The former goalkeeper of Manchester United, who played for 18 different clubs and completed 22 transfers throughout his football career, is now enjoying exceptional success in another game in a different field.
Born in California, USA, to an English mother and an American father, the former keeper’s family moved to the United Kingdom when he was young, and he began playing for Norbury Moore in Stockport. However, he was soon noticed by the Manchester United legend and club scout, Brian Kidd. In 1997, Paul Rachubka signed a contract with the “Red Devils” at the age of just 16 and continued his development in the club’s academy at Old Trafford. He progressed through the ranks of the club’s U16, U18, and U21 teams until 2000 when Paul Rachubka made his debut for the senior team during the FIFA Club World Cup. In the same year, he also made two more appearances, one in the FA Cup and one in the English League Cup.
However, those were the only appearances Paul Rachubka made for Manchester United, and the following year, he continued to play for the club’s reserve team. He then had loan spells at Royal Antwerp and Oldham Athletic until 2003 when Paul Rachubka was sold to Charlton Athletic for a fee of £200,000.
The goalkeeper spent two years with Charlton Athletic, but during a longer period, he was loaned out to Burnley, Huddersfield, MK Dons, Northampton, until in December 2004, Rachubka was sold to Huddersfield, where he played for two years. This was followed by another two years of consistently being loaned out to various clubs. He played for Peterborough and Blackpool within a year, after which he secured a permanent transfer to Blackpool. It was during his time at Blackpool that he enjoyed the most matches in his career, playing over 100 games for the club, and in 2011, he was also named Player of the Year.
In 2011, Paul Rachubka moved to Leeds United, but he hardly played for the club and was once again loaned out within six months to Tranmere Rovers, Leyton Orient, and Accrington Stanley, until his contract with Leeds was terminated in 2013.
Then, as a free agent, Paul Rachubka joined Oldham Athletic, where he played for two seasons before moving to Crewe Alexandra and subsequently to Bolton and Bury, where he ended his career. He then concluded his career in India, playing for Kerala Blasters in 2017, alongside the Bulgarian football legend Dimitar Berbatov.
Currently, Paul Rachubka is 42 years old and enjoys his work as an accountant in a British company. In his LinkedIn profile, the former goalkeeper describes his role as: “My focus is on assisting a large number of small football clubs and athletes in dealing with a wide range of tax issues. Let me make your finances clear and efficient with a thoughtful approach to taxes.”
