For this reason he gave up his player contract for the next three years totaling 600,000 euros to concentrate on his studies. Even the Italian Sports Minister Spadafora sent a special compliment: "Spano is a role model for Italian teenagers, leading the team to promotion as captain is already a remarkable achievement, but this during a period in which he even managed to get both high university grades and a scholarship to a school outside of the country, a truly inspirational example."
02. Studying at Harvard and coming back to soccer: the Italian national youth striker is confident
As captain of a Serie B promoted team, Spano's academic achievements clearly take precedence over his prowess in soccer. But there's more to Italy than just Spano, there are more kids who love to learn.
Born in April 2002, Altiero is a talented striker for Serie B side Pescara. He got his acceptance letter in December 2020 to study Economics at Harvard University, a prestigious American institution.
Arlotti is no slouch in the soccer world either, having represented Italy in the final of the 2019 U17 European Junior Championships, where he sadly came second. He then went on to represent Italy, playing in the U18
World Cup
The family's DNA is better at studying than playing soccer. Arlotti's oldest brother attends Boston University, and the family also has a little sister who is a better student than the 2 older brothers were at the same time.
Arlotti, who has opted to go to the U.S., enters the U.S. Collegiate League and intends to return to soccer after completing three years of schooling, then at age 35
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He later became a college teacher.
03. Chiellini, who graduated from one of the four most prestigious schools: a future as a manager
Youngsters aren't the only ones who study in Italian soccer, it seems to be a tradition here to play soccer and also read. Just officially
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Italy and
Juventus, Italian football team
The meritorious center back, Chiellini, is a famous example.
He got his Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Turin back in 2010, when he wrote his thesis on the analysis of Juve FC's budget, which was 25 pages long and got 109 points (one point short of a perfect score).
It is important to know that the University of Turin is an old school with more history than the University of Paris in France, Oxford and Cambridge in England, and is one of the four best schools in Italy. 2017, Chiellini even got a master's degree, and in the future to enter the management of the team is a matter of minutes.
04. Italy is full of academics: there are many master's degrees and no shortage of PhDs
Why do so many female fans like Italy? In Italian soccer, you can find not only good players with good skills and good looks, but also learned men.
Even as a young man, Inzaghi, who was once considered to be a "womanizer", would take the time to complete his university studies in two years and at the same time obtain an accountant's certificate.
His club predecessor and AC
Milan (Italy)
The team's legendary defender, Costacurta, even took an MBA from Bocconi University's SDA Business School in one fell swoop. Much like Chiellini's degree, this business school's MBA was once ranked in the top 10 in Europe.
There's also the name that many older fans will remember - Fiori, a former AC
Milan (Italy)
substitute goalkeeper, who has also played for Lazio and Fiorentina.
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Back in AC
Milan (Italy)
Worked as a goalkeeper coach.
Back in 2007, the goalkeeper, who was not as well known for his goal line performances, received a doctorate in law from La Sapienza University in Rome.
05. Socrates, the Brazilian leader: not only a doctor, but also a writer of books, plays and music.
European soccer is full of schoolboys, and former German national team striker Bierhoff (who made his career in the
Serie A
) and also a master's degree in national economics from the University of Hagen. In contrast, there are relatively few South American players with outstanding academic qualifications. The most famous example is Socrates, once the leading figure of Brazilian soccer.
The secret of his success is to work harder than others. The Brazilian midfielder once explained his success, "I studied and played soccer at the same time, so that made it necessary for me to do more than others in certain areas, so to do better."
After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the medical school at the University of St. Paul, which led Socrates to
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After that, he got his dental license and even opened a clinic.
Socrates, who continued to work hard, went on to earn a doctorate degree, published books throughout his life, and even completed a playwright's and composer's work. This reclining Buddha on the green field fully illustrates what it means to work hard and what it means to be talented.
06. Graduated from Harvard
England Premier Soccer League
Gatekeeper: interned at NASA
Although Socrates studied medicine, he was more of a literary bully, both on and off the field. In the American soccer world, the number of science hegemony compared to Europe, indeed come to a lot less.
London-born former Trinidad and Tobago international goalkeeper Hislop is considered the most successful representative, although part of him should be counted as British.
exist
England Premier Soccer League
Appeared for multiple teams, including the
Chelsea
Heathrop, who has played for the likes of Newcastle, Newcastle, West Ham and Portsmouth, even set foot in 2006
World Cup
Racecourse.
Hislop is even more legendary off the court than on it. He received a scholarship to Harvard University at the age of 18 and completed five years of Mechanical Engineering, earning a master's degree. Rumor has it that Hislop also interned at NASA during his graduate studies, making him a true science bully.
Conclusion:
If a South American all-star team is selected, it might be able to compete with the European all-star team through talent. But if a South American schoolboy soccer team is selected, I am afraid there will be some gap in the fighting power.
After all, the roots of South American soccer are in the streets and on the beaches, not in institutions of higher learning. Soccer is a "down-home" sport, and therefore more grounded, becoming the world's number one sport. But playing soccer well and studying well is something that deserves everyone's respect. Of course, most of the students who get into Tsinghua will not choose to play soccer (even for a few years), which may be the difference between the soccer culture in China and that in Europe.
