Taking the Leap: Thiago Marino
(FIFA Master 25th edition)
He’s a musician with a love for heavy metal, an NFL enthusiast, a multilinguist of Japanese, Portuguese, English, and Spanish, and an avid gamer. Meet Thiago Marino, one of two Corinthians superfans in the 25th edition of the FIFA Master.
Thiago’s varied passions stem from his upbringing by self-described “panda parents,” supportive yet firm when needed. Thiago’s older brother, Filipe, also played a role. “He was always very caring,” Thiago says. “I think that's why he was a father early on, because he was meant to be this father figure. He was a father figure for me.”
Growing up in Sao Paulo’s Morumbi neighborhood, Thiago’s bond with football club, Corinthians, developed through his father’s passion for the team. Thiago remembers their relegation vividly – a unique time in the club’s history. “When Corinthians got relegated, it was like someone died,” Thiago recalls of his father’s grief. “I wondered, ‘why is this so important to him?’” The next season, Thiago attended matches regularly with his dad as the team dominated the second division. “As a kid, I didn’t understand the context. I just thought it was the best team in the world because we were winning almost every match.” By the time Corinthians returned to Série A, Thiago was a superfan.
Video games also shaped Thiago’s life personally and professionally. Playing FIFA with his dad as a kid helped deepen his love for the game. “That’s also when I realized how much I loved football,” he says.
Thiago’s dad noticed too. One day, he posed a question to his teenage son: “Why don’t you work in football, not just play it?” While Thiago’s first reaction was “I can't play football. I am terrible at it,” he soon realized he didn’t need to be a star player to make an impact. “I came into high school with a plan. It was never just a dream; it was a path.”
At university, Thiago put that plan into action by founding sports management study club Liga de Gestão Esportiva. “The first thing I did was find others who were interested in football as a business,” he says. Despite some skepticism, the club’s crowning achievement was hosting Corinthians’ then-president Andres Sanchez for an event, silencing doubters and earning university recognition.
Thiago’s passion for football was tested during an internship at gaming start-up Tapps Ventures. While engaging, something essential was missing. “The company was amazing, but at the back of my mind, I kept thinking, ‘this isn’t football. I need football. I can’t be at peace without it.’”
This longing would ironically land Thiago in a position at his rival club, Sao Paulo, the club he was taught all his life to hate. “Going in, I was told that the job would pay almost nothing. The environment is hostile. Everybody’s going to try to kill me every day. I have to work on weekends, and it’s going to be a lot of pressure. ‘Are you in?’ they said. And I just responded – YES - , that's what I want.’” Despite the challenges, Thiago thrived, earning respect from his colleagues even after they discovered his Corinthians allegiance. “Some people wanted to cut my head off, but the experience taught me resilience.”
Thiago’s club connections influenced his next professional endeavor working for a Japanese company DSFootball. This experience influenced him to take up Japanese and ultimately, his work product catapulted him to working in Japan.
Yet, despite his professional success, Thiago felt drawn back to the football club environment. During a long drive, a conversation with his dad help steer him in the right direction. “I told him ‘I feel like I'm still not prepared. I want to get better. If I go back to a club now to work at a club, I don't know if I'll be prepared to do it all over again.’ My dad said, ‘what about a master's programme?’”
This suggestion reminded Thiago of the FIFA Master, a programme he had long admired. “In my mind, I thought, ‘how cool would it be to go back to this environment as a respected person, someone who can make a real impact?’” His own research had also revealed that many top football executives in Brazil had completed the FIFA Master.
Still slightly unsure, Thiago sought a sign, which came in the form of a WhatsApp message in a group he rarely checked. It read something to the effect of: wouldn’t it be perfect if we had a person who graduated in business, worked in sports, and had European football qualifications to work at Corinthians? “It was so specific I knew it was meant for me.”
From Sao Paulo to Japan, Thiago’s journey shows us how life’s challenges often pave the way to unexpected and extraordinary opportunities – an experience with which many young professionals can empathize. As he partakes in this next chapter with the FIFA Master, Thiago’s unapologetic commitment to his passions will undoubtedly leave a mark in the global football arena.
By Geneva Decker
FIFA Master 25th edition student
FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked Europe's No.1 course a record 12 times by SportBusiness.
Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (UK), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).
