SOCCER IN AFRICA: THE UNTOLD TRUTH

THE UNTOLD TRUTH ABOUT FOOTBALL[SOCCER]  IN AFRICA

Football [ soccer ] is the most popular sport in Africa, with most youths having dreams and aspirations to become professional footballers. But, what most of them aren’t aware of is that soccer has its pros and cons, It is widely recognized that 75 % of teenagers between the ages of 14-21 are only drawn to soccer due to the fancy lifestyle, high bonuses, and salaries it has to offer if you are successful and most of them don’t understand that the odds are very low and difficult to become a successful footballer in Africa, and the mindset of choosing to become a footballer because you want to be rich or popular and not because of the love and desire for soccer, there is a very high chance you won’t make it successful in football.

Talent is not enough to make it in football, There are a lot of things to consider before you can become a footballer, not just because you received hails while dribbling in the streets of Africa, which does not guarantee that you are good enough, there a lot of things scouts hunt for in trials, not just talent. You must be hardworking, physically strong, physically fit, speed, accurate, willing to learn, humble and passionate about the game, all this will be enough to become a successful footballer.


REASONS WHY YOUNG AFRICANS FAIL PROFUSELY IN FOOTBALL AND HOW TO AVOID IT.

⦁    LACK OF MOTIVATION;
Motivation is the most important aspect of football, without motivation in football, you will never make it, when you fail, correct your mistakes, understand that failure helps people come back stronger, I understand it might be difficult, maybe because you were rejected a lot of times and criticized for little errors, this does not mean you aren’t good enough, acknowledge the fact that most successful African footballers were rejected at a time because they were not good enough. Popular mentions include;
Edouard Mendy; He is actually my hero, the Senagalease goalkeeper failed a lot, at a time he even considered quitting football, but guess what, he came back with a boom, he surprised the whole world, he has really made black football goalkeepers proud with his huge impacts although, they are few in Europe, Mendy wouldn’t have accomplished all this without motivation, that is to say, never let your little mistakes or the abusing words of your team-mates or fans to let you down, work hard, listen to your coach and come back stronger. They are a lot of African footballers to pick inspiration but, make sure Edou Mendy is one of them.

⦁    LACK OF COMMITMENT:

This is very important, most football aspirants don’t understand that being dedicated to something would lead to success, Exactly, you have to shun the habit of procrastination and acknowledge the fact that you will surely make sacrifices if you are really passionate about becoming a footballer, you really need to focus on your dreams and aspiration, set apart all negativity and be committed you will surely be successful.

⦁    LACK OF CONFIDENCE:

Having confidence in one’s self has proven to be very vital in achieving objectives and aims, without being confident in yourself, it is likely that you won’t make it, especially in football. Confidence would help you to accomplish set goals and objectives, most footballers globally who worked hard to achieve their aims, wouldn’t have done that without confidence in their abilities. You should form the habit of working hard and shun laziness which is a huge barrier to success. If you want to be confident you can read this article HOW TO BE MORE CONFIDENT

⦁    PRIDE:

This is very common amongst young footballers, they are driven by the hails and dribbles they make, and this would give them the mindset that they are better than other players on the field, they refuse to listen to their teammates, coaches, and even seniors in the game, because they think they are perfect, this is a very bad attitude to approach the game, it may even lead to selfishness [ wanting to score all the goals or do everything without teamwork ] Young footballers should shun the attitude of pride. Maybe, also because you are the senior in your academy doesn't mean you should think you are better or bigger than others, you should learn to inculcate positive morals and attitudes to approach the game, this would go far in proving your capabilities and boost your experience in the game.


⦁    PARENTAL DISAPPROVAL:

Although not too rampant, it is common in Nigeria, most parents in Nigeria think that playing football is a bad idea or a waste of time, most of them are scared because of the horrific injuries or even deaths encountered in football, most parents just want their children to go to school, enter the university, graduate and get a job, shunning the idea of becoming a footballer, and my perspective of why this is going on is maybe because of the death of famous Nigerian footballer Sam Okwaraji on the field of play, this made them scared and not wanting their children to become footballers.

⦁    FRAUD:

Too sad to be true, most people acting to be football agents, have formed the idea of using football to do exploits/scams, beware of this, they go into academies asking young footballers to pay a certain amount of money to take them abroad to play football, a lot of teenagers have fallen victim of this and the perpetrators should be punished for such actions. Not just individuals, also, beware of academies you go into most of them just want your money and not your talent. Some might use this opportunity to do human trafficking,  youngsters are promised to be taken care of as footballers abroad. Rather, they are used to pushing drugs, trafficking, etc. And after experiencing such trauma they would have no option but to quit, so I advise you to use your brain and consult your parents/ guardians to avoid falling victim.


So, with all this we have come to the end of this amazing article thank you for your patience and I will always write and publish more amazing content, note that this article is written by Canice-eke Bruno after thorough research and analysis. You can also share and follow BRUNO BLOG on Facebook. Thanks and God bless you.