Pablo Rota is one a good example of the success of the students from the Real Madrid graduate School - Universidad Europea. He is a former student of the Master Degree in Football Direction. He first finished his studies in Marketing and then he became a specialist in the sports world, and trained in other areas such as pedagogy.
In his professional sports career, Rota has worked as coach, trainer, adviser, technician and even sports analyst, in different areas of football. He has worked for the Athletic Club de Bilbao Football School, Real Madrid, Singapore Football Federation and the Cibao FC at the Dominican Republic.
He has recently been named the head of the Methodology department at the Levante UD for the younger players.
How did you get your opportunity at the Levante UD?
I first heard about the Levante UD back in 2015 during an event organised by the Master. From that very first time I felt the need of being part of the club. You could feel the professional atmosphere, they knew where they were going and everything looked very serious. A month after, they called me in for an interview and opened to me the doors of the club. Unfortunately at that time I couldn’t do it, but I kept learning and gaining experience in other places like the Real Madrid technical School and the Cibao FC at the Dominican Republic. When I came back to Spain, we found each other again and this time we’ve been able to start a project together in a really nice team.
Can you describe a day at the club? What do you do in your role? What’s your position within the team?
I´m responsible for the Methodology area for the young players. My job consist in planning and organising the process of the team training sessions. I work together with several departments in the football club (like physical preparation, football coordination, psychology, goal keeper search…) All under the supervision of the directive team. My day to day is focused on analysing and structuring the tasks and sessions, making sure that the teaching style is followed, the feedback and track of the different sessions, training, match and game dynamics record, managing and organising all the documentation and content registered on a daily basis etc. Furthermore, I´m in charge of the education at some universities, giving speeches, talks, internal training, attending conferences and events, giving talks to football clubs etc.
Do you think that the things that you learnt during the master are helping you on your daily tasks?
The Master in Football Direction was a key point in my professional career. The content, the chair of professors, the international experience, the relationships, the job experience at Real Madrid, the university… all helped. Being with top professionals of the sector together with the continuous learning, helped me to acquire all the knowledge which is today part of my job.
What was the best part of the master?
It is difficult to choose just one thing. Everything is designed to lead you towards excellence. Being passionate about football like I am, the master is a paradise of resources if you know how to make the most of it.
Where did you do your work experience?
I did it at Real Madrid, at the Methodology department. They renewed my contract after the season ended and the club offered to stay working with them. I was lucky enough to work with two huge professionals in the department: Tristán Celador and Sebas Parrilla. I´ll always be thankful to them for the trust they had in me. It was amazing to find in your professional path people with this amazing profile, at both professional and personal level.