Defenders kicking at your ankles, elbows snapping back in your face. The grass resembles a battlefield and awaits your defeat. You take a deep breath, more like a sigh than an attempt to breathe.

But you move forward, teeth clenched, one step at a time. You keep persisting and your instincts take over.

The knees are shot, elbows grazed, but the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow has finally appeared.

Just like you knew it would!

Are you a soccer player?

Were you put on earth to be a star and grace the biggest stadiums in the world?

P-L-E-A-S-E!

Don’t shame your guardian angels that watch over you and protect you. Don’t shame the genetic cutlery that’s been placed on your table.

Soccer is not a selfish act or a bid to inflate your ego. Soccer is a gift that unifies the world.

Don’t deny us your contribution.

Show me what you’ve got!

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars.”