Vinnie Jones hints he could return to football with cryptic comment

Tough-tackling midfielder Vinnie Jones has hinted at a possible return to football – 25 years after he hung up his boots.

A leading member of the Wimbledon FC’s Crazy Gang, Jones became part of football folklore when the side beat all conquering Liverpool 1-0 in the 1988 FA Cup final. He left for Leeds in 1989, before returning to Wimbledon in 1992 after spells with Chelsea and Sheffield United.

In 1999, Jones called time on his career after a season as a player/coach with QPR. He is now famed for his big screen credits, including his acting debut in Guy Richie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels as well as Snatch and The Gentlemen.

But it seems the hardman hasn’t ruled out a return to the beautiful game.

Speaking to The Telegraph, he said: “Someone came to me the other day with an interesting idea about football. Not management, but being involved without investing.

“There’s two good ways to lose your money. One is buying into football, and another is buying into football. I’d stay well clear of them. And the third one is farming.”

A return to football would be another string to Jones’s bow, as he juggles his TV work with his performances in the West End as gangster Danny Driscoll in the musical version of Only Fools and Horses.

While he’s a busy actor and TV presenter, Jones does still keep an eye on the football results, confessing he felt Euro 2024 was a “tournament too many” for former England manager Gareth Southgate. He added: “He has been brilliant over the years but I’ve always said he’s an FA ‘yes man’ more than a manager.”

Jones also appears to be enjoying his life in West Sussex, calling his move to the countryside a “360”. He added: “We were brought up with fields, streams, fields, forests, that was our interest growing up.

“I’ve come 360 degrees. It’s all we knew until we were about 17-18. Then you realise that beer tastes quite nice, and get into cars, and mates and everything. But the countryside’s in my DNA.”