Premier League stars Juan Mata, Kevin De Bruyne, Eric Dier and Theo Walcott go back to school
Talented quartet took a break from top-four race received a few lessons from excited local primary schools kids
PREMIER LEAGUE stars have often been accused of being childish on the pitch.
But several of England’s top players had licence to behave exactly that way last week — when they all went back to school for a day.
Manchester United’s Juan Mata, City’s Kevin De Bruyne, Tottenham’s Eric Dier and Arsenal forward Theo Walcott were among several players who received a few lessons from excited local primary schools kids.
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Their visit was all part of the Premier League’s first TV advertising campaign, which marks the launch of the Primary Stars campaign.
The lads can only hope that their top-four chances will not need to be saved by the bell...
Juan Mata
What were your favourite subjects? “Geography and languages.”
What were you like at school? “Very well behaved to be honest, maybe too well behaved!”
Which of your team-mates would you most like to spend detention with? “I would say Eric Bailly. I would teach him to speak better Spanish. He’s OK at the minute but he needs more lessons.”
And who would you not like to spend your detention with? “Probably one of the big boys, someone like Marouane Fellaini — he would intimidate me (laughs)!”
Kevin De Bruyne
What was your favourite lesson at school? “I was good at languages and it’s helped me a lot. I’ve played in a lot of countries and I almost speak four languages now, which is quite good.”
Were you naughty or studious at school? “I was a little bit in between. I always tried to enjoy it, I did what I had to at school and at the time that was the most important thing for me.”
What is the best piece of advice you have been given? “Do whatever you want to do. If you really want something, give it more attention and you’ll give it more of yourself.”
Which team-mates would make good school teachers? “Probably Vincent Kompany because he talks a lot.”
Who would you like to be stuck in detention with? “You just need somebody who’s funny, I have a good time with a lot of people here. You’ll need to have a good time because you’re in detention!”
Who is your smartest team-mate? “I am . . . definitely. Easy.”
Theo Walcott
What was it like working with the kids? “It is always fun. I’ve got two bundles of joy at home. They make me laugh, kids — and I try to keep them entertained. The first thing I asked the kids was, ‘Does anyone like football?’. Most people love playing football, love watching football and being part of it — and a Premier League player actually coming into school creates massive joy for all the children and they get a big buzz.”
What do you remember from school? “Being with my mates. You can never have your schooldays back so I always say enjoy them while you can. You are with your friends every day, doing what you want, learning as well as just having fun. I had fun every day at school.”
Eric Dier
Which player would make a good school teacher? “Ben Davies. He seems to know a lot about most subjects and he’s got that look of a school teacher. With his hair to the side, he looks quite smart.”
Which player would you most/least like to be stuck in detention with? “Dele Alli, he’d be a laugh. There’s a few boys that like being on their phones a lot, so I wouldn’t like to be in detention with one of them as there wouldn’t be much conversation.”
Who’s your smartest team-mate? “Ben Davies is quite intelligent, Mousa Dembele is very smart and very sly. He’s very good at all the board games — chess, backgammon. Him and Jan Vertonghen, they like to think they’ve got the brains!”
The Premier League will air its first ever TV advertising campaign during the final of The Voice on Sunday to mark the launch of Primary Stars, a national curriculum-linked education programme which will provide free resources for teachers across English, Maths, PE and PSHE.
Premier League Primary Stars is delivered in schools across England and Wales by 88 professional football clubs to support girls and boys aged 5-11. It aims to support 10,000 primary schools by 2019.