Father's Dream

Creating My Own Path

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Crowd Roaring) "Here it is the finals of the 2018 world cup in Tokyo Japan, this is the moment we have all been waiting for!! The young 19 year old South African taking the biggest kick of his life, this could very well crown the world champions of 2018." (Commentator) Here I was standing inside the 18 yard box, 60,000 people in the stands, the whole world watching, I had the key to change the game of soccer forever…
I was born in a very well known part of South Africa, Johannesburg. Growing up I never knew what to expect in life. I sometimes wish that I were born in a more advanced and secure country. Were I was born, gun shots, screaming, any other out of the ordinary behavior was a normal thing for us. But with that entire hate and chaos one thing made everyone happy, that was the game of soccer. People on the streets would have arguments and fights but as soon as you hear about someone playing soccer, all of the arguments are put aside for a nice friendly match. This was when I realized how powerful this sport could be. Ever since that light bulb lit up above my head my thoughts would always be to play soccer. I didn't care if I was good or not, just being around that game made me happy. From dusk to dawn I would try to find someone playing this amazing sport. This also opened up a door to mingle and make friends with the neighborhood kids.
As time passed and I got older, my friends put aside soccer and started to get into drugs, and other illegal acts. I was forced into many dangerous and difficult situations. I felt that since everyone was doing it, it would be fine for me to do it as well. So in the ages between 12 - 14 I had a criminal record of two robberies, one abuse, and have got caught many times for illegal substances. I didn't do it for my self; I did it to make my peers respect me. But I knew deep inside that I was doing something very wrong.
This one-day as my friend Santiago and I set out for another mission to rob a local liquor store something went really wrong. The neighborhood rivals was at the same location trying to rob the store. When the rival gang spotted eyes on us one of the members took out a pistol and shot Santiago right through his chest. I remember the scene as clear as a whistle. His last words to me were, "Please continue soccer for me…" Luckily I was able to escape. Later that evening I received the call saying that he was dead. When I witnessed my friend's death, it frightened me, but his life saved my life. Ever since that incident I realized that I did not want to go down the same path as those kids who were getting addicted and also killed because of doing the wrong things.
To be honest it was hard leaving my friends, or what I thought was my friends. Every time I would see them I would tell my self that this is for my own good. I would use the final words of my friend Santiago to motivate me to stay away from the harmful obstacles in life. Ever since I left the gang it was difficult to find people that enjoyed playing soccer as much as I did. This was a major problem because when no one played soccer I didn't have a ball to play with. Because of this I used some of the cash I had stolen to buy my very own soccer ball. As soon as I bought my new friend (Which was the soccer ball) I practiced my entire day. When I had to run errands I dribbled my ball there, whenever I had any time during my day I would be juggling the ball. I was so comfortable with the ball that I didn't have to look down on the ball to see where it was. My ball was basically a part of my body now.
One day as I was taking my usual morning jog to work on my conditioning, I found a route that I had never seen before. I was 15 minutes faster today than usual so I decided that I would take a quick stroll through the street. There was nothing special or different about it, but all of a sudden I heard small cheering sound. The sound became closer and closer as I sprinted toward the noise to see what this commotion was all about. As I finally reached the destination of the sound I fell in love. There was a professional soccer game going on. I have never seen a real life game in front of my eyes. It was honestly love at first sight. My love for the game just grew multiplied by a thousand. I needed to find a way to get my self into a club were I can learn the bases and the technique of the game. As the game concluded and was on my way back to my house I saw a tryout banner on the fence. This tryout was going to take place tomorrow at the same exact location. That day I hurried home and trained till I dropped. The next day I entered the facility, it was an amazing feeling to be on a grass pitch ready to play soccer. The people trying out were fairly good but because I knew where my ball was going I had an easy time settling the ball and controlling the game. With my performance I made it in to the junior academy team for the Orlando Pirates. That was were I trained until I was 19 years old. I have been performing well for the 3 years I have been with the club, and worked harder than anyone on my team. Because of my leadership and passion for the game I was the captain of my team and led my team to a national title. In the national championship final game the South African National Team coach decided that he wanted to try me out for the national team to represent the country. The competition in the national team tryout was very high and very hard to show what you are capable of. I had to show the coach that I was the chosen one, and to do that I had to show them my specialty, which was to dribble. In the final minutes of the try out session I received a great pass from my team mate named Santiago, with that pass I beat 3 defenders and ripped a shot into the back of the net. When the coaches saw that they were I shock. This was ironic because I was received a chance of a lifetime by another Santiago. Then I received a contract to join the National team and got a chance to make the world cup squad. This is where I am standing as we speak. Taking the kick that could decide the champions of the world. I could either make it and become a hero, or miss and become a villain. Taking the final P.K. in the final of the World Cup 2018. This is the moment of truth.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (The crowd roaring.)
Shota


What inspired me to write this story was from my passion of the game. This year I am trying to make the US national team for under 15 year old. This made me want to share my joy and excitement I receive when I play soccer. I have been playing soccer since 4 years old and I am working very hard to get to were I am now. I hope this story reflects the passion I have for the game.