▲Iron Maiden front man Bruce Dickinson is the ultimate Renaissance man. Singer, songwriter, historian, pilot, radio broadcaster, entrepreneur, and fencing champion are just some of the hats he has worn in his life so far.

▲Iron Maiden's drummer Steve Harris also came close to a totally different career path! He was a skilled soccer player as a teen and was invited to train with Premier League club West Ham United. Fortunately, he realized that music was his passion.

▲Rod Stewart had a soccer career in the 1960s. The rock star even tried out for Brentford F.C., which at the time played in England's third division. Soon after, he joined a band called the Small Faces, and the rest is history.

▲The jazz guitar player has released some records, but before he ventured into the music industry he was a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees.

▲Did you know that the popular Spanish singer was a goalkeeper for Real Madrid's reserve team from 1958 to 1962? He was forced to quit after a car accident.

▲The famous basketball player released four rap records in the '90s. His debut album 'Shaq Diesel' went platinum in the US. He later went on to become a DJ, using the name DJ Diesel.

▲The former England international ventured into the music industry in the '90s. His song 'Fog on the Tyne' even got to second place on the British charts.

▲The former soccer player and current coach, who has managed teams like West Ham and West Bromwich, has always been connected to music. The Croatian star founded the band Rawbau.

▲The basketball player quit his NBA career to become a jazz bassist. He released several albums, including the popular 'Face to Face' (2001), which topped the contemporary jazz Billboard charts. Sadly, he passed away in 2009.

▲The Spanish soccer player, who has played for the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, has a parallel music career under the artistic name Jey M.

▲The Reggae King could have been a great soccer player. His children have said that the two things he loved most in life were music and soccer, and he often combined the two by playing matches with the Wailers when they had some time off. "He was the midfield general, if you like, and they called him skipper. They were so good, it was like playing Brazil," recalled Trevor Wyatt, an Island Records UK distributor. Perhaps Marley would have played for Jamaica's national team, nicknamed the "Reggae Boyz," if he hadn't had such an overwhelming talent for music!

▲The soccer star played for the likes of Liverpool, Marseille, Panathinaikos, and the French national team before retiring to become a DJ in 2017. He goes by the name Mr Lenoir. Nonetheless, he briefly returned to the sport.

▲The former goalkeeper, who famously played for Portuguese side FC Porto, plays the drums for a band and is also a music producer.

▲The famous Brazilian singer (pictured here with Prince Harry) once played professional soccer for Brazilian club Esporte Clube Cruzeiro
(not to be confused with the more famous Cruzeiro Esporte Clube). However, he had to quit due to a serious knee injury, which allowed his passion for music to flourish into a successful career.

▲Lalas played professional soccer in the US for a decade before leaving to pursue a career in music. He became a singer and guitar player and released multiple albums, the best known of which is called 'Ginger.'

▲The former boxing star ventured into a Latin pop music career in the 2000s, singing both in Spanish and English. He was even nominated for the Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album in 2000.

▲Country music singer Sam Hunt was a quarterback for the Middle Tennessee State University's football team for two years.

▲The late Kobe Bryant was known for his brilliant career as a basketball player, but the athlete also released a gangsta rap album in 2000 called 'Visions.'

▲The former basketball player released a rap album called '2 Much Drama' in 1999, and has even produced songs for famed rapper Nas.

▲He was an American football superstar, playing in the NFL in the 1970s, but he also became quite successful in the music world. He was behind several hit country songs, and in 1984 he won the Grammy for Best Country Song with the hit tune 'Stranger in My House.'

▲The former tennis player is a lover of rock music and plays guitar in his own band: The Johnny Smyths (the name is a combination of his own first name and the last name of his wife, the singer Patty Smyth, not to be confused with Patti Smith).

▲Identical twins Bob and Matt Bryan were an unstoppable professional tennis doubles team for many years. When they retired from tennis, they formed a band together called the Bryan Bros.

▲The American football star ended up moving to Nashville and founding his own record label. He released the album 'Anger Management' and defined his sound as "power country," a mix of country, rock, and heavy metal.

▲Guy Lafleur, who passed away in 2022, was considered a Canadian hockey legend. But he also released an album called 'Lafleur!' with songs in both English and French.

▲The hockey player and former Detroit Red Wings star is also the vocalist for hard rock band Grinder.

▲The former baseball player is also a guitarist and even went on tour with New Jersey rock band the Smithereens in the '90s.

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The former baseball star released a rock album in 2005, appropriately called 'Covering the Bases.'

Sources: (Athlon Sports) (BBC) (The Football Times) (All Music)

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A number of music stars actually started their careers in professional sports, including the likes of Rod Stewart and Julio Iglesias. Some athletes who changed their focus to music even ended up winning Grammys!

Curious? Click on to learn all about the stars who can hold their own on the field as well as on the stage.