5 celebrities in other fields who could have become footballers
Football is an immensely popular sport around the globe. It therefore comes as not much of a surprise that millions if not billions of young boys and girls around the world try their hand, err legs, around it at a young age.
From Brazilian and African kids kicking around anything that can be rolled out into a ball in the streets to their more advanced counterparts in Europe being registered at standard football academies, the stories are mostly the same.
However, the intensely competitive nature of the sport means that it is almost a survival of the fittest, and only a select few of those kids get to make it as a professional and play at the highest level, with a lot of mitigating factors such as talent, and the right opportunities hindering them.
Those who get on to make it live life to the fullest, enjoying the fame, immense prosperity and adulation from millions of fans that the modern day footballer receives, while the rest go on to live very normal lives far from the spotlight engaging in day-to-day activities making the world remain civilized in their own little way while still supporting the game from the comfort of their cushion or in the stands as fans..
There are also a select few who despite not making it in the footballing world go on to achieve global stardom, excelling in other endeavors and becoming the very best in their chosen fields, and becoming much bigger superstars than they might have been had they chosen to pursue their passion for the beautiful game, and that it the essence of this piece. Here we present five celebrities in other fields who might have excelled as professional footballers.
#5 Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal needs no introduction even to non-Tennis followers, as his popularity has been so far reaching that it cuts across all spheres of life.
With 17 Grand Slams won, the 32-year-old is one of the greatest Tennis Players in history, and earned himself the moniker 'The King of Clay' due to his immense dominance on clay courts.
While he might have excelled as a Tennis player, very few people know how close he might have been to gracing the luscious green of a football field rather than Wimbledon.
Nadal is a well known football fan, and has constantly vocalized his support for Real Madrid, being a regular at the club's matches and forming close personal relationships with players like Raul and Cristiano Ronaldo.
At age 12, Nadal had a big decision to take concerning his future (as most children around the world do), but whereas others have to make choices such as subject combination for future career choices (which can be changed at anytime because they don't cut the grade), Nadal had a legit reason to think carefully, because he excelled at two sports.
Football ran in his family, as his uncle Miguel Angel Nadal playing at the highest level, representing Spain at three World Cups and turning out for Barcelona, and hence, Rafa said it was the hardest decision he ever had to take.
Ultimately, he chose Tennis, stating in his autobiography that “tennis was the game at which I excelled, even if I enjoyed football as much, or more.”
He won the Spanish U14 championships at the age of 12, and many including prominent writer Christopher Clarey calling him a promising striker, and his father stating that he could have been a fine footballer.
As it is, all those thoughts are only 'what could have been', and while me would never know how good a footballer Nadal could have been, we DO know how great a Tennis player he is, and the racket swinging sport is undoubtedly better off for it.