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Berlin - Ex-Germany goalkeeper Tim Wiese says he has completed his first couple of training sessions to prepare for a career in the wrestling ring having packed on 40kg of muscle.
The 33-year-old, who was part of Germany's 2010 World Cup squad and retired last September after 269 Bundesliga appearances, has packed on muscle with daily gym sessions.
He says he has been offered a WWE contract having made a guest appearance ringside at a show last year in Frankfurt.
"That is a really interesting thing for me, I used to follow the sport as a kid," he told SID, an AFP subsidiary, at a fitness studio in Berlin.
"I already have two training sessions behind me, which were incredibly painful and I hadn't expected that.
"Whatever happens now is up in the stars, I'll just keep continuing my training and who knows where that will lead."
Wiese was only too happy to flash his bulging biceps for photographers and says he eats a kilogramme of meat per day.
He took up bodybuilding more than a year ago as a hobby after a falling out with his former German league side Hoffenheim.
"I think you all remember me from when I weighed 90 kilos, to put on 40 kilo in two years is rare and, of course, striking," he said with obvious pride.
Wiese says his daily gym visits are "like an addiction".
"If I don't go to the gym, it feels like I have done something wrong," he admitted.
Wiese now tips the scales at 129kgs -- and his goal is 140kgs.
"You have to eat, eat, eat and then you'll manage it eventually," he explained.
Reaction to Wiese's new striking appearance has been mixed in Germany after ex-Bundesliga player Ansgar Brinkmann said he looks like a "marshmallow".
