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Topics: Man Utd, Premier League, Ryan Giggs
Jack Kenmare
A former Manchester United youth product who was labelled 'the next Ryan Giggs' is now a hugely successful business owner after being forced into an early retirement from football.
Ramon Calliste was widely regarded as one of the best prospects in the country when he signed a contract with United in the summer of 2000 following a spell at Coventry City.
In fact, some claimed he was the best thing to come out of Cardiff since Ryan Giggs, and he soon lived up to the initial hype, becoming the youngest player in United's academy history to score a hat-trick for the under-17s.
But after playing alongside the likes of Paul McShane, Sylvan-Ebanks Blake and Chris Eagles at youth level, Calliste was released following the FA's decision to combine clubs' under-17 and under-19 squads into a single under-18s team.
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Five years after signing for the club and the Welshman was told by Ferguson that he would be leaving as a result of restructuring.
Speaking about the chat with Ferguson, he told Wales Online: "It was a matter of 'look, it's just bad timing, there's too many people in front of you at the moment, he doesn't want to hold me back and make false promises, I guess'. It was tough emotionally.
"It was a bit of a shock. [But] you start to realise you're a man entering man zone and you need to toughen up and deal with it and move on. Everything happens for a reason."
"No bitterness," he added. "The decision was the decision. There's no hard feelings there, it's all good, they're a great club, and I'm still a fan of the club."
He would soon become the first Manchester United player since Phil Chisnall in 1964 to cross the divide and join bitter rivals Liverpool, but his stay on Merseyside was short.
Calliste took a step down the leagues to play for Scunthorpe United, but after dislocating and severely damaging the ligaments in his ankle during a pre-season friendly against Brigg Town, his future looked in doubt.
"The injury I had, which I still have trouble with today, is just insane," he said. "I had a limp for about three years that never went. It was a terrible, terrible process.
"When I was trying to regain my career, I couldn't because I had a limp. Who's going to sign somebody with a limp? I could score 20 goals in a game, but I had a limp, it doesn't look like I'm fit, so I do a fitness test and I'm not going to pass it."
After months of recovery, Calliste went on to play for Farnborough, Cambridge City and West London Saracens, but the injury had taken a huge toll physically, so he decided to retire.
Many former professionals often take up coaching after their playing days after over. Calliste, however, decided to launch Global Watches in 2013 – a luxury watch business with a reported annual turnover of £15 million.
"Obviously once I realised that football wasn't going to be for me, I had to find something that I used to wake up and enjoy," he said.
"I saw room for myself in the market. Some say it's oversaturated. There's a lot of watch dealers out there now, but I don't really see it as competition personally. If anyone is doing something good, there's enough out there for everyone.
"It's a very lucrative market. I think people are enjoying their money nowadays a bit more than they used to, because interest rates in banks - if you've got money sitting in the bank, I don't think you get much back for it nowadays.
"The values of watches helps," Calliste added. "When I first started getting involved, the same watches back then are now treble value."
Back in 2021, he opened an exclusive boutique in Mayfair London, where he sells luxury watches, Hermes handbags and fine jewellery.