2 answers
Jeb’s Answer
I appreciate your question and it is a very good one. My advice to you is to certainly go to college. There is a stigma in the United States that says, "Professional soccer players don't come out of college programs." That is absolutely false and I am an example of a college player who did go on to play in Major League Soccer and in Europe after getting my degree at the University of Notre Dame.
I was raised by two teachers so school was always a priority for me. I would say that school is just as/if not more important than Soccer simply for the fact that many Soccer careers are short due to unforeseeable things like injuries. Unfortunately, we all have to come to the realization that we can't play professional soccer for the rest of our lives so we need to always have a solid backup plan.
With a college degree in your back pocket, you will be able to face that fear with less anxiety knowing that you can use that degree to find jobs after your career is done.
I hope, with all my heart, that you become a professional soccer player someday and I can ask for your autograph! But first, my suggestion is to get the best grades you possibly can get and go into college knowing that you are making a great decision for your future.
Naimah’s Answer
Hi Alexander,
Im sure playing soccer is important to you, and that you have a love for it. I agree with Jeb's response, definitely get a degree of some sort first. That said, there are many ways to work with a great football club like Barcelona - there are sports medicine, physio, administrative, marketing and financial roles to name a few.
They actually have an office in New York and their headquarters are naturally in Barcelona, Spain.
Speaking Spanish will definitely help as well.