I was so broke I nicked a knife and fork from Pizza Hut – but I did give them back!

With two Irish grandparents, former Everton and Chelsea star PAT

NEVIN could have played football for Ireland as his father wished. He elected to represent Scotland Instead but admits to a strong attachment to the country of his forefathers, and is well known to Irish soccer fans as a pundit on Newstalk’s Off The Ball. He started off earning just £35 a week – but ended up as a commentator paid thousands per game.

What did your parents teach you about money?

Frugality. I was brought up in the east end of Glasgow and there wasn’t a lot of money around. My dad was a crane driver while my mum was a housewife, which I think is the most important job in the world. There were six kids. Although my parents were frugal, they taught me that if you have enough to get by you don’t need to worry too much about money or to panic about it. We weren’t materialistic at all. We had enough to eat and my needs were limited – they usually involved a football, a pair of boots and not a great deal else.

How much did you get paid for your first job as a professional footballer?

Thirty five pounds a week. I was a 17year-old student, studying business and commerce. A small club in Scotland called Clyde asked me to join them. I said, “No, I’m doing a degree” but the manager was Craig Brown, who went on to become Scotland manager years later, and he convinced me otherwise. He said I could train for Clyde two nights a week, play on a Saturday, and it would have no effect on my degree. I was a skint student and back then, you could buy a lot of record albums for £35 a week, so I said yes.

Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?

Yes, when I signed for Chelsea at 19 and moved to London. Nowadays, you might earn between £20,000 and £30,000 a week as a young first-team player. They paid me £180 a week. I had to pay tax on that of course, and the rent on my flat was £100. So I was left with about £20 a week to live on. It wasn’t easy. I remember once nicking a knife and fork from Pizza Hut because I didn’t have any at home. I barely had enough to survive on. I didn’t worry about it though. As long as I could eat, play football and listen to the John Peel radio show at night, I was happy. I

playing the game:

Nevin during his Everton days returned the cutlery three or four months later after I got some bonuses for winning games.

Have you ever been paid silly money?

Yes, when I worked for Channel Five as their main football pundit 20 years ago. They would pay me £2,500 per game and I had a period with them when I was doing 30 games a year.

What was the best year of your financial life?

It was 2000. I was a football player, chief executive of Motherwell Football Club in Scotland, and I was also working in TV and radio. I earned a decent six-figure sum, but I worked stupid hours. If I left the house at seven in the morning and got back at 11 in the evening, I was doing well. It wasn’t good for my health.

What is your biggest money mistake?

I invested £20,000 in a couple of companies in 2000 – a tech business and a venture capital company. I did it on the advice of someone I knew and lost £18,000. I’m not embittered. If you make an investment, you have to understand that sometimes it might not work out.

Do you save into a pension?

Not any more. I started to save into one as soon as I could as a young player. When I could afford it, I would put in 17.5% of my income tax-free. As a sports professional I only had to wait until I was 35 to access it. So I became a pensioner when I was in my late 30s. Outside of a pension, I have never invested in the stock market. It always felt like gambling.

What is your No.1 financial priority? My family. Everything my parents did was for their children. And anything I’ve ever done is for my children and my wife, and for their futures.

■ Pat Nevin’s autobiography,

The Accidental Footballer, €27, is out now.