Right here is my opinion, I believe he was once signed to a youth contract on some major club but never quite cut it. That’s the connection to some of the premier footballers you see him with. Plus in the Mummy Diaries I’m sure he did a podcast with his trainer talking about when he got cut it destroyed his confidence.
I imagine he played for low level clubs in his early twenties and started dealing to keep up the appearance of a “professional footballer” lifestyle. I actually know someone who also did something like that, not necessarily dealing but involved in very dodgy stuff all to fund his “footballer” lifestyle. When his actual wages was like £250 a week!
She was a right wannabe wag back then, she wouldn’t have got with someone who didn’t have some sort of reputation. I remember Joey used to go mad that she would always be all over guys who had a reputation as a bit of a bad boy while she was him. She would defend it as they were “family friends” bless her I think she got the bad boy fetish from Sue!