Former Manchester United and Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin has built a second career in property, using experience gained during his playing days to develop portfolios and advise professional footballers.

Dublin began buying houses while still playing, purchasing properties in areas where he was based and retaining them as rental investments. Over time, that portfolio led to television work on the BBC programme Homes Under the Hammer, where producers approached him after learning about his interest in property. He has presented the programme since 2015.

He is now developing a property business in and around Wrexham, where the club’s rise through the English football pyramid has increased attention on the area. Dublin says professional footballers have approached him with substantial sums to source, renovate and manage properties on their behalf, including investments of approximately £200,000.

Dublin has also launched Lot 9, a property auction company designed to build on his experience in the sector. He said he had been involved in property since 1992 and viewed the auction business as a long-term passion project alongside his BBC and radio work.

His interest in property dates back to his early professional career. Dublin has explained that he bought homes as he moved between clubs, eventually realising that he had accumulated a portfolio almost by accident. He later began managing the investments more deliberately as a source of rental income.

Dublin’s life before football fame included a friendship with Jason Statham. As a teenager in the Norwich City system, he lived in Great Yarmouth with his brother Ash, who was a DJ and musician. Statham was Ash’s friend and bandmate, and the future actor shared the house with them.

Dublin recalled watching the band perform, attending his brother’s DJ sets and going out with Statham in Great Yarmouth. At the time, Statham was still far from becoming a Hollywood star, while Dublin was beginning his professional football career.

The property business now gives Dublin a way to remain connected to football while helping players think beyond their playing careers. His work in television, auctions and real estate has made him one of the more distinctive examples of a former Premier League player building a successful career away from the pitch.