MAYBE YOU ARE YOUR OWN ENEMY

An impoverished retired soccer player wishes he could turn back the hands of time. Another who retired too early because of drugs and alcohol wishes to play just one last season so that he could make a bit of money in order to, as he claims, start an investment. Then another, in his twenties, is not wanted by any soccer team.

HOW IT ALL STARTS

Alcohol has destroyed many people’s lives who let fame go to their heads. They used money and fame inappropriately. People who could have been successful soccer players, athletes, musicians, etc, are now left with their “almost-successful” stories to tell younger people in the taverns.

When I was going up, in my community there was a group of very good soccer players. They were known as the group of winners because whenever they had a match, they often did not lose. When they were playing, the whole community would buy tickets to support them because they never disappointed. They had full support from both young and old. Their hard-working and sacrifice made many young people to see them as role models.

A DIAMOND EMERGES FROM THE ROUGH

While as a group they were the best, I remember there was one guy who was a cut above the rest. He was always their top goal scorer. They used to call him “Mshini”. They depended on him for goals, such that when he was injured, the team struggled.

His hard-work made him to be recognised by other big teams such that they ended up fighting over his signature. It was a dream come true to him because playing for bigger teams was his dream. All this was happening when he was only nineteen years old and in school. He was a diamond waiting to be discovered by the world, and we were the lucky ones to witness this diamond on a weekly basis.

THE FALL

Shortly after being signed by one of the oldest and biggest clubs in the country, Mshini decided to drop out of school. He did not see the necessity of continuing with school when his soccer career looked that bright.

Next, he turned his back to his family, did not support them even if they asked for help and decided not to come back home. His former teammates and his own friends became strangers. With everything looking up for him, he did not even find our community a place worthy to live in; it wasn’t in his “level”, according to him.

When they say becoming famous changes a person, well, it is true. Mshini became famous such that he and his new “up-class” friends were drinking alcohol non-stop. His life revolved around alcohol and girls. He never bothered himself with anything that involved his family such that when his father died, he did not support the family and never even attended the funeral. He was probably too drunk to even wake up and go to the funeral!

Mshini’s career started to slowly fade out. He was missing games because of hangovers. Before long, he was offloaded by his club.

A RETURN TO HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

When life became so hard for Mshini, he had no choice but to return home, to the community he did not want to live with when he was enjoying the short-lived glamour.

Today when he talks about his successes and soccer skills, it feels like a fairy-tale. It is a fact that many talented young people had every chance to achieve greatly, but they blew it by making bad decisions. Many of them live with regrets, while some are determined that if they could get a second chance, they would change their ways and not repeat the same mistakes they committed in the past. But, too little too late!