We’re thrilled to welcome soccer player, Antonio Rivero, to join the ranks here at FirstPoint USA. Here, Antonio gives us an insight into his sporting background, his reasons for wishing to pursue a sports scholarship in the States, as well as his future aspirations.
Originally hailing from Spain, Antonio tells us he has spent his whole life in Dubai; attending Jumeirah Primary School, and Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS), where he currently studies.
Regarding his sporting background, Antonio tells us, “Last season I played for Go-Pro U16, U18 and Men’s league teams. In the U16 team, we won the Dubai Sports City League; in the U18 team, we finished second place; and in the Men’s league, I was the youngest in the team – at 15 years old – and starting left-back. I also captained my school U16 team for the past two seasons; last spring we won the DASSA School’s Cup in the U16 category. [Currently] I play at City Football Club; we play in the U18 Du Fa League against professional teams, finishing second this season.”
With a lengthy sporting career behind him, we asked Antonio to tell us about his favourite sporting memory to date. He told us, this would be attending his very first ID camp, in Boston last Summer. This gave him the opportunity to get a real taste of college life and soccer, and confirmed that this was something he wished to pursue after high school.
Antonio tells us he is looking forward to his move to the States as it will allow him to continue playing soccer at a high level, whilst also working towards earning a top-level degree. He added, “I’m looking forward to working hard on the training ground and to continue pursuing what I have always loved, soccer. Whilst also spending segments of the day in the classroom, expanding my knowledge and specialising myself in the subject of my interest.”
As we often do with our newest clients, we asked Antonio to tell us about his top three sportspeople of all time. He stated, “Andres Iniesta is one of my most preferred athletes of all time, due to his ability to pick out the perfect pass; he can split any defence with a single pass and set his striker or winger through 1 vs 1 against the goalkeeper in the tightest spaces. Andres Iniesta can also take on full lines of defence and he scores goals in important moments.
Another one of my favourite athletes is Casemiro from Real Madrid, this is because of his incredible stamina and work ethics. He always chases the other team and wins back the ball in important situations for Real Madrid, many of which are match deciders. He runs the full 90-minutes and barely gives possession away. Defensively, he is probably one of the toughest players to take on in Europe.
Carles Puyol is one of my top athletes of all time as well. This is because of his leadership skills and concentration; during his time at Barcelona he always put the team first and always kept concentration on the game. He never kept quiet and was always on top of his players, even if they were 4-0 up and it was the closing stages of the game. Carles Puyol also shows great energy and passion for soccer, and was always the first to training and last to leave.”
Finally, we asked Antonio where he sees himself being in 10 years’ time. He told us he hopes to have continued with his soccer, and to be playing at a high standard, whilst also being involved in the field of economics or science.
We’d like to thank Antonio for catching up with us. We’ll keep you updated on Antonio's progress throughout the scholarship process across our various social media platforms; Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Think you’ve got what it takes? Apply to FirstPoint USA today for your once in a lifetime opportunity to head to the States on a sports scholarship: