Eduardo Camavinga, the Real Madrid midfielder, has traded his football boots for textbooks after being overlooked for France's 2026 World Cup squad. The 23-year-old recently completed a short course on the business of entertainment, media, and sports at Harvard Business School.
Camavinga, who made a brief appearance in the 2022 World Cup final loss to Argentina, shared photos of his Harvard experience on social media, writing, "A few days of learning, listening and growing. Grateful for the experience at Harvard Business School." The post drew comments from fellow footballers, including Real Madrid teammate Vinicius Junior.
While the French national team is preparing at their Massachusetts base, Camavinga was studying just five miles away in Cambridge. He has earned 29 caps for France since his debut in 2020, but manager Didier Deschamps opted to leave him out of the World Cup roster.
Explaining his decision, Deschamps said, "His season, of course. A few injuries as well. And the competition, which is very, very tough. I'm not questioning his potential or what he's capable of. But he's entitled to be angry with me, I understand that."
Camavinga, a two-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, made 43 appearances last season. His club teammates Kylian Mbappe and Aurelien Tchouameni will represent France at the World Cup, where they face Senegal in their opening match on June 16.