Alexi Grebert is taking an unusual gap year. He plans to explore his interest in soccer management while visiting his friend, a youth soccer player in his home country France, and applying to US colleges for the fall of ‘25. 

His love of soccer began after watching France’s 4-2 win against Croatia during the 2018 World Cup. Later that year, he began following the France Ligue 1 soccer league, with his favorite team being AS Monaco.
“I found soccer to be an unpredictable sport,” Alexi said. “It has flexible rules that allow the game to flow in exciting ways that have never been played before, and because of that I found soccer exciting and thrilling.”

While he claims to be AS Monaco’s “biggest fan,” Alexi also found he was strongly attracted to the management of soccer teams and the training process for players. Unlike many soccer fans who prefer to play the game using their favorite players on games such as EA FC (FIFA Soccer), Alexi found the game “Football Manager” much more interesting, as it delves deeper into the managerial side of soccer. 

Beginning his travels in France and Bulgaria this summer, he will visit a friend who is a current soccer player on AS Monaco’s youth team with high potential in France. While there, he will undergo an informal internship with the management of the team and gain experience on the ins and outs of managing a soccer team in real life. Alexi also wants to explore Europe as a whole and attend a few matches in the Euro 2024. This would be his first in-person match day experience. 

In college, Alexi plans to study Applied Mathematics. He hopes that one day, he can use what he learns in college to work for a soccer club in some capacity. 

“Most people look negatively towards gap year,” Alexi said. “However, I believe it’s a good opportunity to discover your interests.”