Well! Well! Well! look whose here? Yes my fellow friends, this is me 100% ; 99% fit hail and hearty.
So, I have been thinking to right a blog however due to the pandemic, no laptop & phone I was unable to share something. Its been some few months as I have started practicing again on a regular basis following the rules of COVID-19 as per my country.
I was really struggling as this pandemic affected everyone and nothing was happening the way I wanted but that my friend is the real test of life.
I made a 30 day plan and on how I am going to do things and wrote in down on a piece of paper. For eg. if I missed a practice for a day I will do 2x practice the next day and so on which helped me a lot as I missed most of the days but in the next month I was regular and looking back to the first month made me happy.
There was only one friend of mine who was with me for the practice and sometimes when he had issues at home I had to go on my own. I am glad that in this rough times I was able to practice and do many things which most people cannot.
So instead of nagging I am pretty happy and looking forward to what time will bring but I am not waiting for the right time!
Here we are living a life which we never thought of.
Yes we are in the middle of nowhere… 🌌
But it doesn’t mean we cannot bounce back just like Liverpool did in Istanbul 2005 and the commentator shouted: “Miracles are possible.”
So, instead of thinking of what will happen, I thought it is better to write a blog about what’s happening with me at the moment. Let’s go back a little and stop:
I was pretty much happy that I was going to play pro soccer this year and was practicing day in day out for that but then I heard this news of a virus spreading in the country and that the so-called GOVT. had taken steps to prevent this nightmare. Yes. I was grounded at home but believe me, the quote is right: HOME is where the 💓is.
It is has been more than 2 months that I have not seen the green grass of the football ground but I know that the sun will shine no matter what; I was practicing at the home of whatever I could but since I come from a middle-class family we don’t have a fancy terrace or artificial turf to practice and post on the Instagram feeds.
Every day there is something or the other in my family regarding money, food, job, and whatnot. Moreover, I have a responsibility too as the Indian Culture goes. I want to play football but these things are an obstacle at the moment in my life. But I am not gonna give up. Just hope this ends and I part my ways from here.
“You need to leave everything which comes between your goal.”
It has been a wonderful year so far and we are in the mid of December with Christmas around the corner. So, just like google and others, I thought let us look back to some of the things I did this year.
Still from the movie “The Christmas Chalet.”
The first thing which I did this year was revived my old Instagram page and reactivate my YouTube Channel. With that in place, I was able to connect with people. This gave me confidence and then everything was falling into place. Yeah! to be honest not exactly in place but yes it was happening. The common thing I noticed and learned this year was that it is the ‘Self believe’ that was helping me and faith in the Almighty.
So, I did many things which I never did and I’m quite happy with that because what they say in America, “There’s always a first time.”
Some of the things I did this year!
Apart from that, I traveled to places for some work, leisure and also where I do not want to but, it gave me confidence, took things to a whole new level and also to understand my inner strength. While I was traveling I met a lot of people who were different in their own way and this made me so happy because that’s the beautiful thing about traveling.
Botanical Garden, Shibpur
Avani Riverside Mall, Howrah
Then I was offered a study sponsorship abroad but due to some financial issue I was unable to pursue my further studies, I was helpless however not faithless. And this my friend led to things I always wanted to do but was confused as most of the people but this is common, not bad.
I quickly moved on because it is no point waiting and thinking about things that didn’t happen. These experiences led me to do the ultimate thing which I was working on and that was playing football (soccer) but in a professional way now. It already ended the season and I had missed the trials and here in Kolkata, India the football season is short due to fewer teams.
But I never gave up, practiced and practiced and practiced not thinking which club will take me or how will I manage it but my goal was to get prepared, give the trial and GET IN!
Clicked by Swapon Kr Paul.
Somehow or the other I managed to give the trial for a major football club in India and finally got an opportunity in the Reserve Team now so I need to work hard and be honest to myself because no opportunity is small for me.
‘Time takes time’ this saying is true, I have a long way to go and no matter what comes in between I’ll keep moving and hustling in life. 💯
Another happy moment that came in my life is that my sister got married this week and Messi got Ballon d’Or.
Messi with the Ballon d’Or.
I have done many things that I could not mention all here but if this post gives you a little motivation then do follow me on Instagram and share this post.
Till then take care and keep believing in yourself & GOD!
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.
FIFA World Cup 2018
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.
Salt Lake Stadium, 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.
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.
Zhao Wei as the GOALKEEPER
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.”
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 Greatest Goal is Believing…
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.
Golden Shoes
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.
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.
David Beckham
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.
“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.
Chase Your Dream ~ Talha's Journey 