perisic has pledged that any prize money he’ll earn won’t go into his pockets at all.
He added: “The fee that we will receive as a team from the organisers will be donated to the National Federation to benefit the development of Croatian beach volleyball players.”
According to beach volleyball experts, Perisic has got a tough game ahead of him in the first round of the tournament, but we’re sure United fans will just be hoping he comes through the competition unscathed.