MEET FOOTBALL’S BIGGEST BRAINBOXES

ACCOUNTANT, DOCTOR, NASA WORKER... MEET FOOTBALL’S BIGGEST BRAINBOXES WE TODAY REVEALED HOW MANUEL PELLEGRINI IS A HOUSE-BUILDING ENGINEERING GENIUS — BUT HERE ARE 10 EVEN BIGGER BRAINBOXES It Was revealed that Manuel Pellegrini is an engineering genius who once built a HOUSE for a friend. But the incoming Manchester City boss is not the only clever clogs in football. We have trawled libraries, labs and lecture rooms to find the beautiful game’s 10 biggest brainboxes. 1 SOCRATES LEGENDARY Brazil star — named after the Greek philosopher — was a qualified doctor and political activist. 2 MAROUANE CHAMAKH ARSENAL flop is a trained accountant — not that totting up his Gunners goals tally needs much skill. Striker may not be great in the box. But he admits: “I am good at spreadsheets.” 3 NEDUM ONUOHA EXAM king famously landed three As at A-Level in Maths, Business Studies and IT — but reckons he could have scored even MORE top grades at school. He said: “I couldn’t fit five in. There was literally not enough time.” 4 SHAKA HISLOP FORMER Newcastle keeper has a degree in mechanical engineering — and even spent a summer working at NASA on their Space Station Freedom Project in Washington. Trinidad brainiac Hislop was also involved in a top-level engineering project in the Caribbean. 5 RONALDO WE revealed last month how World Cup legend Ronaldo is now a TEA BOY in a top London marketing agency. The Brazilian, who is 10 weeks into an internship at Mayfair-based WPP, said: “It is my purpose to learn.” His boss Sir Martin Sorrell added: “Apart from being a great footballer, he has a really intelligent approach to what we do.” 6 JUAN MATA CHELSEA star tests the grey Mata by studying for TWO degrees — in marketing and sports science. Mata, who writes to his Spanish-based tutor by email, says: “I have an uncle who works in marketing in a bank and I’d like to be involved in sports marketing or promotions.” 7 IAIN DOWIE NO wonder former striker Dowie was always looking for space — he worked at a top aircraft company before his playing career took off. Dowie bagged a Masters degree in engineering and then spent time at British Aerospace. 8 GLEN JOHNSON HUMAN calculator Johnson spends two hours a day studying for an Open University maths degree. The Liverpool egghead says: “I love the planning and problem solving, equations, working out, for example, how much fuel a plane needs.” 9 RAMON VEGA SPURS League Cup winner Vega traded in professional football for a money-spinning career in the City. His firm Vega Swiss Asset Management looks after £650MILLION of clients’ cash from their posh Park Lane offices. The business boffin recently trousered £13m by backing Italy to avoid a Greece-style financial meltdown. He said: “I worked harder than anybody who’d come out of Oxford.” 10 BARRY HORNE EVERTON and Wales legend Horne now wears a WHITE kit — as a chemistry teacher at a Chester school.