"I'm going back to school." Xavi Simons said that while explaining why he has joined Harvard Business School's Crossover Into Business Program during his recovery from an ACL injury. The Tottenham forward has been sidelined since April and will remain out until the new year, but he says football is still his main focus.
Harvard while sidelined
Simons said he has been trying to use the time in the best way possible. "During my recovery, I’ve been trying to use my time in the best way possible. Football is still my main focus, but I also want to keep learning and improving away from the pitch."
He also said he has always been interested in more than football and wants to understand the business side of the game better. In the same comments, he said time on both the East Coast and West Coast in the U.S. gave him new ideas.
The course pairs professional athletes with Harvard MBA students for practical case studies and enterprise management, which fits the way he has framed the move. Simons is not treating rehab as dead time, and that is probably the right instinct.
The injury and the wait
The ACL rupture came in April, and the layoff is expected to run into the new year. That keeps him out for a significant stretch while Tottenham move through a difficult spell of their own.
The club are 20th after five Premier League matches, with two points and a -6 goal difference. Their last five league results are LDDLL.
Simons has at least left a reminder of what Tottenham are missing. In his last five club appearances, he produced two goals and one assist, including a 9.6 rating in a 90-minute Champions League match. The football still matters most, and his own words make that clear, but the Harvard route gives this injury spell a more constructive shape than most lay-offs.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
