Do world soccer players go to college?

No, most don't.

 

No...It´s a win or die situation for most players, if you make it you will earn big, otherwise you can as well start working for Burger King.
Being a youth academy player in say England or Germany is a semi-pro lifestyle in itself but as players are expected to be available full time at the age of 15-17 there is no time for College.

 

The United States is really the only nation that uses University teams as a developmental league as the NFL, NBA, MLB and MLS all use the NCAA to some extent as a feeder league.

In other countries, Universities are strictly for learning. They may have clubs teams, but the leagues in those countries don't feed the leagues with players whether it be football, rugby or basketball.

 

As much as I support university athletics, I think that in the world of soccer, it puts US and Canada at a disadvantage. It is great for sports such as football and basketball but for soccer, we can clearly see the discrepency. Other countries in the world are able to churn out great players because of the fact that they have soccer-academies in which kids train day and night at a very young age. Not that I like such a system, but that is the kind of system that keeps you competitive in the soccer world.

We can also see it in basketball. European players are catching up very rapidly to American college players, even though I'm sure the participation level is very low compared to North America.

 

You have kids playing in the Premier League at 16. That's how old Rooney was when he scored his first goal for Everton, and Fabregas was a first team regular for Arsenal at 17.

In the UK at least, you're legally required to attend school until the age of 16, but once that school year is over, players like Rooney, Beckham and Gerrard are basically full time pros (although they can't sign a professional contract until they turn 17). University isn't even an option.

 

You can leave high school at 16 in the States as well.

 

So what age do American athletes generally turn pro in team sports?

And how is it Adu was playing in the MLS at 14? Obviously he's not gone to university, has he?

 

Im pretty sure Junior Hockey players in Canada have financial support to go to college, but they basically are full time hockey players from about age 16 (or even 15).

College and University players have never been a big source of NHL players.

 

Clemson's starting kicker on the football team has been a starter on the soccer team since his freshman season and is a pretty solid player, but will spend most of his senior season with the football team.

In no other country would quality soccer players just start playing another sport at the age of 21.

The quality of college soccer isn't very high even in great conferances like the ACC, the season is short and the team really only practices for 5-6 months of the year. This isn't a great way to produce talent.

In the SEC only a couple schools even have soccer teams.

 

I think as more young Americans make big transfers (Adu, Szetela, Feilhaber, the others in EPL etc), more youth players will finally realize that there is a great amount of money to be made and at a very young age. No other sport in the US (besides maybe NBA to a lesser extent) will allow you to play professionally at 18, anywhere in the world, and make potentially a million dollars in the first years. You're lucky to be a starter in MLB by 25, in NFL and NBA by 22 or 23.

My guess is that within the next 10 years NCAA will need to step up its soccer programs or it will become obsolete in the path toward a professional career.

 

Well That is a great question. I have some knowlege on how the system works in France.They call it Sport/Etudes. As a matter of fact Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs attended such a facility. Five days a week sometimes six. You attend class in the morning and go to training the rest of the day. As a matter of fact I almost attended such an academy with the Girondins De Bordeaux. I also have to mention that the Educatif system in France is Higher than that of the US. The last year of secondary school in France is equal to the Freshmen or even Sophmore year of college here...

I can not attest that they have the equivalent of a BS. or BA. in whatever but they are educated.(many parents of the young prodigies insist on it).. well at least a good bit of them..I know it is not totally answering the question posed but this is my knowledge of the matter...

PS: i CAN ONLY IMAGINE THAT IT IS A BIT IN TUNE WITH THE REST OF EUROPE.

 

Not exactly true. While it is rare, it does happen. Current premiership bosses Steve Coppell and Lawrie Sanchez both went to university. In coppell's case he went to university in the week and turned out for Man Utd at weekends. Lawrie Sanchez played for Reading when he was still at school, which begs the question of whether he went into class saying "sorry Miss, I couldn't do my homework as I had to play midfield at Burnley last night".

One big difference of course is that there is no such thing as a sports scholarship here. Everyone who goes to university does so on the back of academic qualifications. That really limits the opportunity to go to university in comparison.

It does have to be said that not having a degree doesn't limit career prospects in quite the same way that it seems to over there. Qualifications you get at 16 are quite adequate for starting the average white collar job, for example, and those rejected at 18 are still young enough to train for a career outside the game.

 

Yeah but for Coppell and Sanchez, you're going back a good few years. In today's game, it's just not feasible for a top class Premiership footballer to attend university, while maintaining their professional sporting commitments.

 

It can still be done. The easiest way would be to go for an Open University degree which is basically a correspodance course with a residential part of a week or two per year.
We also live in more enlightened times where clubs with academies ensure that young players have a proper education running alongside their soccer training. This prepares players if they don't make the pro grade or for life after the game. It also has the beneficial effect of keeping young pros out of mischief once training is finished for the day.

 

College soccer, and college athletics in general, is unique to the United States and has been mirrored, on a lesser scale, by Canada. (Though the CCCA isn't as restrictive, in terms of amateurism, as the NCAA is. MLSers Ante Jazic and Pat Onstad played college ball in Canada.)

Occassionally an international-caliber foreign player will go the US college route and still manage to have a high-level pro career.

David Weir, who played for Scotland at the 98 WC and is currently with Rangers after a long career with Everton and before that Hearts (where he won the Scottish Cup), played four seasons of college ball at Evansville.

Shaka Hislop, now with FC Dallas but before that a veteran of many seasons in the EPL and a member of T&T's WC team last year, played four seasons at Howard.

Canadian international Paul Stalteri, now at Tottenham after winning a double at Werder Bremen, played a season of college ball at Clemson and Argentine international Santiago Solari, who has won titles at River Plate, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, played a season of college ball at Richard Stockton.

There are others, especially from Canada and the Carribean and occassionally from Africa (Nigerian WC player Michael Emenalo played at BU) and Europe.

It should also be noted that lots of European pro players get their degrees while they are playing. John O'Brien, who signed with Ajax as a teenager, earned a degree from the University of Amsterdam while helping Ajax win a bunch of hardware. Bobby Clark, now the coach at Notre Dame but before that a member of Scotland's 78 WC team and a very successful player at Aberdeen, got his degree while playing. There are a lot more (like Sanchez and Coppell, as noted above).

 

I think we can disregard the studies of players that already make big money...It´s not like they will start practicing medicine after puting their boots away eh?

 

Well, we must not forget the '80s great (?) Brazilian national team and Fiorentina midfielder Socrates, nicknamed The Doctor, who became a real doctor of medicine while playing. He also holds a doctorate degree in philosophy and now practices sport medicine in his hometown.

 

I´ll never forget him...a 80 ciggies a day habit, the only player I´ve seen smoking on the field during a break.

Still a heavy smoker apparently..But what a character, hardly typical though.

 

a least our teams are smarter than teams in other countries

 

You don't become smarter by skipping classes

And yeah, attending FSU on a athletic scholarship is as good as a pro-contract....

BTW, do you attend Montclair State University?

 

That was the most informative answer I have ever read.

In fact, I thought a lot of professional footballers did have tutoring or schooling at their respective club academies, but wow, was I way off. When they say you're a "professional footballer", it means a LOT.