Crossword Genius

Athlete finds Queen Elizabeth's orb at the end of the bed. (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

footballer

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'athlete' is the definition.
(I know that footballer is a type of athlete)

'queen elizabeth's orb at the end of the bed' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'queen' could be 'er' (abbreviation for Elizabeth Regina) and 'er' is found in the answer.
'orb' could be 'ball' (synonyms) and 'ball' is present in the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found within the answer.
'of' could be 'o' and 'o' is found within the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'finds' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for footballer that I've seen before include "Sportsman" , "Back (or forward?)" , "left-winger, perhaps" , "Kenny Dalglish?" .)

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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