An Inspired Chat with Sam Henneberg of Miami

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Sam Henneberg. Check out our conversation below.

Sam, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
A community of young footballers experiencing cultures and opportunities beyond the norm, preparing them to handle adversity later in life. And a coaching staff who love their work of developing motivated players and making a real difference in their careers.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sam Henneberg, and I co-founded Select Generation to give young North American footballers real opportunities to compete at a high level around the world whether that’s through pathways to clubs abroad or university scholarships in the NCAA.

What makes us different is that we’re not a massive agency focused on established pros with big names. We’re building from the ground up, working with players who need exposure, guidance, and development. Our mission is to elevate them, showcase their talent, and open doors they wouldn’t access alone.

We are an agency built by the players, for the players.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. Who taught you the most about work?
I’ve been very lucky to be surrounded by good people and mentors who looked out for me and gave me great advice. I wouldn’t say there’s one single person who taught me the most, but my dad had a big influence early on. I always saw him working late, traveling, and taking calls while driving me to football. That showed me from a young age that real work is about putting in hours and staying consistent!

My best friend and co-founder, Victor Cascon, has also taught me a lot. When we started the agency, he pushed me to be consistent, think outside the box, and look ahead instead of just focusing on the day’s to-do list. He helped me keep going when things were tough and when I didn’t see many pathways for Select Generation.

I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had and for putting myself in situations through work, networking, football, school, and life where I could learn quickly from different people in different environments. In school, I always looked for internships, interviewed for different roles, and talked to as many people in my companies as possible to understand why they were ahead of me and how they got there.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
Growing up, I was pretty aimless. I didn’t have clear goals or real motivation. I knew I wasn’t going to be a pro footballer, so I was never 100% dedicated to that. And I assumed that because I’d get a good education, landing a good job would be easy. I worked a lot during college at Chipotle, Panera, summer internships so I always felt ahead of my peers and thought life would just naturally work out.

If I had to say something to my younger self, it probably wouldn’t sound very kind! I’d tell myself to focus earlier on what I actually wanted, recognize what I was good at, and invest time into building real skills because back then, I didn’t really have any. But at the same time, I’m grateful I enjoyed college and my early twenties. Those years made me hungrier later on. Once I reached my mid-twenties, I felt like I’d had my fun, lived that part of my life, and was ready to work seriously toward my goals.

So my advice to my younger self would be simple: get focused sooner, take care of your health, and prioritize your relationships with friends and family.

Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
This is a question I’ve been thinking about a lot recently! In my role, there’s a lot of responsibility and pressure because when a young footballer moves abroad, there are so many moving pieces involved in helping them be successful. I’ve always preferred to keep my personal life private, but I’ve noticed that more players and parents search me online now, and I realized I needed a strong, credible online presence. It matters for my personal goals and for the agency.

At the same time, I don’t want to show off or act like some sort of online “guru,” especially when I was in the players’ shoes less than five years ago. So everything we say, do, and post online has to be real. I’ve definitely posted things in the past that made me cringe later and think, “That’s not really me.” But you have to try things to figure out how to position yourself while still being authentic!

Now, what I share online comes from how I genuinely feel, my thoughts, my experiences, and most importantly, an intention to educate players and families about what they don’t yet know. That’s why we started the podcast in the first place.

So, is the public version of me the real me?

I’d say yes, but it’s the professional version of me. It’s authentic, but it’s focused on the parts of myself that can genuinely help players and families.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
Nothing. I love what I do, the impact I have on people’s lives & I am the most grateful person on earth to do every day what I love with amazing people around me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.selectgeneration.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_samhenneberg/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samhenneberg/