I scored for Borussia Dortmund against Real Madrid in the Champions League but now ‘live like a monster’
Andre Schurrle reached the top of the world in 2014.
Then with Chelsea, he lofted a cross into the Argentina box which Mario Gotze finished to win the World Cup for Germany in the Maracana.
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A decade on, and still only 33, Schurrle is now reaching new heights by scaling mountains and taking on epic feats of endurance after retiring early in 2020.
Some superstars find it difficult to move on when they hang up their boots,
The German, though, is not living his best life - he's living a new one entirely.
Ahead of the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, which is live on talkSPORT, Schurrle posted a throwback from his previous life.
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In 2016, he smashed home a late strike against Los Blancos to earn Dortmund a 2-2 draw and seal top spot for his club in their group.
"In a different life," commented Schurrle after being tagged in the video.
Now he's got bigger plans afoot.
"Let’s goooo! Mountain season is coming! Can’t wait to have some great adventures," he posted in a video on Instagram this week.
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Adventures could well be underselling it.
Just heading to his shows Schurrle in a new light.
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Running the Barcelona marathon, climbing ice summits and even hiring out an athletics track so he could run 44 kilometres (27 miles) with friends and family.
Schurrle wasn't happy with that latter feat, though, only completing 110 circuits out of the 150 he wanted.
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He posted: "Failure!! I didn’t reach my goal!
"Now I grow! I do more! Train better! And be stronger in my mind!
"Don’t be afraid to fail! Your goals should always be so big that failure is an option!
"Don’t be afraid!! You only learn from failure.";
And Schurrle's Instagram is full of videos from hikes in the sun, wind, rain and snow, showcasing his mental and physical resilience as he pushes himself to new extremes.
What's his next goal?
Well, just hiking 8,848 vertical metres with a time limit of 36 hours - a feat known as 'Everesting' as it resembles reaching the summit of Mount Everest
In another video, quoting from Hollywood hit Shutter Island, he added: "Which would be worse, to live as a monster or to die as a good man?"
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And living is certainly what Schurrle is doing right now as Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid clash again at Wembley.
The 2024 Champions League final is live on talkSPORT at 8pm on Saturday 1 June
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