I spent my childhood playing football in my community. In this assay I am going to talk about my memorable football event. In life sometimes gentle slopes are not different from steep slopes.

The goal bars seemed very thin when we were playing the first semi-final of the KIT Tournament. In other people’s views we were not the favourites of the tournament, so our coach decided to play a 4-5-1 strategy so that we could take control of the game by controlling the centre.

I was the forward, the person with great scoring probability. We were a goal down when I missed four shots off target and three shots at goal. People at the stadium wanted me substituted, others accused me of defending against my own team. The game statistics revealed that we had 60% ball position, meaning we had control of the game but never converted any chances.

I was frustrated, especially when the crowd lifted banners that said I must be substituted. My coach played a major role in keeping me calm. I felt like running out of the stadium, but part of my heart told me that I can still come back and score. Scoring dreams ended when the referee blew the final whistle. My coach told me that losing does not make you a loser, instead it makes you stronger. He then continued, “Losing a game is an opportunity for you to restart more intelligently.”

After the tournament, I scored more goals. We even won the next tournament. It was at that time that I learned that perseverance prevails.

When I turn my mind to those days, I feel like that time should come again. What I am realising now is that I missed those chances because I had the pressure of fame, and I missed most of the training sessions. From that year, which was 2013, I learned that to be productive every day, you have to train every day.

I have learned that striving for fame never gets anybody anywhere. I will share my experience with my younger brothers so that they don’t make the same mistake. In my eyes success is not a destination, but a process, so I will work hard every day of my life to be productive. Even if other people see me as unproductive, internally I know I am productive.