Phil Whelan was regarded as a no-nonsense defender during his five seasons in the Premier League with Ipswich Town and Middlesbrough.
Since hanging up his boots in 2003, Whelan has been using the experience he gained as a player to inspire the next generation in his new career.
Whelan is headteacher at Millfields Primary School in Nantwich, Cheshire and is using the Premier League Primary Stars programme to instill in pupils the essential things he learnt as a player, such as resilience and ambition.
"If we can teach the importance of relationships and show children how to get on with each other and how important it is to support and help each other on a day-to-day basis, I think that's going to help them moving forward," he says in the video above.
