Under contract with Manchester City
Football talent quit – and studied law
November 15, 2025 – 22:04Reading time: 1 minute.
Millions of children around the world dream of playing professional football. Han Willhoft-King almost realized this – and then chose a completely different path.
Han Willhoft-King is considered a promising player in English football. The 19-year-old attended Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City’s academies, trained with the professionals under Pep Guardiola and played for the England U-16 national team. But instead of pursuing a professional career, he chose another path – studying law at the renowned Oxford University.
“I don’t know many people who, if they reached the Man City Under-21 team, would stop at that point,” Willhoft-King told the British Guardian. But the midfielder drew the line – after several serious injuries and growing dissatisfaction with everyday life as a young professional. “I always felt less challenged in football,” he explained. “I needed something different and Oxford excited me.”
The son of a philosopher and an architect today says: “I wanted something that could last for the next 10 to 15 years. Studying gave me this platform.”
