WHILE MOST LEAVING Cert students will be turning over English Paper 1 at 9.30am on Wednesday morning, it will be a far earlier start for Jaden Umeh.
One of Ireland’s newest internationals, after featuring in the 1-0 victory over Qatar, Umeh will travel with Heimir Hallgrímsson’s squad to Montreal for next week’s friendly.
There will be a handful of textbooks stashed away in his gear bag as, at the same time, the 18-year-old Benfica attacker is due to begin his end-of-school exams.
At a meeting with the Department of Education this week to nail down logistics, it was agreed that Barry Gleeson, the FAI’s international operations director, will act as invigilator for the exams.
Despite the time difference, the exams must be held simultaneously, which means a 4.30am start for Umeh on Wednesday to write his English essay before team training.
English Paper 2 is at 9am (Canadian time) on Thursday and it’s up for Maths Paper 1 at 9am on Friday. Later that evening, Umeh will tog out for his country for the 7.30pm kick-off (0.30am Saturday, Irish time) at Stadium Saputo.
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“It would be something special, definitely,” said Umeh, when asked about the prospect of picking up his second senior cap after sitting a maths exam that morning.
“I’m trying to keep in the right mindset with school and football. I think I’m managing it well.
“School is important as well, so I just want to get it done and over with now and have it on my profile.”
Umeh’s focus was on his debut against Qatar, so he wasn’t sure about the early starts when interviewed post-match.
“I have no clue,” he replied. “I just have to see how it goes, but I’m ready for the challenges both on and off the field. I just give everything my 100%.”
He has been rooming on his own, leaving “plenty of time” for study.
Umeh attended Ashton School in Cork City before his transfer to the Portuguese giants in August 2024.
The teenager expressed his gratitude to his family for the sacrifices made for himself and his older brother, Franco, who plays for Portsmouth.
“They sacrifice a lot. Even travelling up here from Cork, it’s a long drive,” said Jaden.
“This is what they wanted to do for us since we were young. They brought us to a lot of places. I’m just grateful for everything they’ve done for me.
“They sacrificed a lot, and they wasted their own time to just give us the time.
I can see in their faces the excitement. They’re just proud of me, especially for achieving my dreams and achieving their dreams as well. It was something special.”
Umeh’s plans for next season will become clearer once Benfica hire a new manager.
“I’ll see. I can’t tell the future,” said Umeh. “Benfica’s looking for a new head coach at the moment, so once that decision is made, definitely might have talks and see what the next step is.”
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Jaden Umeh to sit Leaving Cert maths exam before Canada international
WHILE MOST LEAVING Cert students will be turning over English Paper 1 at 9.30am on Wednesday morning, it will be a far earlier start for Jaden Umeh.
One of Ireland’s newest internationals, after featuring in the 1-0 victory over Qatar, Umeh will travel with Heimir Hallgrímsson’s squad to Montreal for next week’s friendly.
There will be a handful of textbooks stashed away in his gear bag as, at the same time, the 18-year-old Benfica attacker is due to begin his end-of-school exams.
At a meeting with the Department of Education this week to nail down logistics, it was agreed that Barry Gleeson, the FAI’s international operations director, will act as invigilator for the exams.
Despite the time difference, the exams must be held simultaneously, which means a 4.30am start for Umeh on Wednesday to write his English essay before team training.
English Paper 2 is at 9am (Canadian time) on Thursday and it’s up for Maths Paper 1 at 9am on Friday. Later that evening, Umeh will tog out for his country for the 7.30pm kick-off (0.30am Saturday, Irish time) at Stadium Saputo.
“It would be something special, definitely,” said Umeh, when asked about the prospect of picking up his second senior cap after sitting a maths exam that morning.
“I’m trying to keep in the right mindset with school and football. I think I’m managing it well.
“School is important as well, so I just want to get it done and over with now and have it on my profile.”
Umeh’s focus was on his debut against Qatar, so he wasn’t sure about the early starts when interviewed post-match.
“I have no clue,” he replied. “I just have to see how it goes, but I’m ready for the challenges both on and off the field. I just give everything my 100%.”
He has been rooming on his own, leaving “plenty of time” for study.
Umeh attended Ashton School in Cork City before his transfer to the Portuguese giants in August 2024.
The teenager expressed his gratitude to his family for the sacrifices made for himself and his older brother, Franco, who plays for Portsmouth.
“They sacrifice a lot. Even travelling up here from Cork, it’s a long drive,” said Jaden.
“This is what they wanted to do for us since we were young. They brought us to a lot of places. I’m just grateful for everything they’ve done for me.
“They sacrificed a lot, and they wasted their own time to just give us the time.
Umeh’s plans for next season will become clearer once Benfica hire a new manager.
“I’ll see. I can’t tell the future,” said Umeh. “Benfica’s looking for a new head coach at the moment, so once that decision is made, definitely might have talks and see what the next step is.”
- Additional reporting by David Sneyd.
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