Pelle Mattsson is not your typical Championship midfielder. While most players fill the hours between training sessions and matchdays however they can, the 25-year-old Norwich City man has spent the past two years quietly working towards a financial management degree, completing his final exam in the team hotel before a cup tie last month.

Mattsson, who joined Norwich from Danish Superliga side Silkeborg last year, began the two-year academy profession in financial management before his move to Carrow Road. He sat the final examination in the club's team hotel ahead of a Carabao Cup fixture at Cardiff City in August, which Norwich won 2-1, and has since begun a postgraduate diploma in global football sport directorship with the PFA Business School.

"We're not only footballers, we're also human beings," he told BBC Radio Norfolk. "As a footballer you spend most of your time in your flat. After training you get home early and I was maybe playing a bit of video games. I wanted to do something different."

It is the kind of story the game's governing bodies tend to produce in press-release language about player welfare and life skills. What makes Mattsson's account more credible is the specificity of it: the grind of fitting study around first-team commitments, the acknowledgement that he sometimes had to "dig deep" to get through the course, and the straightforward pride in having finished it.

"My mum always used to say if you want to do something you have to do it 100%," he said. "I started the financial management academy back in Denmark. It's a two-year academy profession, now I'm done so it's nice. For me, it was such a good thing to do to switch off from football."

A different kind of ambition

Mattsson has made 44 appearances for Norwich in all competitions since arriving from Silkeborg, establishing himself as a regular presence in the Championship side. That workload makes his academic achievement more notable, not less. Balancing a demanding schedule in the second tier with serious study is not straightforward, and he is open about the fact that idle hours played a part in his motivation.

"For me that's been an important part of my life, learning new stuff, diving in and doing something else other than football," he said. "I want to spend the time I have really wisely. I chose to do that with studying and it's been such a good process. I'm really happy I did it."

He described the moment of graduating as a "cool feeling", and said he hoped it would serve as a signal to teammates and younger players that professional football and serious study are not mutually exclusive.

"I want to show you can do that as a footballer, it's not impossible. You can still achieve things outside football."

What next?

The postgraduate diploma Mattsson has now begun, in global football sport directorship, suggests he has a clear sense of what he wants from a career after playing. The PFA Business School programme is aimed at players thinking about roles within football's administrative and leadership structures, which fits neatly with a background in financial management.

For Norwich, a club that has spent much of recent memory navigating the financial realities of Championship life following stints in the Premier League, having players who understand the business of the game is not a bad thing. Whether Mattsson's studies ever translate into a role off the pitch is a long way off; for now, the 25-year-old's story is a more straightforward one about a footballer who decided the spare hours were worth more than he was giving them.

It is, at least, a reminder that the Championship is full of people, not just performances and results. Mattsson has 44 appearances for the Canaries so far. He also has a degree. Not many of his peers can say the same.

Frequently asked

Who is Pelle Mattsson at Norwich City?
Pelle Mattsson is a 25-year-old midfielder who joined Norwich City from Danish Superliga side Silkeborg. He has made 44 appearances for the club in all competitions.
What degree has Pelle Mattsson completed?
Mattsson completed a two-year academy profession in financial management, which he began while still playing in Denmark. He sat his final exam in Norwich's team hotel before a cup tie at Cardiff City.
What is Pelle Mattsson studying now?
Having completed his financial management qualification, Mattsson has started a postgraduate diploma in global football sport directorship with the PFA Business School.