Do you need to join an academy to play professional soccer?

Well! This is the most asked questions that I’ve read in most of the blogs, forums and online space.
And the answer to this is NO… you do not need to be in an academy to become a pro footballer.

I have been playing soccer for more than 5+ yrs and I was never in an academy. Yes, if you wish to then you can which is not a bad thing however you can work on your own and gather training from everywhere.

The best thing to start would be a local mentor and if not then no problem, as you can find many people around your city or country who can guide you for free for sure (Humanity is still there).

To give you some motivation I’ll show you some non-league players who are playing professional soccer:

Chris Smalling –
He was 17 when he joined Fulham and currently plays for Manchester United.

Jamie Vardy –
From a non-league player from North Star Premier League to top scorer and champion at Leicester City. He is truly an inspiration.

Charlie Austin –
Austin played non-league football up to May 2009, when he was signed by Swindon Town after a prolific season for Poole Town. He plays currently for Southampton.

Carlos Bacca –
He was a bus driver at the age of 21 and it seemed that the doors for football have been closed for him. But, he gave trail and was selected to play for Atlético Junior where he scored maximum goals and was spotted by Club Brugge, Belgian League.
He won the UEFA Europa League in both of his first two seasons with the club, scoring twice in 2015 final. In the summer of 2015, he joined Serie A side Milan for €30 million. Currently, he plays for Spanish Club Villareal.

Philip Adjah –
Tettey Narh Phillip Adjah better known as Philip Adjah is a 2nd Division player who was spotted by Mohammedan Sporting Club (a 2nd division Indian Team). He is from Ghana and has got some good fame especially in Kolkata.

There are many players around the 🌍 who have made it without joining an academy but they gave their best to enter professional clubs and then the main game starts.

So, if we have the zeal inside us and the dedication to go beyond limits then we can. And, proper training along is needed to achieve the desired results. 💯 achieve the desired results.

The Sunday Football

If I talk about my Sunday then I cannot miss Football because that is the only day when most of the people in my city go to play no matter what age they are.

So, on a Sunday afternoon, I always go to play with my friends for a match or just like that, and my Sunday won’t be completed if I didn’t see the grass and touch the football.

This Sunday too I went to play with my friends and got a match to play with the local guys. We were less in numbers so we played 9 a-side and it was a good game of football. I scored and assisted too but missed a very close back volley which came to me all of a sudden.

We were winning and suddenly I saw one of my trainer sir who is a good professional photographer and cover local football matches and travel a lot. He took some of my shots which were truly amazing.

Normally no one took my pics while I played but I believe that one day everyone will and that too soon.

Every day is the same but SUNDAY is SUNDAY for me!😋

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My Top 5 Football/Soccer Movies of all time

We all watch movies and we all want to see something in the movies that we like in our day to day life. I always love to watch movies and love sports genre as it has motivational and inspirational value.

So, here are my top Football (Soccer) movies of all time:

1. GOAL – The dream begins

This movie portrait Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) who is from Mexico and dreams to play professional soccer however due to the family problems he is forced to live it but eventually gets a chance to fly England to give a trial for Newcastle United and gets selected. Even though he suffers from asthma in this movie but nothing stopped him from living his dream.
The movie teaches the belief, will, and passion that one has for his/her dream.

The movie also has part 2 (featuring Real Madrid players like David Beckham and Zinedine Zidane) & part 3 (more about winning the World Cup for England) but the 1st part is my favorite.

2. Shaolin Soccer

This movie is a legend as it liked by almost everyone who likes football. The movie is a mixture of both Shaolin and soccer and was directed awesomely.
I remember it well as I was very small when this movie came out. It shows the teamwork and dedication towards football which helps a local team to win the Chinese Championship even when they didn’t have professional kits. The climax is epic and is a must watch.

3. Inside Story

Meet Kalu( Kevin Ndege Mamboleo ), a gifted football star whose journey to soccer stardom is complicated when he learns that he is HIV-positive. What follows is an entertaining and educational ride that follows Kalu and the virus within his young body.

He learned everything on the go and came back after a rough blow in life which happens to many of us. And, even though he had the HIV virus (aids which were transmitted by her ex-girlfriend) he continued to go on and finally wins the African Super League and gets an official contract with Arsenal F.C.
The mantra he believes was “Knowledge is Power.”

The movie is produced by Snagfilms which is available on YouTube.

4. Golden Shoes

This movie is one of my favorite because it has the zeal and innocence that we have in our childhood.

As described by IMDB the young boy Christian (played by
Christian Koza) has his father missing in action, and his mother critical in hospital, he consoles himself with dreams of playing in the youth soccer league. To do so, he must overcome the adult deception, bullying, and his solitude.

The turning point in the movie is when he gets a golden boot from a shop and that makes all the difference. This makes this movie in my top 5.

5. Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal …

Last but not least is an Indian movie which is the only Indian movie purely based on Football. The movie is about Southhall United a team in England which is an Indian originated team but lack funds and face many troubles do the colour and race as shown in the movie.

But, there comes a player Sunny Bhasin played by John Abraham who is one of the most successful actors in India and also the ambassador of North East United (a team in ISL – Indian Super League). Also, he practiced football for 6 months with professionals for this role.

At first, he wants to play for the different team (Aston) but even after his good performance for the club he gets rejected due to his colour and race. So, he decides to join Southall United and later on wins the league which was needed for the club to survive.

The above movies are amazing and I suggest to watch it if you have not.

Was it destiny or coincidence? – Episode 1

Well no one can really tell whether this happened by coincidence or was it written all along. The only thing in common is that I loved watching football at the backside of the net.

It was school days and I used to play cricket and not ~~football~~. Nothing was bad about it unless the day came when my father saw me playing alone in mid-day around 2.00 pm all alone which was not appropriate according to him.

So, in order to get me rid of this habit he bought me games to play on PS1 (Sony Play Station 1 borrowed from my friend) and the first game I played was Spider-Man but he brought another game and that was FIFA 1998. Well that my friend was my turning point in life. He told me to play at home and practice after 04.00 pm in the evening which was fine for me.

I used to play cricket so didn’t knew much about football so just tried to play but nothing went on my head so I started watching videos on YouTube but very few videos were there that time. I started reading manuals for controls and how they are matched because I’ve been playing on Nintendo and Sega before so it was not new but new.

That was how I came know about football ⚽️

TO BE CONTINUED…

I can make it ⚽️

“The best decisions aren’t made with your mind, but with your instinct.”
— Lionel Messi.

It has been a while I realized that Football (Soccer) is the only thing which I am best at. 4 years of a corporate job and 1 year of travelling taught me that you cannot run from your destiny and here I am writing a blog at 05.00 am waiting for Semi-Finals of Copa America where Argentina face Brazil (06.00 am) and since I am in India so timings are a bit like that.

I am continuously practicing and have set up a goal to gain maximum out of myself as I know I am not the best out there but will do anything and everything to achieve it.

This is one of the biggest decisions in my life and I believe that I can make it because you can only do anything if you can believe. So, if this small blog post helped you get a little or even a bit motivated then follow my journey as I will be documenting every aspect of my life.

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