FIFA MASTER ALUMNI - WHERE ARE THEY NOW? - GONCALO ALMEIDA

Gonçalo Almeida

Current position: Lawyer and Founding Partner of Almeida, Dias & Associates

Year of graduation: 2001 (1st edition)

Nationality: Portuguese

What does your current role involve?

I honestly find practicing Sports Law at an international level to be quite an extraordinary experience. The truth is that with being a major sports fan, I don’t see it only as a job. I guess the key aspect to explain my professional, relatively modest, achievements is the pleasure I take from my work. Now with my Firm’s substantial growth in the past few years, combining its management with our clients’ urgent needs - particularly when faced with procedural time limits - it has now become quite a demanding task.

On top of that, although the current pandemic has substantially reduced it, there is still frequently the need to travel abroad and have personal meetings. This is an aspect that makes time even more valuable. Fortunately, I have the full support of a great team comprised of top qualified colleagues, who always back me up and on who I can entirely rely.    

Which aspects of the FIFA Master course have helped you most in your career?

Amongst aspects of an academic nature, including field visits to several sporting entities, I believe the true international dimension of the FIFA Master, either due to the diverse range of student nationalities or to the fact that it is held in three different universities/countries, is definitely an aspect to be highlighted. Indeed, being constantly faced with new cultures, backgrounds, languages and even countries, provided tremendous added value.

What advice would you give to future students on the course?

Take the most out of it by enjoying your studies and the travelling. Also, enjoy the company of your classmates.

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked No.1 Course in Europe 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 by the SportBusiness International global rankings.

Organised by CIES in partnership with De Montfort University (United Kingdom), SDA Bocconi School of Management (Italy) and the University of Neuchâtel (Switzerland).