Semi-pro/pro football or IB
Hey guys, so I have been wrecking my brain about this issue for some time now and I would love a different opinion from ppl in the industry.
So I live in Italy and go to a target school there and it places well in BB London. I have been practising football (soccer for fellow americans) since 5 years of age and now I play at semi-pro (not serie A or B for the diehard fans but still pretty good for my age as I couldnt leave the city where I study so no opportunities to go up).
Forecasting my performance in 5 years (neither optimistic nor pessimistic) I'd be in a first/second league pro team in Europe top5 , and I believe I'd easily join my national team (I am not italian so 100× easier lol) and play at the world cup which is an achievement on its own.
Here are my two choices with their ups and downs:
-Quit football and do IB: My choice as of now. I grew up in a low middle class family and I have seen my parents sacrifice a lot of things so that I reach where I am. Football, as much as I love it, is still risky and I might end up injured or just not lucky. With IB schedule i know i wont find time for even one practice session. I dont want to regret this later in life but I know after exiting IB i would have more time and I can still play the sport that i love, albeit at lower levels.
-Go play football after college: after a football career going to IB would be crazy difficult (but ik not impossible). I mean come on who would hire a 33 year old analyst in a BB. I don't want to do a mediocre career honestly. What I hate the most is living a life without competition/ambition (not in a bad way)
If u were me whats your choice and why (again u won't decide in my place ik but other opinions are more than welcome)
Note: I enjoy finance I am not doing it just for the comp (Same for football as there is good comp but not main reason). I read and try to learn a lot about this industry outside of my studies as I have learnt to apply grinding to acquiring knowledge. I have learnt from my sport that you end up sooner or later mastering your craft if you do so.
you truly are in a one-of-a-kind situation, but I think that being a football player is something that you will forever wish you had tried when you're 65 and wealthy. Money will always come to someone as ambitious and intelligent as you, but the experience of being a pro athlete will never be an opportunity again
Not gonna dox myself, but I was in a very similar scenario. However, I was playing professionally within European leagues. I'll be honest with you, coming from someone who understands the worlds of professional football and investment banking. If you're 18 or older and haven't secured a full-time contract with a professional team, my suggestion is to pursue investment banking.
Semi-pro football is a challenging environment where breaking out is tough. There are over 250 million semi-pro/academy football players worldwide. Less than 0.5% of them will ever secure professional contracts, this percentage drops even further to 0.012% when considering making it into top leagues like the EPL, La Liga, and Serie A. Making it out of semi-pro football in Europe is extremely hard. Most likely you could find yourself stuck in a repetitive cycle of going on trials to multiple clubs or remaining semi-pro/non-league football until you're over 30, needing a second, less demanding, low-paying job to support your football aspirations. This is because you won't have the time or energy for a high-paying, demanding job, given your commitment to your football career.
Also, escaping the semi-pro level is heavily influenced by your position and genetics, which isn't really discussed. Traditionall , the fortunate few who've managed to make it out are often prolific strikers who are consistently scoring 25+ goals per season in lower leagues or 6ft3+ center-backs.
Lets say yo do manage to secure a professional contract, you're likely to receive a low wage (you mentioned your not money motivated so I guess it docent matter but you got to live and support your family) and sign 1-year contracts contingent on your performance. If, by some rare chance, you're among the few who make it to a top league, you'll likely be around 29 or older, nearing the end of your career. This means your prime earning potential within the game has mostly concluded.
Furthermore, the responsibility of advancing your career largely falls on you, as most agents prefer to work with non-semi-pro players due to their limited financial gain. You'll probably have to find an agent who's willing to help you without expecting compensation, likely a lower-tier agent which faces its own set of problems such as minimal connections to advance your career.
In essence, as a semi-pro footballer, you're at the bottom rung of the football ladder. Conversely, in the elite job market, you're a top-tier candidate, especially if you've attended a prestigious university (especially Bocconi if you're in Italy). I can speak from a professional player's perspective, and I can affirm that recruiters and bankers highly regard top-tier athletes due to the discipline they've cultivated, which can translate well into investment banking.
But If you're passionate about football, go for it, but maintain a realistic outlook. I don't mean to criticize, but if you were truly exceptional, you'd be part of a pro club or fully committed to pursuing a football career rather than opting for European university education. If you were attending an American university, it would make more sense, as you'd go through the D1 pipeline and become eligible for the MLS pro-draft post-graduation.
However, follow your aspirations if you're determined; it's your life, and football offers only a limited window of opportunity. I have numerous friends who were part of top academy teams, some secured pro contracts, but got released at 18 or 21, and many of them are struggling to find teams now. Always remember, in football, once you're past 18, they're already scouting the next young talent, possibly a 14 or 16-year-old. The older you get, the tougher it becomes. This isn't the case in fields like investment banking, where seniority often leads to greater success. Ultimatley, I would love to have a fellow footballer working in my group, also (as mentioned) European IB often lacks athletes breaking in due to European athletes not needing to go into a college system to play professionally so there are so few of us! Again works to your benefit!
Wishing you all the best!