Auckland City hero returns to teaching

After taking home $1 million in prize money for Auckland City, Christian Gray returned to his job as a physical education teacher in New Zealand.

Christian Grey immediately returned to work as a physical education teacher.

On June 25, Gray had the moment of his life at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™, scoring the winner in a 1-1 draw against Boca Juniors, earning semi-professional side Auckland City $1 million in prize money.

But after that miracle, Gray did not go to the training ground but returned to his daily job. That is teaching physical education at a public school.

The centre-back was on the bench for the 10-0 defeat to Bayern Munich and only came on in the 6-0 defeat to Benfica. But in the final match against Boca Juniors, Gray was given a start and became a hero.

In the 55th minute, he jumped high to head the ball from a corner kick. Auckland City held on to draw despite being overwhelmed by 40 shots from their opponents, winning a $1 million prize from FIFA.

After the match, Gray was voted the best player of the match. He shared: "I am a physical education teacher. When I go back home, I will have to grade the homework that I left over from the holidays. I come from a small town, very different from this place. Everything is like a dream. We will go back to our daily work, that is the reality of the whole team."

Gray and his teammates, including a delivery driver, a Coca-Cola salesman and a forklift operator, took time off work to travel to the US to compete. However, several Auckland City players were unable to attend because they did not have enough vacation days.

Back to the results of Group C, Boca Juniors were eliminated after finishing third. Benfica will face Chelsea in the round of 16, while second-placed Bayern will face Flamengo.

Semi-professional team's memorable moment at FIFA Club World Cup In the early morning of June 25, Auckland held Boca Juniors to a 1-1 draw in the final match of Group C, FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.

Source: https://znews.vn/nguoi-hung-cua-auckland-city-tro-lai-lam-thay-giao-post1563884.html