Footballer, play your cards right and you retire at 35 with a pretty decent pension. Rest of your life fishing and travelling. Rock stars have a tendency to be " Retired " at 27 but without the pension.
If one from the top, then you would be truly talented. Wealthy, well travelled, able to set your own work schedule, money coming in from royalties for decades to come. The groupies would be a bonus too.
Much longer career, a back catalogue of work that can be appreciated for all time, royalties coming in for eternity supporting the family, travel all around the world.
Well, for his 60th Birthday, the rather generous Paul Heaton put £1000 behind the bar of 60 pubs around the UK, Including the Duke of wellington.
So there's that.
I don't know why the question is in the past tense. I may be 60ish, but...
I can still kick a football.
I sing like a rock god in the shower.
I can knock out a tune on guitar.
So easy. Footballer. The rock crossover opportunities that way are hugely abundant. Not so much the other way round.
In the 60s/70s would have been best when footballers could go on benders and still play at the weekend. Wake up on Rod Stewart’s floor after a heavy two day bender then all outside for a kick about on his Wembley replica pitch outside. Perfect for blowing off the cobwebs/comedown.
Neither, I wouldn't like the fame, or performing in front of a large crowd. Could probably handle being a Palace player, and being a legend in Croydon, but not anywhere I would want to live or be often.