For Maksim, choosingItchenCollegewas as much about passion as it was about ambition.
Drawn by the reputationof the Academy of Sport and Itchen’sstatusas an outstanding college,he saw it as the perfectplaceto combineelite-levelfootballwithstrong academics.
Since joining, Maksim has immersed himselffully in bothworlds. On the pitch, he’s experiencedfirst-handthe intensityof Englishfootball.
“The game here is more physical—there’s more pressing, more running, more fouls, and everything happens faster,” he explains.“In Italy, football is slower and more possession based.”
Despitethe adjustment, he’s quickly integratedintothe team and thrivesunder a coach who, as Maksim putsit, “wants to win before the game even starts.”
That mindset, he says, has transformed the team’s psychology. Itchen’ssquad currentlysits at the top of the league, yet the coach remains relentlesslyfocusedon improvement — pushing players to grow, even in success. Maksim finds that drive inspiring: it reflectsexactlywhat he values about studying and living in the UK.
Outsideschool,his homestay experiencehas made England feellike a secondhome. He describes his host, Carol as “amazing house over: is!”
For Maksim, ItchenCollegehas offered more than just trainingsessions and lessons where excellenceis expected,and growthis constant. Whether in theclassroomor on thepitch, he’s learningthat success is builton passion, discipline,and the beliefthat victory beginslong before the whistleblows.
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