ALBION hero Steve Sidwell has launched an online children’s clothing boutique with his wife after they sold the Bentley he gave her for her 30th birthday to fund it.

The 35-year-old former midfielder retired in the summer after suffering back injuries and undergoing two operations.

He was a key player in the rise to the Premier League and scored the famous 50-yard goal in the team’s win at Bristol City.

He and his wife Krystell, who have four children, Harry, 12, nine-year-old Rocco, Lenny, eight, and Emme, three, set up their business, Blousey Baby, after people noticed how smartly dressed their children were.

“They kept getting a lot of compliments,” said Sidwell, now a coach for under-16s at Albion and also the club’s ambassador. “The idea of a children’s clothing business was something that we had discussed a few years ago and then it kept being put off after having the children. Then my situation pushed it and we finally took the plunge.”

Through Blousey Baby, named after a family nickname for Krystell, the couple sell imported clothes not available in this country and also promote English brands. They plan to open a shop and design clothes themselves.

Launched online in January, Blousey Baby was funded through the sale of their black GT Speed Bentley.

“I gave the Bentley to Krystell for her 30th birthday,” said Sidwell. “She had always wanted one and she loved it. But it wasn’t exactly a family car and it was just sitting on the drive. She said let’s sell it.”

Sidwell’s stellar football career began at Arsenal, when he was loaned to Albion, and then he joined Reading where he helped them reach the Premier League. He played for Aston Villa in the Premier League before he was bought by Jose Mourinho to play for Chelsea. He then joined Fulham, where he was made captain, and Stoke City before he joined Albion on loan in 2016.

He is philosophical about his early retirement from football. “I don’t miss playing,” he said. “My back still isn’t great and I’m on tablets and anti-inflammatories, which confirms that my decision to retire was right.

“That’s the part of footballing most people don’t see – they see the glitz and the glamour but not the people coming out of football with injuries that affects their day-to-day lives. However, that’s part and parcel of having that kind of career at the top level.”