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Putin says he liked school studies and never dreamt of becoming president

Putin added that he loved being in the team and the company of friends was good.

SOCHI, September 1. /TASS/. President of Russia Vladimir Putin said he never dreamt of becoming the President. He made such a confession during his visit to the Sirius educational center in Sochi, where he met with winners of international student competitions and the center’s teachers.

When asked about his school years and if he had seen himself as head of state even then, the Russian leader joked: "Of course, I did. I slept and saw it." But then he said: "Don’t say it. Of course not! Is it possible?"

At the same time, Putin said that in general he liked school studies.

"I cannot say that I had a tumultuous childhood, but mostly it was a streetwise childhood with a lot of free time," the president said.

He added that he loved being in the team and the company of friends was good. "In fact, this is of great importance," he said.

The Russian leader said that he still remembers many of his teachers and is grateful to them for their kindness and professionalism. According to him, his teachers were able to discover those individual qualities in their students that would become their competitive advantages in the future.

Before answering questions from students and teachers, Putin congratulated all Russian schoolchildren on the Day of Knowledge.