The former Liverpool striker keeps busy with his family, running a racing stables and punditry work but admitted nothing he does comes close to the euphoria he experienced on the pitch.

He told Britain’s OK! Magazine: “That’s why a lot of footballers struggle when they retire.

“Trying to find something that gives you that buzz is impossible.

“Forget scoring a goal in the World Cup against Argentina, just scoring a goal is the biggest high and to not have that is hard.

“I’ve tried everything in life. Well, not drugs, so I don’t know what that high is like, but everything else I’ve tried doesn’t come close to scoring a goal.

“So you’ve just got to accept it and hope it doesn’t eat you up.

“I keep myself busy with my work and the stables and my family and I make sure I don’t give myself too much time to think.”

Michael admitted he struggles with downtime.

He said: “Even if I’ve not been home for a month and I get home at 6pm, within an hour I’m bored.

“I can’t just sit on the couch.

“I’ll have to either go down to the pub for a drink with my dad – or with Louise.

“I can’t just spend time staring at a screen.”

And one thing the TNT Sport pundit won’t be doing is watching a movie.

He ranted: “Films are just boring. They’re made up. They’re not even real life.

“I hate them, they’re horrible.

“It makes me cross just talking about them.

“You put something like James Bond on and he does 10 cartwheels and 20 backflips and ducks down on the top of a train before a bridge hits him and then shoots someone and he dies.

“And it’s like, ‘Oh my God, come on. I was watching programmes like that when I was three.’ “