The Greatest of All Time

Chapter 14 - A Meeting With Scouts

"Stephen Mangala, Miché Mika, Edo Kayembe, and Samuel Baraka." Mr. Christophe Benard, the head scout of FC Nantes Youth Academy, closed his notebook. He had finished announcing the names of the four players selected for the French sports scholarship. "That'll be all. Good luck to the rest of you." He concluded.

"Eehh!" The rest of the players, including some of the coaches, exclaimed. They started stealing glances at Zachary who stood at the very back of the group. He had scored a hat-trick and played better than everyone else during the match. But, the scouts had left him out of the list of players heading to France.

However, everyone quickly forgot about the issue and returned their attention to Coach Damata who had returned to the center stage after the foreign scout left.

"Let's congratulate the four players who are leaving for France. They deserve to be applauded for their exceptional performance in today's game." Coach Damata intoned, smiling. He seemed to be in a good mood.

Most of the other players clapped half-heartedly. They were still lamenting the missed opportunity. However, a few had learned to accept rejection and failure. They were looking forward to the remaining days of the Lubumbashi trials. They still had the opportunity to impress scouts from the African teams looking for new talents.

"Okay people. That's the spirit." Coach Damata laughed. "I usually tell my students it is okay to fail. A lot of people are so afraid of failure that they skip trials like these. They end up joining the camp of those that don't think themselves capable of succeeding as professional soccer players." He paused, letting his gaze roam over all the young men gathered before him.

"You should be aware that many people attain their greatest success, just after their greatest failure. Not getting selected is merely a bump in your football career. Every failure in life is a stepping stone to greater heights. I am most proud of the blessings that God has bestowed upon me as a coach. He has given me the vision to see that you can still get back on your feet after falling. That belief has kept me going as a coach all my years."

"Will you lose all hope of achieving your dreams and join the failures after not being selected?" He asked. "Or, will you continue to pursue your dreams with newfound vigor after this momentary setback?"

Most of the young players responded positively to the inspirational words of the coach. They all longed to join professional teams and play soccer. Soccer was the only refuge in their war-torn nation.

The few that had looked dejected seemed to have gotten a new lease on life after hearing the coach's speech. They all had a glint in their eyes that indicated they had not given up.

"Then, I'm relieved." Coach Damata smiled. "You're dismissed for today. Come back tomorrow to continue the trials."

"Just remember, never give up."

**** ****

Zachary remained standing at the back of the group even when the other players started dispersing. His world collapsed when the French scout announced the results. Pain circulated through his mind like waves on frigid sand.

'Why wasn't I selected? Was it because of my outburst during the first half?'

Several questions ran through his mind as he attempted to make sense of the scouts' decision. He could feel the eyes of the departing players on him. Some of them had pitiful expressions, whereas others looked on with mockery like their situation was any better. They seemed to have forgotten that they, too, had not been selected.

"Young man," he heard someone calling him from the side in a classic French accent that didn't belong in Africa. He turned around to find the head scout smiling at him.