JOAO PAULO CAFARO IZA

ABOUT ME

Soccer has always been a part of Joao’s life. Being born in a country like Brazil, soccer becomes a part of your lifestyle. In Brazil, every kid dreams of becoming a footballer, so since a young age.

Joao started playing in Brazil at a club called Club Paineiras FC, where he competed agaisnt teams in the same state.

Due to some excellent performances it was not long until he was called to participate in the Chelsea FC & Barcelona International Development Programs, which are based in Brazil.

In 2016 Joao’s family moved to Portugal. In the beginning, it was a huge challenge, as everything was new. It was difficult to leave all his soccer achievements back in Brazil but he was determined to continue his career.

He was able to join his high school varsity team at the age of 16 while playing for a club outside school, Grupo Desportivo Carcavelos. However, while he wanted to improve on the field and take it to the next level, soccer was not my only aspiration. Education is also extremely important to Joao and his family, which led him to move countries again but this time by himself to the United Kingdom.

While achieving high grades at high school, doing 4 A levels and 1 GCSE at the same time, I was playing for the high school team and a local team called Alma FC.

After graduating high school with decent grades, he joined the University in London to study Economics.

“ I know I have what it takes to play at a high level of college soccer whilst being at a high education level. Hence why I want and know the United States is my next step. I am hard-working, and do whatever it takes to succeed. On the pitch or school-related, you will struggle to find anyone that is willing to put more work”