FOOTBALL: New Tim Wiese pics show off his enormous muscles

You may recall that we've reported on German goalkeeper Tim Wiese's astonishing transformation before - some new pics posted by his training partner show how far he's come.

Here's a quick refresher. After playing for the likes of Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen, Wiese signed for Hoffenheim in 2012, but a poor start and then injury hampered his early career there. Then came issues with the manager and the club and he was dropped from the squad, leaving him on the sidelines for nearly two years. It was during this period that he refocused his training - he began bodybuilding and completely changed his physique.

Many fans and commentators scoffed at this change, saying he was ruining his chances of ever playing football again. In their eyes, he had gone from an established keeper (he had even played for the national team) to a something of an absurd curiosity.

In January 2014 his contract with Hoffenheim was terminated by mutual agreement - his new body had essentially left him unsuited to the sport. But he remained philosophical, stating: "I am not a dreamer, but a realist and I assume that I have my best years behind me and I will no longer play as a professional."

Late last year he began making moves towards pro wrestling, claiming he had been offered a developmental contract by WWE. However, he would need at least a year of full-on training to prepare himself for the switch, it was said.

So, perhaps these new pics show that that's exactly what he's been doing. He trains with successful German bodybuilder Murat Demir, who himself is aiming to become 'Mr Olympia'. That's some neck, no?

The 6ft 4in star now weighs 18st 12lb, according to a recent report in the Osnabrücker Zeitung.

Perhaps strangely, Wiese is not the only former goalkeeper forging a career (or at least, hoping to) in WWE. English goalie Stuart Tomlinson, who most recently played for Burton Albion, quit football in 2013, got a contract and now performs as Hugo Knox.

The pair will no doubt be hoping to follow in the footsteps of a number of American football stars who went on to perform in the WWE. Two of today's most high-profile wrestlers, Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt, both had solid careers in gridiron before going on to life in the ring.

And according to a Forbes article from May this year, it's a very lucrative life too. A successful pro wrestler earns from $500,000 to over $1million per year. That's about £323,000 to £640,000. Obviously the really big stars can earn millions.

So for someone like Stuart Tomlinson, who was playing in England's fourth tier back in 2012, it's a good living indeed. It's certainly not easy, though, when you take into account the amount of training and sheer discipline required.

But Tim Wiese has always been realistic about the change in his body and his reasons for doing it. He simply enjoys it. If he does go on to succeed in WWE or bodybuilding, he'll be doing something that makes him happy (and earning a fair amount of money). And, let's not forget, he'll also have the last laugh over those who sneered at his unlikely transformation.

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