My ambition is to play professional football at the highest level and be a great guy like Cristiano Ronaldo; that’s the major reason why going to Portugal has always been my dream,” 17-year-old Kolawaole Adeshina told PUNCH Sports Extra recently.
Like lots of Nigerian teenagers, Adeshina eats, sleeps and breathes sports. He’s on the football, volleyball and swimming teams of FirstGate Optimus School, Ogun State and also dabbles into singing.
The multi-talented youngster, who primarily operates as a midfielder but can also fill in as a defender, has taken huge strides in what is already a highly impressive youth career.
At 17, Adeshina has led his school to three inter-schools football victories in Ogun State.
“I’ve won three trophies playing inter-school football competition for my school and I’m proud of how things have started for me,” he said.
The teenager went on to reveal his ambition of turning out for a Portuguese club in an attempt to follow in his idol Cristiano Ronaldo’s footsteps.
He said, “Ronaldo is my role model and for me, he is the greatest footballer of all time. I hope to one day play for Benfica in Portugal, the league where he started his football career before making a move to Manchester United in England.
“I also want to learn how to speak Portuguese so that it can help me integrate very well when my dream comes true.”
Corroborating Adeshina’s ambition to travel to Portugal, Richard Ijalana, Principal of FirstGate Optimus High School told PUNCH Sports Extra that the lad, unlike many other kids, had never spoken of going to either England or Spain.
“It’s so funny that from day one that he has been here, he is always talking of wanting to go to Portugal,” Ijalana said.
“This seems strange to us because many kids want to go to England where they can play in the English Premier League or Spain where we have Barcelona and Real Madrid, but he is always talking of going to Portugal. As a school, we can only see how we can help him achieve that.”
Adeshina showed off some impressive skills at the Redeemer High School, inside Redemption Camp, during the 3rd edition of FirstGate Optimus High School Sports fiesta in February.
Every dream needs to be nurtured to become a reality and Adeshina’s case is no different.
“I started dreaming of becoming a professional footballer since my time in primary school and I was probably about 11 then,” he told PUNCH Sports Extra.
“I know how tough it can be having such a big dream in a country like Nigeria, but I am not going to give up on my dream because I know with hard work and prayers, everything will definitely come to pass.”
Behind every big smile, there’s an untold story and his is that of determination and the zeal to excel despite the obstacles.
“I lost my dad a long time ago and my mum has been the one there for me. She has been very supportive, she was the one that gave me money to buy my first boots.
“She is not that educated but she is ready to go all the way to ensure that I do well in my education and career as a footballer. Thinking of everything that she has done for me, I cannot disappoint her and that is why I will continue to train hard until that dream is actualised.”
Adeshina is also a man of many talents.
“Apart from playing football I also play volleyball, long jump, swimming and I can sing as well.”
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