Former Derby County defender Lilian Martin, who once played in the Premier League and Champions League, now works as a taxi driver in Nice, France. The 54-year-old enjoyed a half-season stint at Derby in 2001, having previously won the French title with Monaco and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
Martin began his career in France's lower divisions before joining Monaco in 1996, where he won Ligue 1 and faced Juventus in the Champions League semi-finals. He later played for Marseille and made nine Premier League appearances for Derby before retiring in 2002.
After football, Martin struggled for several years, separating from his children's mother and seeing a restaurant business fail. He tried coaching with Monaco's youth setup and at Cannes, but found it unfulfilling. 'Between the parents and everything else, I had reached saturation point,' he told L'Equipe.
His current partner's father, a taxi driver, encouraged him to try the profession. 'He said to me, 'Try taxi driving, you'll see, you'll love it,'' Martin recalled. He passed the exam and began driving, eventually taking over full-time in January 2026.
Martin now enjoys the freedom of the job, driving passengers during festivals and Grand Prix periods. He has even transported former footballers, including Ludovic Giuly, Djibril Cisse, and Sonny Anderson. His longest trip was to Milan, Italy, where he agreed a fixed price with the customer.
'Taxi driving is a bit like football,' Martin said. 'Everyone sticks together, but if someone can take advantage of you, they will. So you still have to keep your eyes open.'
