21.5 million - A Preview

So, how does this apply to us athletes? Well, 21.5 million young footballers, again, is a huge number, and that is an understatement. And yet what makes us so minuscule sparks that flame that lasts all the while until it blows out. Why? Why do we put free time that could be spent elsewhere to attempt to attain a ratio that increasingly stacks against our will? Why is every Saturday morning spent on the training ground? Why is every Sunday night spent pondering over a bad game or overjoyed with a performance? A common answer would be, ‘I love football,” and thereby I am willing to spend a chunk of time to perfect it. True, yet can it really be all that? Is it solely your passion for the sport that pushes you to devote any spare grains of time to perfect your craft? Is it solely that enjoyment that enforces your consistent urge to outperform yourselves and others? I would argue that there is more in play. Yes, I love football with all my heart. Every time I step on the field, all the troubles and worries elsewhere seem to dwindle away; it seems so surreal. But, deep down, I understand that a fundamental pillar still stands reasoning for such devotion. 

And that is the possibility of me still making it. 

Somehow, nullifying the pendulum of a rather disheartening odd, is a little boy that still lives what he promised to himself in his bedroom back in his nosebleeds. Somehow, 21.5 million seems ever so trifling to that little boy with a ball under his sole. And that is true for most of that 21.5 million. 

Forbye, the question still stands. What does this all mean? After all that’s been said, what’s next? Primarily, if you are apart of that 21.5 million, then go for it. Go for it. If that little boy thinks you can do it, you can do it. Embrace every moment on and off the field. The journey may be fraught with challenges—injuries, setbacks, and moments of self-doubt—but each obstacle is an opportunity for growth. Sports, at the end of the day, teach us resilience; every missed shot or lost match is a lesson in perseverance. Cliche right? But its true. Keep working hard, keep competing. Mediocrity won’t get you anywhere among the crowd, so keep going after it. Be there in every training session, every conditioning session, every training you can get out of you. But, at the end of the day, know your limit.