One-time England international Steven Caulker has shared his fear at facing unemployment.
Caulker, 34, won his sole England cap in 2014 in a friendly against Sweden, in which he scored. He played in the Premier League for six different clubs between 2011 and 2016 and then hold coaching and assistant-management roles at FC Málaga City in 2023, Stjarnan in 2025, and Konyaspor in 2026.
Taking to his LinkedIn at the beginning of October, he shared a post stating he was seeking work between his coaching positions.
He followed-up on this with a post on Sunday, highlighting the toll unemployment is taking on him.
“Being unemployed is stressful,” he said.
“I’ve been here many times before, I’m used to the rollercoaster of emotions, but it doesn’t make it any easier.
“Applying for jobs for which I have all the qualifications yet am unable to get even an interview hurts, but that does not mean I should panic.”
Caulker — who has previously revealed his long-term struggles with gambling and alcoholism at the beginning of his football career — rounded his post off on a positive note.
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“Walt Disney was rejected over 300 times; rejection is part of most people’s stories. The bit I find difficult is then turning down the jobs that do come my way which are not aligned with my goals,” he said.
“Staying calm and composed during these times is important, and adding some kind of structure to my day certainly helps. I’ve just finished my morning run and feeling pretty good after releasing some endorphins.”
Caulker trained with the Tottenham Hotspur‘s youth academy before making 18 top-flight appearances for their first team. He spent the 2011-21 season on loan to Swansea City, making his Premier League debut. He then captained Cardiff City, joining permanently for the 2013-14 season before signing to Queens Park Rangers in 2014 following Cardiff’s relegation.
To polish off his career, Caulker joined Southampton on loan from QPR in 2015-16 and then signed for Liverpool on loan in a famous surprise January transfer window move.
In total, Caulker made 123 appearances, scoring eight goals and completing two assists in the Premier League.
