While I was growing up, I was told that the gift of a man makes a way for him but as I continue to grow, I am beginning to have a slightly different view from what I was told and believed. I guess many things don’t normally work as we were told you know. I grew up full of life and vigour to conquer territories, subdue kingdoms and wrought all kinds of wonders possible in the game of soccer (football) and went all out for this vision and mission. I was on the business of becoming the greatest player that ever lived. I remembered how many times I came home and received the beating of my life because, I went to play football (soccer) and wasn’t able to come back on time but this didn’t bother me because, I enjoyed playing soccer and I was gifted in my field of endeavor even at a very tender age of seven. That was when I started playing football and for me, I sometimes thought that going to school was a waste of time.
However, I was wrong because, I had parents that insisted on my going to school and would beat the hell out of me if need be. They made sure, they got a teacher in school to monitor my every move and because, my parents didn’t particularly like my playing football or let me say: my over playing of soccer; they usually instruct these teachers to keep an eye on me such that I never bothered to go close to the football field (pitch) whenever I was in school because, the teachers were quite vicious and I must say that I gave them hundred percent on their monitoring.
Here, I discovered one of the crucial factors that can mar or cause the gift of a man not to make a way for him and that is, “the cooperation of your parents.” When you have parents that never see the possibilities in the particular thing (endeavor) you are endowed with gifting to be a blessing to humanity then, going far or doing well in that field may be a great challenge. My parents believed that no one could make it in football; they always talked about people going to school, acquiring good grades and becoming doctors, engineers, etc., and never took time to think about the opportunities that could be harnessed in football. As a matter of fact, they thought that football was meant for hoodlums and people who had parents that were unable to pay them through school and as such, they kicked vehemently against my loving football. They thought if they allowed me play this football to the degree that I wanted; I will never go to school thus, they never bought me any boot, jerseys or even a football and whenever, I go to play football and come back late: late to them was measured with a preconceived notion thus, they handled lateness with much seriousness. I have to admit that they were true to this cause especially, my mother whom I was staying with because, my father was not staying with us but only visited from time to time because as a civil servant, he continuously move on transfers round the country.
With the improvement in awareness and knowledge, I now know some people who have gained scholarship in the schools they attended and didn’t even pay school fees in such schools. This is usually beneficial to the parents as well but my parents and I never saw this side of the story due to ignorance and as a result, they made sure that I didn’t have any space to breath in school (this was primary school and my junior secondary school times) because, they instructed teachers to follow me up and this limited my liberty to get involved in school activities: I always pretended to be reading so that I would not get punished by the said teachers.
Meanwhile, within this time, I sometimes played football with students in my school, helped other schools and my friends play football and I did exploits. One day I went to the village and was helping my grandmother on the farm and the likes and I started joining the village team to train and one day, we went to play a competition and that was when I started gaining dominance but this was in a village. I scored a goal on one of the important football matches and it was announced on radio and my mother heard of it in town and when she came; she asked where I went to play football and scored and it had to be announced on radio. She began to reason now but because, they had already put machineries in place, it became difficult to make a sudden turn around but they were not that strict again. I started having liberty but another factor had set in, by this time I was already 18 years and this was not good for a footballer who wants to go far because, I had become old according to football rating. This means I could never play football as an under 17 except I had to forge my years which I wasn’t willing to do. However, I continued playing football and was even made the games prefect of my school. I remembered when we usually deal with the villagers around our school whenever they had a match with us. Meanwhile, this was illegal but we had to snick out of the school so as to play these matches regardless of the penalties we knew we could receive if caught. We did this for the joy or love of football and I tell you, we were dame good (I especially). Nobody praises himself but I will and if you know me, you would also attest to that fact. In fact, there is none of my mates that wouldn’t attest to this fact.
I proceeded to the university and didn’t join the football team for the whole year, which was my 100 level. I only joined them in my 200 level and was popularly called Eboue (the formal Arsenal player) because, that was the only jersey I had then. I became very famous and popular in my university, largely because I played football even though I knew from within my inmost being that I was already in my twenties and there was no hope for me to play professionally. In the course of my schooling in the university, I started hearing about footballers like Maradona, Pele, etc., that made a big fortune out of the profession. I can’t talk about the recent players like Ronaldo, Messi, Neymar, etc., because; we cannot even compare an average footballer with a university professor: an average footballer earns maybe, twenty times more than a professor and I am optimistic that I would have being one of them if I got the necessary cooperation from my parents at the initial stage.
Yes, I know some people would say, God didn’t want me to be a footballer but I can dear to say that, even if God ordained you to be footballer; if you don’t play your part or get the necessary cooperation, you may never get there. It is just like somebody who went to school and failed an examination because, he or she didn’t read and someone would say that God didn’t want them to go to school. Friend, you know that is a lie, right!
I have therefore, continuously seen others play football and make it big but I have continued to think that I would have also being playing just like them since; I derived joy playing football and had passion (drive) for it. This is the reason I don’t usually watch football with the zeal I had before because, I feel bad when I know I could have being one of those playing. I enjoy watching football though and I thank God that June 17 will usher in the start of the premier league but I still feel bad (you know the reason) thus, I don’t know if football is my friend or my foe. Help me get what I am by letting me know through your comments below. Also, like and share the article. Thank you
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