The Stick, the Ball, and the Sword

I had a typical boy’s passion for soccer since elementary school and pretty much every other kid did too, I was known to be the best which didn’t last long because of travelling and long breaks without touching the ball. In Libya Street soccer was common and all age groups would play.

In my area I didn’t see kids play soccer but whenever I went over to my cousin’s house he always played, like twice a day every day. Being passionate about soccer as a youth I would go to his house often just to play.

In grade nine I took these visits to another level, my cousin and I decided to join a nearby club which made our dedication escalate. I had practice three times a week with a game. This troubled my uncle (Ibrahim) for many reasons including