Reflections on Football and Self-Worth

That feeling when you’re standing on the football field, and everyone is watching. It’s your moment, you’re teammate went in to a tackle and the ball bounces towards you, everything is in slow motion. This is it the chance to show everyone what you can do. But then you miss the net. And it’s not just a little miss. But a total disaster. Ball rolls under your foot, your teammates sigh, and the other team ends up scoring. That’s what I do every time. Or nearly every time.

I have always wanted to be good at football. When you live in Denmark, football is a big part of you’re childhood. Everyone talks about the national team, and people dream about being the next Christian Eriksen. I dreamt about becoming the next Neymar. I’d watch the games on my phone, imagining myself scoring the winning goal in the Champions league final. But somewhere along the way, I realized that I am just not on the level I should be. It’s not that i am not trying hard enough. I go to training every week. I run, I practice, I try to focus. But it’s like my body and my brain aren’t on the same team. When I want to pass, I kick too hard. When I want to dribble, I stumble over my own feet. And my shooting is even worse.