Personal Statement
It all started when I came across a Cristiano Ronaldo highlight video on Youtube back in 2015 when I was 8 years old. I was heavily inspired from watching him. Growing up in a country where playing soccer professionally was looked down upon and the sports sector never batted an eye, the environment felt heavily unsuitable for me to pursue my dreams. People all around me took me and my dreams lightly, however I never let it get in my head and I started playing everyday consistently. I was lucky enough to travel and challenge myself in each experience, be it Pakistan or more recently Saudi Arabia. In each of my travels, having played soccer competitively and succeeding, not only was I proving it to my parents but also to the little demotivated kid in me that my goals were definitely within reach. It was this very sole purpose of mine to keep pushing and test myself at each and every stage despite people throwing their beliefs at me. I took words like, "Oh but you're just a Bangladeshi kid" "Bangladesh has no future in soccer", more as fuel rather than facts, which I believe shaped me into the player I am today.
Managing my academics and athletics also proved difficult, with many times where I felt scared and unsure. I spent lots of time researching and building a lifestyle consisting of the right nutrition and health alongside everything else. In an environment where everyone was enjoying life and calling me to do the same, allocating all my time to studying and training was my top priority, which proved worth it in the end as I passed my IGCSEs with 5 A*s and 1 A while at the same time training every week at the Real Madrid Fundacion and later on at Al Muhtarif Academy both in Saudi Arabia.
I still strive towards the same goal. I hope one day I'm in a position where I'm able to inspire all the people that were once just like the 8 year old me, mitigate the misconceptions towards this sport in my country and be the catalyst for its success.
Now with NCSA in sight, I hope to realize my dream.
