The life of a footballer is short as the average footballer gets to play actively for 10 years. While many go to real estate, hotels, and other investment ventures with the money they get while playing, only a handful pursue a career in academia.
Footballers across the globe do not have a reputation for intelligence as there is an ill-conceived perception that unintelligent people chase a career in football but there are those who have made themselves to be an exception to that rule.
Today we look at six footballers who are actively playing the sport and are on top of their game but have still managed to get degrees and other academic certificates even with a very busy tight schedule.
1. Romelu Lukaku - Inter Milan (On loan from Chelsea)
Born on May 13, 1993, to Adolphine Bolingoli Lukaku and father, Roger Lukaku, in the city of Antwerp, Belgium, Romelu picked up a career in football at an early age after he was enrolled in the Rupel Boom academy team.
Romelu has had a great career after playing for Anderlecht, Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton, and Inter Milan.
Aside from scoring over 300 goals in his career, Lukaku is also an intelligent young man who can speak eight languages. The 29-year-old can speak German, English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, and a Swahili dialect.
He also has a degree in tourism and international relations from the University of Leuven.
2. Juan Mata
Best known for his time in the English Premier League with Chelsea before joining rivals Manchester United in 2014.
34-year-old Mata who set up Didier Drogba to score that iconic UEFA Champions League goal in 2012 is second on our list with two degrees.
Juan Mata is a brilliant football with an Ivy League education. He holds two degrees from the Universidad Camilo Jose Cela, one in Sports Science and another in Marketing.
3. Simon Mignolet
The Belgium goalkeeper is the only shot-stopper in this list who is best remembered for his time in the English Premier League with giants Liverpool.
Born on March 6, 1988, the Belgian international is the second player on this list who has two degrees despite playing football actively.
Simon Mignolet holds a degree in both law and political sciences. The 34-year-old Club Brugge goalkeeper graduated from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.
4. Giorgio Chiellini
Considered to be one of the greatest defenders of his time, Giorgio Chiellini is one of the most decorated players to have ever played in the Italian Serie A.
The Italian international who is also the captain of Juventus wasn't satisfied with just being one of the best defenders in the world so he decided to take on another challenge and that was in academia.
Giorgio Chiellini is not just a genius on the Football pitch. The Italian defender graduated with a Masters' Degree in Business Administration from The University of Turin's School of Management and Economics.13 Jun 2022.
Giorgio is the only player on this list who has a Masters's Degree. He completed his Bachelor's Degree in Economics and Commerce in 2010 and graduated with a Masters' Degree in Business administration in 2017.
He got both his degree and masters from the University of Turin.
5. Gerard Pique
Another player on our list is Barcelona and Spanish international, Gerard Pique Bernabeu.
Pique is one of the most decorated players in history after winning the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup, Super Cup, Euros, and FIFA World Cup with Manchester United, Barcelona, and the Spanish national team.
Gerard Pique is not only good at football but also at academia. He has a Business Economic Degree from of the most prestigious business institutions in Europe.
He graduated from, the ESADE business school in Barcelona, Spain.
Wilfried Ndidi
Representing the brothers on the continent is Nigerian international, Wilfred Ndidi.
Considered to be one of the best midfielders in the English Premier League, 25-year-old Wilfred Ndidi also has an academic qualification which according to the player is his retirement plan.
Wilfred Ndidi bagged a degree in Business Management at De Montfort University in the UK in August 2022.
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A photo of six footballers who have degrees