Young and restless to become world’s best football players
PHOTO | JUAN MABROMATA | STAN HONDA A combination of two photos showing Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal (left) during practice before a friendly match against the Republic of Ireland on June 10, 2014 at Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey and Argentina's forward Lionel Messi arriving for a training session at the Independencia Arena in Belo Horizonte on June 11, 2014 ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup football tournament in Brazil.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar. These are the names that often come to mind when anyone speaks of football.
From the age of nine, I began playing football in the hopes of being as good as the professionals and since then, it has given me happiness and the same can be said for any other young football lover.
For years, we have always been looking forward to events like the World Cup or the Uefa Champions League. These tournaments stir up excitement all over the world. When we watch these games, the excitement is immense. And this is what inspires young people like me to play.
The exuberant fans, the thrill of winning, kicking a ball up and down the field, these also inspire players to do their best and to keep getting better every day.
When the Harambee Stars or the Harambee Starlets play, Kenyan fans come out in numbers to support the national teams. It is that support that makes our team succeed and that success puts us on the world map. That acknowledgement inspires young footballers to try their best, creating better teams in the future.
One thing that has impressed me is the willingness to teach football to the youth. Coaches do a remarkable job. Another way is the online tutorials posted by star football stuntmen so we can learn some of these awesome skills.
To all the coaches and stuntmen bravo and thank you. An exciting development that I also want to remark is the return of fans to the Premier League clubs stadia. So far those allowed include Liverpool, Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham.
This marks a step forward to normalcy after a long break owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The recent demise of renown footballer Diego Armando Maradona Franco cast a dark shadow on football fans all over the world but for years to come, we will celebrate him. Apart from playing, Diego coached a number of clubs, his last one being Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata. He shall forever live in our hearts and the memories will live forever.
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