"All that I know most surely about morality and obligations, I owe to football," the French writer and philosopher Albert Camus once famously said.
Before winning the Nobel Prize for Literature, Camus played in goal for Racing Universitaire d'Alger's youth team at the start of the 1930s, highlighting the long links between football and academic achievement.
These deep ties are poised to continue at the , where USA goalkeeper Matt Freese is set to become the first Harvard graduate to take part in the global showpiece. The New York City FC stopper has been , where he is widely expected to be the starting goalkeeper.
Freese comes from an incredibly high-achieving family — both his father and two older brothers also have degrees from Harvard. The 27-year-old successfully pursued his love of academics and football simultaneously by enrolling at the Ivy League university and then completing his economics degree while on the books of Major League Soccer (MLS) club Philadelphia Union.
"Off the field, it was a pretty eye-opening experience," about his time at Harvard. "There is such a high level of intellectual conversation and it really opened my eyes to a really diverse group of people. I got exposed to so many different types of cultures and ages."
Ahead of Freese's landmark appearance on home soil with the , FIFA takes a look at a series of other academically-accomplished World Cup stars.
World Cup appearances: 1 (1998)
The rugged defender was part of the Croatia team which shocked the world by reaching the semi-finals of France 1998 and he later coached the national side. Fluent in four languages, he completed a law degree at the University of Split, where his father later became dean.
World Cup appearances: 2 (1986, 1990)
The Real Madrid icon thrust his name on the global stage at Mexico 1986 where he scored five goals — including an incredible four-goal haul against Denmark in the Round of 16— as Spain reached the quarter-finals. The silky striker was also part of the Italy 1990 squad but was unable to add to his tally for La Roja. Off the field, Butragueno furthered his education by attending business school at the prestigious UCLA in the United States, which led to a long-running executive career at Real Madrid.
World Cup appearances: 2 (2010, 2014)
Despite having a long and illustrious career for club and country, World Cup success evaded the Italy defender. Chiellini was part of two Azzurri squads which failed to make it out of the group stage at both South Africa 2010 and Brazil 2014, where he had an ill-fated encounter with Uruguay frontman Luis Suarez. Now a football executive at Juventus, Chiellini gained a master's degree in business administration from the University of Turin's School of Management and Economics in 2017. His thesis was "The Business Model of Juventus Football Club in an International Context" which enabled him to pass cum laude – with distinction.
World Cup appearances: 1 (1982)
The England winger began his football journey combining a playing career with English lower-league club Tranmere Rovers while taking an economics degree at Liverpool University. He agreed to move to Manchester United in 1975 but only on the proviso that he would be allowed to finish his studies. “I told [then Manchester United manager] Tommy Docherty that I had an option to delay my studies,” Coppell recalled to TNT Sports, “but he said, ‘Absolutely no chance, football can be finished at the click of your finger, academic qualifications are with you for life.’ I’m eternally thankful for him saying that."
Coppell suffered a devastating injury in the build-up to Spain 1982 but he was able to make England's squad, playing in all of the Three Lions' games. Injury, sadly, prematurely ended his career aged 28.
World Cup appearances: 1 (2006)
The Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper attended Howard University in Washington DC as a student-athlete, where he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. As part of his studies, he took a summer internship at NASA. From there, the 6ft 4in stopper had a long career in England at Reading, West Ham and Newcastle United before being part of the Trinidad and Tobago team that qualified for Germany 2006, the Caribbean nation's only World Cup to date.
World Cup appearances: 3 (1998, 2002, 2006)
While rising through the ranks at Schalke 04, the German goalkeeper studied economics at the University of Munster. A back-up to Oliver Kahn at France 1998 and Korea/Japan 2002, Lehmann came into his own at Germany's World Cup on home soil in 2006, famously consulting as he emerged the hero in 4-2 penalty shootout victory against Argentina in the quarter-finals. Mystery surrounds the actual content of Lehmann's notes to this day.
World Cup appearances: 2 (2010, 2014)
The playmaker was part of the all-conquering Spain teams that won the World Cup at South Africa 2010 and then the UEFA EURO two years later in Poland/Ukraine. At Brazil 2014, Mata scored his first and only World Cup goal, which came against Australia in the group stage. Now a football executive, Mata has degrees in both sports sciences and marketing, and he completed a master’s in Sports and Entertainment Management at La Liga Business School.
World Cup appearances: 4 (2010, 2014, 2018, 2022)
The veteran defender is poised to make history as to feature at five editions of the FIFA World Cup. Nagatomo began his career as a student-athlete at the prestigious Meiji University in Tokyo, where he graduated with an economics degree.
World Cup appearances: 2 (1966, 1978)
The Real Madrid legend represented Spain in two World Cups, at England 1966 and then 12 years later at Argentina 1978 where La Roja were knocked out in the initial group stage on both occasions. After retiring in 37 after collecting ten La Liga titles, among many other trophies, the midfielder completed his studies as a physician and went on to join the Real Madrid medical staff before going on to a series of other roles with the club.
World Cup appearances: 2 (1982, 1986)
Football's most-famous academic and one of the game's greatest players, the balletic midfielder was part of Brazil's swashbuckling teams at Spain 1982 and Mexico 1986. While rising through the sport in Brazil, the player named after the Ancient Greek philosopher earned a medical degree from the University of Sao Paulo in 1977. A true Renaissance man, 'Doctor Socrates' also dabbled in art, politics, writing and acting.
World Cup appearances: 2 (1966, 1970)
A fringe player at Brazil's ill-fated campaign at England 1966, Tostao recovered from a detached retina to make the Seleção squad for their World Cup-winning team four years later. The prolific left-footed forward played a key role in Brazil lifting the title in Mexico, scoring twice against Peru in the quarter-finals and proving a number of key assists. Forced to retire aged just 26, he successfully pursued a medicine degree, where he specialized in ophthalmology following his eye issues. He later became a respected sports journalist in Brazil.
Sources: FIFA Official
