Often when footballers go home and give interviews to their local media, it’s a chance to talk up transfers and a future move… and then blame everything on mistranslation when they return.
Not for Kristoffer Ajer. The Celtic player couldn’t come across any better than he does. Over the past few months we’ve covered several of Ajer’s Norwegian interviews and he not only sounds like an excellent young professional, but also a very rounded and sensible young man.
The 20 year old finished his final exams this week, continuing his education through a scheme in Norway which helps young footballers keep up with their studies. He did well, naturally, and Faedrelandsvennen newspaper asked how he fit all the work in.
“There are many who think it isn’t possible to combine, but I have shown that it is possible,” explained Ajer. “You have plenty of time to leave Play Station and everything else in the afternoon, or spend half an hour or an hour reading. You don’t have to read seven to eight hours before the exam, but rather read structured a little every day.”
Not only has Ajer been completing his schooling this year, he’s also been pushing forward with Celtic, recently signing a new long-term contract with the club. On top of that he’s now a Norway international and expected to be an important part of the team for the foreseeable future.
“The last year has been amazing. There have been some incredible experiences at Celtic Park. Playing in front of 60,000 is something that is indescribable to a boy from Raelingen.”
Raelingen is a town with a population of about 15,000, half an hour away from Norway’s capital Oslo.
The newspaper put it to Ajer that he’s previously said he’d like to be a doctor when he hangs up his boots.
“Yes. There are lots of studies for that. It’s an opportunity, but it will be difficult to combine the study with football.”
