Coventry City of England striker Taiwo Awoniyi has sent out a strong piece of advice to young Nigerian footballers to ensure they combine their years in the round leather game with efforts to develop themselves further in academics, Sports247 reports.
Awoniyi, who joined Coventry from Nottingham Forest, where he finally got his dream of playing in the English Premier League realised after failing to get a competitive game during his days with Liverpool, stressed that the value of education would be realised after retirement.
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The product of Imperial Football Academy of Odoogbolu in Ogun State made the declaration against the backdrop of his recent graduation from the Players Football Association (PFA) Business School with a Postgraduate Diploma in Global Football Sport Directorship.
His latest achievement, which came with a merit, marked the third academic qualification for the hitman from Ilorin in Kwara State, who also has a diploma as well as a degree in Business Administration, all of which he said are due to his passion for education.
“I’ve got a degree in business management and another diploma. So, this is my third qualification. I say to people, I am a quiet dreamer. I always felt education was important. It’s not like a 9-5 job in football. We go in and sometimes finish quite early.
“Although it’s challenging, I think every footballer has time in the evening for something like this business school. Of course, it demands a lot from you, and it’s all about how willing you are to do it. I say to people there are a lot of things that are bigger than football.
“Yes, football is our passion, but we are normal human beings as well, and maybe that’s something the world doesn’t always see,” posited Awoniyi, who previously played for FSV Frankfurt, SV Mainz and Union Berlin of Germany, NEC of the Netherlands as well as Mouscron and Gent of Belgium.
Sports247 gathered further that Awoniyi’s first graduation was in 2020, when he got a Diploma in Business Administration and Marketing Management from London School of International Business, followed by a Bachelor’s degree from Buckinghamshire New University in 2022.
On the 15th of last month, Awoniyi got his triple academic certificate with a merit on his Postgraduate Diploma in Global Football Sport Directorship certificates from the PFA Business School (delivered in partnership with the University of Portsmouth).
