Former Manchester United and Liverpool academy prospect Ramon Castille had his career ruined by injury, but he has since launched a luxury watch business
Ramon Calliste moved from Manchester United to Liverpool as a young prodigy – but ultimately forged a more successful career after leaving football behind.
A serious ankle injury in 2006 effectively ended Calliste's chances of living up to his full potential. He had recently signed for Sc*nthorpe United but was soon heading for a multitude of trial spells. It was a far cry from training alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney at United and topping the scorer's chart for Liverpool 's reserves.
After calling time on his budding football career, Calliste decided to act on his passion for luxury watches. Fast forward 15 years from his horror injury, Calliste opened his Global Boutique business in Mayfair, selling timepieces worth up to £355,000 to high-profile clientele.
"When I realised football wasn't going to give me the life I desired, it was about setting up something else and moving fast,” Calliste told The Sun. "I started to get involved in watches through contacts I had in the world of football. Once I saw it could become a viable business, I set up Global Watches in 2013 and it's become a really strong company that's now turning over millions.
"The idea is to keep it growing and hopefully sell the company in five or 10 years' time, just like Watchfinder did recently. In the end, football just wasn't meant for me. With all the ability I had, it just wasn't my destiny. I wouldn't have met my wife, I wouldn't have met my children because I wouldn't have come to London at the time I did. That alone is the most important thing for me."
The former Wales U21 international was once one of the hottest prospects in the sport. Sir Alex Ferguson convinced then-15-year-old Calliste to sign for United from Coventry City after inviting him into the players’ lounge at Old Trafford. During his time at United, Calliste broke Olympian Darren Campbell’s 200m school record, helped the club with the 2003 FA Youth Cup, and trained alongside the likes of Ronaldo and Rooney.
Recalling his meeting with Ferguson, Calliste told Manchester Evening News : “It's a very popular photograph for me and my family – it follows us wherever we go. I had massive respect for him and still do. He's a little bit intimidating still. Such a wise man like him has this special aura."
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After being released by United in 2005, Calliste opted to make the controversial move across to rivals Liverpool, though he was technically picked up on trial. In his sole season with Liverpool, Calliste was top scorer for the reserves but had Neil Mellor and Florent Sinama Pongolle ahead of him in the pecking order.
Away from club football, the striker had been on Wales’ radar for some time, with 15 caps for the country’s U21 side. It was on the advice of Waes boss John Toshack that Calliste joined Sc*nthorpe United, who offered the chance of a breakthrough season in League One.
Unfortunately, it never came to fruition as his pre-season injury forced him to head for trials, from Wycombe Wanderers to Levski Sofia. He called time on his career after short spells with Farnborough, Cambridge City and West London Saracens but by 2013, Calliste had opened his first watch shop in north London and believes he learned a lot from the ups and downs of his football career.
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"I look back on it and think, just the life experience alone, it taught me so much," he explained to Manchester Evening News. "There are so many different facets. It's another world.
"It's taught me a lot. Hard work pays off - that's all I've never known and tried to do. I lost everything. I've built my business from scratch. I'm no multi-millionaire but I'm doing OK."
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