A* Footballer Snubs Cambridge

Pro footballer Tom Adeyemi has turned down an unconditional offer from Cambridge to pursue his career in League Two.

The 18-year-old bucked the trend that all footballers are brain-dead by bagging himself A*s in Biology and Chemistry and an A in Maths.

But Adeyemi, who signed a pro contract with Norwich back in 2008 and is currently on loan at Bradford City, turned down Cambridge’s advances and said football was his “main priority”.

Although he scored on his Bradford debut, Adeyemi’s arrival at the Yorkshire club has been greeted by a mixed response on the fan site claretandbanter.com.

“He used his brain against Stevenage…thought f**k it and disappeared for 90 minutes,” commented one contributor.

Whilst another sceptic chipped in with: “F**king swot. Get rid!”

But most Bradford fans seemed delighted to have a player in the media spotlight for all the right reasons, especially after striker Jake Speight was given a 12-week jail sentence in July for assaulting his girlfriend.

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xdsfekg5Hw
Adeyemi in action for Norwich

The midfielder gained his top grades from Norwich School, whose notable alumni include Admiral Nelson, Lord Ashcroft and DJ Tim Westwood.

Speaking of his A level success Adeyemi said:

“I was obviously very pleased because I had put a lot of hard work in to pass the exams.

“It was difficult concentrating on my studies while juggling the football at the same time.”

But despite shooting to the top of the class, the soccer star isn’t planning on hitting the books again any time soon.

“I want to give football a proper go. It’s my full-time priority. Maybe my academic side is something I could fall back on further down the line.”

Adeyemi has lived up to the expectations of his former Norwich manager Glenn Roeder, who had tipped him for academic success from an early age:

“My son goes to the same school and the headmaster told me if Tom decides at any point he doesn’t want to play football he can go back to Norwich School, get his A levels and end up at Oxford or Cambridge, and I don’t think he means their football teams!”

Adeyemi might be unusual, but he isn’t the only footballer to succeed academically. Steve Coppell didn’t join United full-time until after he had completed his economics degree at Liverpool university.

And in 2008 Notts County midfielder Neil MacKenzie showed off his brain power by making it to the sixth round of TV show Countdown.