England Star, 32, Turned Down Harvard Offer to Pursue Football Career

PATRICK BAMFORD would choose a freezing, rain-lashed night at Burnley or Stoke over the ivory towers of Harvard every single day of the week.

The striker has zero regrets about snubbing America’s most famous university to take up a career in football.

For him the brutal, bruising war of the beats a fancy economics degree.

And , 32, has a clear promotion message for Blades fans ahead of the gruelling new campaign.

He said: “We’re going to try everything we can to go up.

“And the fans should just know that’s what all the players are aiming for and what we’re hopefully heading towards.”

Forget the high-society lecture halls and quiet libraries. The forward has famous brains as well as footballing brawn.

He famously turned down the chance to study at Ivy League giants Harvard back in the day.

But when the winter grind kicks in, he never wishes he was sitting in a warm Massachusetts classroom instead.

Asked if studying in America ever sounds more appealing during three-game weeks, Bamford was brutally honest.

He said: “No, I think that as bad as it sounds, that was always my back-up plan.

“It might sound silly not to want to go to one of the world’s top universities — but I always wanted to be a footballer from as young as I can remember.”

It takes a serious work ethic to make it to the very top. And Bamford had to strike a strict deal with his parents to chase his sporting dream.

He revealed: “I always had a promise with my mum and dad that they’d support me in football as long as I always got my A-levels. And I got good results.

“And yes, that was the deal. And it was something I had to stick to until I was 18. But football was really always the dream.”

And now, that dream is all about getting back to the promised land of the .

The gruelling 46-game slog of the Championship is notoriously one of the hardest in world football.

It takes much more than just silky skills and expensive squads to get over the line.

Bamford, who joined the Blades in November, knows exactly what it takes to escape the second-tier rat race.

He explained: “Normally it’s the teams that have the mentality to turn a loss into a draw or draw into a win.

“And even when it’s not pretty, achieve a good result.”

That grit is forged deep inside the dressing-room walls. Tactics are great, but team spirit and raw passion are what truly win titles.

Bamford said: “You need a few vocal leaders in the dressing room to keep everyone on song.

“And you must keep everyone pushing in the same direction.”

On the pitch, the mission for any frontman is simple: score goals.

And the star has a very straightforward philosophy when it comes to hitting the back of the net.

It is not about over complicating things or waiting for the perfect tactical blueprint.

Bamford said: “I think that you need to find yourself in between the posts — goal side of the penalty spot.

“Try and finish the attack in the middle of the goal.

“Because you’d be amazed just by being in there, you seem to be in the right place all the time.”

It is a clever knack that separates the good strikers from the great ones.

He added: “Sometimes it gets there and sometimes it doesn’t. But you’d be amazed how many easy goals you get from just being in the right place.

“I think that’s something you kind of learn as you gain experience.”

Modern football relies heavily on technology and complex data.

Managers and analysts spend hours breaking down every single movement on the pitch.

But the savvy forward likes to keep things sharp and focused.

Former Middlesbrough and Leeds star Bamford explained: “I’d look at the other team before and see where the chances are coming from. I’m going to look for isolation during the game.

“I’m analysing chances — just seeing what I could do better. What I think I did wrong or what decision I made that was wrong.”

Yet the one-cap England man knows you cannot ever let the bad days linger in your mind.

He added: “There are also some games where I just seem to forget about it all. It’s not always going to go your way.”

Away from the pitch, finding a proper balance is completely vital.

The mental pressure of the game can easily weigh players down.

Bamford admits it is almost impossible to fully switch off from the sport.

He said: “I think it’s important to have other aspects to your life.

“Other things that take your mind off football. But it is very hard to not have your mind on football all the time.”

The summer break offers only a tiny window of peace.

He added: “You only really truly have a little bit of time away from thinking football for the first two weeks or so of the off season.

“And then after that you’re thinking about starting to do stuff to get yourself ready for pre-season. You don’t have that much time.”

To cope, the former Nottingham Forest academy kid looks for distractions.

He said: “I think having hobbies and other things that maybe direct your attention sometimes will help.”