A FORMER Arsenal ace with a Hollywood name quit football aged 25 to become an accountant.
Left-back Thomas Cruise was tipped for big things after he played a key role in the club’s 2009 FA Youth Cup triumph alongside Jack Wilshere.
His displays earned him international recognition, with the defender winning caps for England at Under-16, U17 and U19 level.
Arsene Wenger was a big admirer of his talents and even handed him his senior Arsenal debut in the Champions League in 2010.
With qualification to the knockouts already secured, he played the full 90 minutes as the youthful Gunners slipped to a 1-0 defeat in Greece.
Just days later Cruise headed out on loan to Carlisle United in League One for more match action.
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However, his quest to become a Top Gun soon took a turn for the worse after he headed to the North West.
Cruise struggled to impress during his eight appearances for the Cumbrians – and one particular game led to a hugely embarrassing moment.
During an FA Cup clash with Torquay United his sixth minute slip allowed Eunan O’Kane to score the decisive goal.
Later, an announcement was made over the PA system that a taxi was waiting for him mid-game – a request believed to have been made by a disgruntled Carlisle fan.
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No doubt that must have knocked the then 19-year-old’s confidence massively and that ended up being his final match for them.
He returned to Arsenal but his quest to break into Wenger’s starting line-up proved to be Mission Impossible.
Cruise was released in the summer of 2011 with his Champions League outing the only appearance to his name.
Trials with then Serie B Italian side Sampdoria, Scunthorpe United and MLS club New England Revolution followed but they failed to turn into a permanent move.
Eventually, after two calf operations had left him in the wilderness for the 2011/12 campaign, he penned a one-year contract with Torquay.
But he struggled with knee injuries throughout his eventual three-year stay, which also saw the club relegated from the Football League.
And, after playing his final season in the National Conference League, he was released in 2015 after 64 appearances.
Cruise, seemingly unwilling to go down the road of unpredictable trials in order to seek a club, embarked on a brand new career.
At the age of 25, he took an Advanced Diploma in Accounting course during his latter playing days and is now believed to be a fully trained accountant.
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Speaking back in 2016 about his career change, he told AAT Comment: “I’ve had a few serious injuries in my career, and you should always have qualifications to fall back on.
“I’ve always been really good with numbers, so the decision to choose accountancy was a no-brainer. I wish to enter this field of work once I complete my qualification, and am very excited to see what I can achieve.”
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