02/12/2025
Jusu o Dukuly Stepping into a new month, I just want to speak on the things most people don’t see… the things young footballers carry quietly on their shoulders. Everybody sees the goals, the pictures, the celebrations, the jerseys… but they don’t see the journey behind it.
Young players go through a lot.
We fight battles nobody claps for.
We make sacrifices nobody talks about.
We deal with early mornings, long training sessions, pain, injuries, setbacks, pressure, doubts, and expectations. Some days the knee hurts, the ankle is tight, the body is tired, but you still have to show up because you don’t want to lose your chance. Some days you’re carrying pain but still trying to smile so nobody thinks you’re weak.
We deal with coaches who believe in us and coaches who don’t.
Agents who make promises and disappear.
People who support you today and doubt you tomorrow.
We play in rough fields, in the hot sun, on empty stomachs sometimes.
We chase opportunities that feel so close but still far.
We walk to training, we borrow boots, we share jerseys, we hustle just to keep the dream alive.
Emotionally, young footballers go through pressure real life.
You want to make your family proud.
You want to rise.
You want to break through.
But sometimes the journey is slow, and people start asking questions like you’re not trying.
We deal with competition every day — not just from players around us, but from the fear in our own mind. Fear of injury, fear of failure, fear of being forgotten. But still… we keep going.
We go through days when the body is tired, but the dream is louder.
Days when the mind is heavy, but the passion keeps pushing.
Days when nothing makes sense, but you still lace up your boots.
This journey is not easy.
But this journey is beautiful.
Because it teaches discipline, hunger, patience, humility, and strength.
So as we enter this new month, I just want to encourage every young player out there:
Keep going.
Don’t give up on your dream because of one bad week, one in
