Of all the sports in the world, my favorite is football. The gap between my top favorite sport and the second is extremely wide. One thing about me is that I struggle to have favorites- my favorite color, food, sneakers, shirt, fruits, and so on. However, when something becomes my favorite, it means I love it so much, and there is no competition. I have been a lover of football for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory of this sport was when I was in elementary school- while other students spent their recess (break time) eating or taking a short nap, my friends and I would go to the school field and play football till our uniforms got sweaty, rumpled, and stained. I remember how my friends and I often got punished for playing football in our school uniform. To solve this problem, instead of stopping playing football, my friends and I brought jerseys from home, which we changed into whenever we wanted to play football. When the teachers saw this, they had no choice but to leave us to do whatever we wanted.
My mom never liked football. She hated it when my cousins and I played football in the compound. She'd often tell us stories of how a childhood friend broke a leg and couldn't walk again due to the football injury. Although she allowed me to play football with my brother and cousins within the compound, she banned us from playing with the other kids in our street. For starters, the kids were uncultured. Also, most of them played rough games. The only place where I could play football freely and enjoy it was in school. So, I always looked forward to going to school every day to play football.
There are many amazing footballers, each exceptional in their own ways, but my favorite is Cristiano Ronaldo. I could spend the whole day talking about him. Growing up, my brother and I often followed my dad to the ball house. A ball house is a place where people come together to watch football in a slightly cramped space. Watching football in a ball house hits differently; the vibe, the noise from each person, and the excitement from the room hit differently than watching alone. Although we had a television at home, we’d often go to the ball house to watch football games because of the excitement. I don’t remember when this happened or how it happened; I probably heard people talking about Cristiano Ronaldo’s skills, and from that moment on, I fell in love with him. So, every time Manchester United (his club at that time) had a match, I was always on the lookout for my favorite player, Cristiano Ronaldo.
Today, Cristiano Ronaldo is not only my favorite football player but my role model. He motivates me to become the best version of myself. Ronaldo grew up with nothing. His family was poor and unable to satisfy their needs. They even had to beg from house to house. But with dedication, consistency, and commitment, he climbed up the ladder. Today, he is one of the richest football players in the world. If Ronaldo could do it despite his situation, so can you. That should be enough to motivate you. I love football and Ronaldo so much that once, I wanted to walk down that career. One of my uncles wanted to sponsor me to a football club in my country, but my mom was totally against the idea.
I still play football now and then. But unlike my childhood days when my veins were filled with excitement, and my legs could move freely, I struggle with these things now. But the joy it gives is still there.
Thanks for reading.
Posted Using INLEO
