It’s not a goodbye, it’s a see you later, Leicester

Almost five months ago, a group of twenty-six students from all over the world packed all their hopes and dreams to go around the globe and land in Leicester, England, to start one of the best adventures of their lives - The 24th Edition of the FIFA Master.

Now, the time has come to close the first chapter of this story. We are leaving Leicester, but we are confident that we will not be forgotten. We arrived in the city with no expectations, but many of us have left Leicester in tears. Leicester will undoubtedly hold a very special place in the hearts of many of us.

December was quite busy for us, because while we were preparing our Final Project abstracts, we also wanted to say a proper goodbye to the place that was our home for the past few months. Some of us decided to go skating at the Christmas Market in the City of Nottingham. Some of us cheered Leicester City FC with all our hearts in the quest for their immediate promotion back to the Premier League.

But the most beautiful activities were the ones we did together, such as our Secret Santa, where we took the opportunity to say nice words to each other, exchange gifts, and have a great night together. It is also impossible not to mention the prestigious James Panter Cup, where this time Team Americas v Team Rest of the World faced each other. Until the next 25th edition class competes for the trophy, the current champions will be the ones from the American continent!

Undoubtedly, one of the most memorable moments which the month of December gave us was the traditional end-of-module dinner, where we were able to enjoy ourselves, but we also enjoyed the company of the members of the Scientific Committee and the Coordinators from the different modules in Leicester, Milan and Neuchâtel.

Like any great story, there has to be a beginning and an end, and sadly, the time has come to close Leicester's opening chapter. Thank you, Leicester, for transforming the lives of so many of us. Today it is time to say goodbye, but we have every confidence that we will meet again. And always remember, that when you are smiling, the whole world smiles with you.

Thank you, Leicester! Ciao, Milano!

Yair Rangel

FIFA Master 24th edition

FIFA Master - International Master in Management, Law and Humanities of Sport, ranked  Europe's No.1 course a record 11 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).