The stupidest things footballers have said - as scientists claim professional players are actually 'super-clever individuals'
Share:
From Kevin Keegan to David Beckham and Michael Owen, many prolific footballers have won themselves simple-minded reputations as well as trophies. But scientists say elite football stars are actually 'super-clever individuals'. 'Footballers often do not pursue higher education, such as university degrees, because their focus and interests lie elsewhere – primarily in their sport,' Professor Leonardo Bonetti, study author at Aarhus University in Denmark, told MailOnline.
![[Despite their comments in the media, elite soccer stars are actually 'super-clever individuals' in terms of how their brain works – from problem-solving to forward planning, say scientists]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/22/15/94389075-14312771-image-a-35_1737558708997.jpg)
'While this may mean they are less knowledgeable in certain academic areas, it does not reflect a lack of intelligence. 'Unfortunately, people often confuse being less formally educated with being less clever, which perpetuates this unfair stereotype.'.
![[Many people associate intelligence in footballers with how they express themselves in interviews – which often results in embarrassing but memorable gaffes. Pictured left Mark Noble and right Ruud Gullit]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/22/15/94389085-14312771-West_Ham_legend_Mark_Noble_once_came_out_with_Not_to_win_is_gutt-a-55_1737561123359.jpg)
Famously, former striker and England manager Keegan once said of Argentina: 'They're the second-best team in the world, and there's no higher praise than that.'. Meanwhile, Beckham memorably commented after the birth of his eldest son: 'I want Brooklyn to be christened, but I don't know into what religion.'.
![[The study sample consisted in 204 elite soccer players and 124 controls. For each, the scientists assessed cognitive functions as well as personality traits]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/22/15/94393571-14312771-image-a-33_1737558637492.jpg)
These classic one-liners (scroll down for a full list) may have helped immortalise the 'stupid footballer' cliché, but the study suggests this stereotype is way wide of the target. The stupidest things footballers have said - as scientists claim professional players are actually 'super-clever individuals'.
![[Elite players were significantly more extroverted, open to new experiences and conscientious than the controls , while the controls scored higher for neuroticism and agreeableness. Pictured, Kevin Keegan left and Paul Gascoigne right]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/22/15/94389083-14312771-image-m-45_1737560573357.jpg)
