What happens when you have a dream and someone tells you that you are not capable of achieving it? Although on paper it is very easy to talk about resilience, in practice it is not so simple. In football there are millions of players rejected by big clubs and Shaun Wright-Phillips, former player of Manchester City and Chelsea, that did not stop him.
Whether in the Liga MX or the Premier League, we find diamonds in the rough; nevertheless, there are always young people who are left out of the teams or one step away from reaching the First Division. Shaun Wright-Phillips went through that situation at Nottingham Forest.
The ex-soccer player was looking for an opportunity to fulfill his dreams, but his height meant that he was considered small. Besides, they told him that he wasn’t good enough. Soon after came the opportunity for him with Manchester City, but rejection is not always easy to deal with.
“The more I look back, I think it was devastating at the time, but I don’t think I measured the magnitude of what happened. It felt natural just to get up and try again.. My mom and my brother were with me, I had my friends and they just told me that it was enough.
“That it all started when I was so young allowed me to create my own path and the same thing happened with my brother. He’s great and he wrote his own story. We got rid of the pressure because at that time, we just enjoyed playing soccer. When you love something so much, the rest becomes easy“, explained Shaun Wright-Phillips in an interview for Sopitas.com.
Although the road was not easy with Manchester City either, the objectives were met. Shaun Wright-Phillips earned the trust of manager Kevin Keegan and even he was nicknamed ‘Pocket Rocket’ for his speed; Later, he also made it to the England National Team.
Shaun Wright-Phillips’ advice to the new generation of footballers
Shaun Wright-Phillips excelled with Manchester City and later transferred to Chelsea. The former winger has confessed more than once that “cried like a baby” upon learning of the move; however, none of this would have been possible without her persistence to fulfill what he longed for.
Thus, He also sent a message to all the young footballers who have been rejected or criticized at some point. It is difficult or almost impossible to know how many are cut by the First Division clubs in the best Leagues in the world, so for him, it is about improving in every possible aspect.
“If you still have that dream, you have to keep working hard. Maybe they tell you that you are not good at something, but you work on it and you become a new player. You have to evolve with the game, be different from the others“.
Shaun Wright-Phillips at Sopitas.com
The fight for the Premier League in the Wright family
Shaun Wright Phillips visited Mexico for the first time during Manchester City’s Trophy Tour, with the Premier League won in the 2021-22 season. And with Pep Guardiola’s team fighting hard with Arsenal for another title, the Wright house is divided.
Yoan Wright, father of Shaun, made history with the Gunners scoring 185 goals in 288 games. So each confrontation is special and we take the opportunity to ask him how the battle on the pitch is lived with a faithful Arsenal fan by his side.
“it’s very tenseShaun Wright-Phillips confessed with a laugh. “He is the typical Arsenal fan who wants everything to be resolved in his favor.. I have to deal with her celebrations even on social media and I don’t help much because I reply when I can. They are going to be interesting months for us“.
One way or another, the former player trusts City. So without hesitating, Wright-Phillips released the forecast that the ‘Citizens’ will win on April 26 against the Gunners to tighten the fight for the Premier… because he also believes that they are going to recover from the difference in points to be crowned.
