Man City youngster Han Willhoft-King has surprised everyone by deciding to give up his professional football career to study law at Oxford University.

Han Willhoft-King photographed at Radcliffe Square in Oxford – Photo: The Guardian

Han Willhoft-King grew up in Tottenham’s training academy and joined Man City in 2024. Here, he quickly shone in the U21 team and trained with the first team. 

Despite having the opportunity to develop a professional football career, the former England U16 player suddenly decided to retire to pursue an academic path. He passed the national law aptitude test and was officially accepted to Oxford University.

Speaking about his decision to retire, Willhoft-King shared: “I don’t like my current job. I don’t know why, maybe it’s the environment. I often feel bored. When you’re a Man City player, you train, go home and don’t really do anything. Now I study, hang out with friends, and play for my university team.

I felt I needed a new challenge, mainly intellectually. A football career only lasts 10-15 years, so I wanted to build a knowledge base to pursue a long-term career.”

In addition, the midfielder born in 2006 also admitted that he did not really enjoy training with the all-star first team of Man City. “Strangely, training with the first team became something I did not expect. I had to run after the ball for 60 minutes and try to put pressure on players like Ilkay Gundogan or Phil Foden. I could hardly reach them, so the feeling of not wanting to train with those stars appeared,” he said.