But former Llanfyllin High School pupil Dyfri Owen is doing just that, as physio to the Wales football team and U21s.

Dyfri, who grew up in Llanymynech, joined the national team set-up when John Toshack's reign began, having also been physio to the Cardiff rugby team since 2000.

"I have been on the Wales national team for three years now, I started looking after the first team at the same time John Toshack took over as the national team coach.

"That involves meeting up with the players and the coaching staff whenever there's a game, and looking after them while they train It's up to 10 days every couple of months.

"I was always sports mad, I did a sports science degree in Liverpool and then decided I wanted to work in sport. Physiotherapy offered me that. Being a big football fan, the ultimate goal for me was always to look after the Welsh national football team. I have realised that, and I cannot think of anything bigger or better.

"I am very privileged to have got the job I have."

Dyfri's time with the Welsh team has already taken him to 'exotic' places such as Austria, Poland, Cyprus, San Marino, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the Czech Republic.

"On a typical day you get up about 8 o'clock in the morning, and get the players ready for training, strappings and assessments of their fitness etc, and then picking up the pieces after training, such as ice baths.

"After then time is spent treating and assessing players, they keep us busy, we tend to finish about 10.30 at night.

"It's a long day sometimes, but it's very rewarding work.

"People think it's glamourous and going away on holiday, certainly my girlfriend thinks so, but it's hard work."

The former Llanfyllin Junior School pupil said one game stood out above all others.

"It probably has to be last match, which was a very satisfying game, because we drew 0-0 at Germany. They are one of the best teams in the world, and not many teams come away from there with anything.

"It left us feeling very positive about the World Cup qualifying."
The World Cup draw, with a place in the finals in South Africa 2010 at stake, has seen Wales paired with Germany, Russia, Finland, Azerbaijan and Liechenstein, and Dyfri is hopeful the team can progress.

"We are confident. We have got an extremely good crop of young players coming through.

"The U21s are doing fantastically well, having beaten France 3-2 who are one of the best teams in the world.

"John Toshack is not scared of giving youngsters a chance."
Trips to far-flung parts of the globe can present their own problems, as Dyfri explained.

"Sometimes we stay on British time. Sometimes, if you're only there for a short time, it's easier to stay on British time and ignore the time wherever you go, and keep the clocks the same so you don't affect your body clocks.

"It's an attempt to maximise the players' potential in the game, get the best out of them.

"It's dependent on how long we are going to be away, and if the time difference isn't very great there's no point, and if we are going for a long time we tend to stay with the local time.

"We even take our own chef, so we can be sure the food is safe to eat. We know what the players are eating then."

Trips to Russia, as England discovered, can also mean playing on plastic pitch.

"Plastic pitches are definitely very different. It's a completely and utterly different playing surface, and we have to prepare the players for that.

"Mind you, there's a rumour they may be forced to change the pitch and put grass down."

Every week during the season, Dyfri can be seen on the touchline at Cardiff rugby games in the Welsh Premiership – and occasionally for the Cardiff Blues in the Celtic League when their physio is unavailable.

"Rugby is a completely different environment. You can enter the field of play at any point as a physio, without waiting for permission from the referee, because you have to be careful about serious injuries.
"Rugby players also tend to get different types of injuries.

"Footballers tend to get lower limb injuries, legs, feet, ankles, while rugby players' injuries tend to be more varied, shoulders, upper body injuries. Rugby players also tend to get superficial injuries, cuts and lacerations that need to be dealt with.

"In a game of football you might not need to go on the pitch at all. In rugby you are on every couple of minutes.

"I have had to assess and take people off with severe spinal injuries.
"And I have dealt with lots of nasty dislocations and fractures. Some serious injuries"

Dyfri has got some good friends at the top level of sport these days, especially in the rugby world.

"I started at Cardiff in 2000, this is my eighth season, and I started by looking after the U21s there. The provincial set-up wasn't there then, and a lot of those players have come through up the ranks and are playing for Cardiff Blues or in the Premiership. And the footballers are a great bunch of lads."

Despite an earlier dalliance with Sheffield Wednesday, Dyfri is now a committed Cardiff City supporter – albeit he can only be found at Ninian Park if the games are played on any day other than Saturday.

"It would be fantastic to see them in the Premiership," he said, "they are flying at the moment and I would say they are almost certainties for the play-offs this season, and then who knows what can happen?"

When he's not working with Welsh sporting superstars, Dyfri runs his own private physiotherapy practice.

"I have got a private practice in Penarth, that was started in 2006 and was opened by John Toshack, and I have just started a second practice in the Cardiff Bay International Sports Village."

With his services always in demand, Dyfri also works two days a week in Llandough Hospital.