With regards to this prompt. Lol! I remember there was a time when I genuinely believed football or as some people will call it soccer was going to change my life. Back then, I was the local champion in my local area. Whenever we played matches, people knew my name, they used to even wait for me before they started the match. I was confident, maybe a little too confident. I had convinced myself that I was among the best players around and that all I needed was an opportunity to prove it on a bigger stage..... so i thought.
Then I heard about a football trial being organized in another state. Scouts were supposedly going to be there, and talented players would have a chance to get noticed. The moment I heard about it, I was sold, i was young, i was adventurous and free. Lol!, What i wouldn’t do to get my young vim and passion. In my mind, this was the beginning of my professional football career. The problem was that I didn't have much money and so, What did I do? I emptied my savings, i broke my Asusu(piggy bank) and all.
I bought a brand-new pair of cleats because I wanted to look and feel like a professional. I paid for the registration form and then I spent money on transportation, food, and other travel expenses to get to the state where the trials were being held. I stayed at a friends house so at least that was sorted. As I handed over my hard-earned savings, I kept telling myself, "This is an investment, life is all about risks. Well... life had other plans. The first thing that hit me when I arrived was the number of players. There were hundreds of them. Haaaaa! Then I started watching some of them warm up, and that's when the confidence began to leave my body.
These guys were different. the speed, technique, fitness, ball control, and tactical awareness were on a level I had never seen before. In my neighborhood, I was a big fish. Here, I wasn't even sure I qualified as a fishling. When the trials started, reality delivered a lesson I will never forget, to say I struggled was an understatement. Everything felt faster, the pace at which decisions had to be made were quicker. Players closed down space instantly, the standards were astronomically higher than anything I had experienced before.
I didn't even make it past the first day. Just like that, my football dream ended before the second day's session could begin. The journey home was painful. My savings were gone, my new cleats couldn't save me, and my confidence had taken a serious hit. Of course it was a nice experience, at least i always have a story to tell. Sometimes you don't know how much room there is to grow until you're placed among people operating at a completely different standard.
Did I waste my money? Maybe. Did I gain perspective? Yep i did and at least i got an expensive taste and learnt what humility was.
