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Murtsi · 2023-09-17, 07:50 AM - Word count:

Well you know how these things go, stars are going to be stars. Once you are a star of one sport and it starts to become a tad bit boring, because well, you know, you are just winning too much, you start to think how good would you be at other sports. This is the story of Kimi Häkkinen, the offshoot of Finlands two greatest Formula 1 drivers (Kimi Räikkönen and Mika Häkkinen). This was actually a well kept secret for most of the world as they decided to combine their genes to ensure the future of the Finnish Formula one world and boy did they do a lot with it. Kimi Häkkinen is actually currently the reigning world champion in Formula one and has won the title 10 years in a row, at times actually just using his left hand because it has gotten so boring. So then while winning one of these races using his left hand, he realized that his skills are unmatched and maybe he wanted to try something else out. So what happened was that he decided that maybe he wants to try out his skills in another sport and after seeing his beloved Finland qualify for their first tournament he thought football might be it. As a quiet Finn he feels that being an attacking midfielder would be the best way to show everybody how good he is. Although some might have doubts about how good a Formula one driver really could be in football with almost next to nothing training, this does not phase Kimi the slightest. He was always the most talented kid in school PE class and whenever he played football with his mates during his youth years, he was miles ahead of them and always the best. And in the end, its only football, how hard can it be when you are already the best at Formula one, which is clearly much harder APPROVED

**Metafiction** · 2023-09-20, 03:14 PM - Word count:

Judah Montgomery Greer, or “Jude,” as he prefers to be known, has been something of an athletic savant from a young age. Some have called him “the Forrest Gump of soccer” -- a moniker he doesn’t much like, mainly because he’s never seen Forrest Gump and doesn’t know whether that’s an insult. Still, he has a certain folksy charm about him, and he’s known best for his bombing runs up the left flank, so perhaps the comparison is more apt than he thinks. Greer was born in Nashville, Tennessee to parents Michael and Helena Greer. Helena, newly immigrated from England, was and still is an avid fan of soccer, and as such Greer’s earliest memories are of highlight videos featuring the likes of Gareth Bale and Lionel Messi. When he was old enough to play youth soccer, he took to the sport with surprising zeal. Though none of his youth teams won trophies, he still distinguished himself as a tenacious runner with deceptive awareness and a nose for the ball. In high school, he caught the attention of the national sports media when, during a mid-season match, he cleared the ball from his position at left back, then raced forward, somehow unmarked, to get onto the end of his own clearance, where he dribbled past a defender into the box and scored a goal. The official scorer, completely caught off guard, credited Greer with both a goal and an assist for the maneuver, and the young man’s effort landed at #7 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays later that week. As he neared graduation, multiple Division I schools offered him scholarships. Even a handful of European powerhouses (and also Arsenal) showed interest in signing the promising young left back/left winger. To the surprise of many, however, he turned them all down in favor of walking on at Sewanee University, on the grounds that it was close to home and he liked their mascot. He made an instant impact at Sewanee, turning the Tigers’ moribund program into a serious threat. His crowning achievement came in his junior year, when, as team captain, he led Sewanee to a conference championship and an incredible run in the NCAA Division III tournament, capped off with an assist in the Tigers’ 2-0 championship win over Amherst. Now, at the urging of his friends, family and coaches, Greer has decided to forego his final year of eligibility at Sewanee in favor of entering the SSL draft. Will this turn out to be a career-defining move, or is he flying too close to the sun? Only time will tell… (431 words) APPROVED

Oozeboy · 2023-09-28, 10:41 AM - Word count:

*Coming from my player’s point of view* I was born in the United States in the mid-early 90’s. My father was an American Football player and instilled the love of sports in me at an early age, although my dad’s love for American Football did not. Growing up I played just about everything but was not good at most, but I stuck with it because I liked it. (Mostly because my father knew nothing about it and couldn’t scold me). I stuck with playing soccer through high school but was not a stand-out. I played club in college with minor success, but when I graduated college, I had no future in the sport. I kept my head down and kept practicing. I was able to impress (as a prospect) but my age (almost 30) was a little daunting no one wanted to give an old rookie a chance. Then I remember it. I was competing in a tournament in a low-level league. I remember being down in the game 5-1 late, loser goes home. I saw the boys were exhausted and beaten, even though the game hadn’t ended yet. I told the boys how proud of them I was, and we’re not done yet. Long story short, I was able to rally the boys and we went back out there with some tenacity. Ultimately, we lost the game, but we got within one goal. It crushed me because my hopes of playing at a higher level were diminishing every day. I felt like hanging it up, but I was invited to a team tryout for a local team and that was the path I was able to take my career further, eventually signing with Stockholm IK. I know I’m an older guy around a lot of younger talent, but I believe I’ll be entering the league with a veteran mentality with a focus on teamwork and rallying the troops when things get out of hand. APPROVED

Puppy · 2023-10-11, 07:02 AM - Word count:

Zhihao Wang Biography Born in Qingdao, Zhihao grew up to in a typical Chinese family. From his early years, he displayed immense talent in the hobbies that interested him. Weiqi, ping-pong, and mathematics. While the latter was his least preference of the three, his parents latched onto it most, and pushed hard for him to use his academic abilities to acquire better schooling. With less and less time to pursue his ideal hobbies, he slowly settled into a life of academic success, late hours at school, and long nights of private tutoring. Despite the accolades his grades were earning him, Zhihao strived for something more, and during his time in middle school on a walk, he stumbled across his classmates playing soccer. The sport sparked something in his creative and competitive mindset enough to soon find the young boy kicking around a ball on his lunches and school breaks. For a few years of idly learning technique with the ball, Zhihao took a leap and signed up for the middle school soccer team without his parents’ consent. While unhappy at first, his parents quickly came around when Zhihao proved to be a natural on the pitch as well, and despite formal training, quickly became the star of his school’s team. The thrill of competition and outsmarting his opponents on the field quickly infected his young mind, and despite keeping image of an academic, soccer soon became his new #1 passion. Fast forward 4 years of dominating school and local youth leagues, and Zhihao was offered to play at the academy of Qingdao Hunaghai, a position he accepted with little thought. With his unique calculating approach, unorthodox technique, and passion for the thrill of the game, Zhihao was an academy standout from early on, and began drawing attention not just from the first team, but from scouts abroad as well. After successes at the Chinese rising stars tournament and a few training camps abroad, young Zhihao could see the path to professional soccer opening before his eyes. APPROVED

**Zoone16** · 2023-10-18, 01:52 PM - Word count:

Alessandro Del Pirlo was born in a small commune of Milan called Sesto San Giovanni an industrial area of the greater Milan and home to many immigrants to the greater city. It was in this area of town a small club called Pro Sesto 1913 that Alessandro Del Pirlo made his debut in the world of football (or soccer). With middling grades throughout his school life, it was clear that Del Pirlo was not suited for the classrooms and the academics world, so his parents, who both worked long hours to provide for the family, gambled on him and decided to place young Alessandro in a sports-studies program to give him the opportunity to do what he enjoyed best. At the age of 14, in a boarding school where half the day was studies and the other half was sports, Del Pirlo started to excel in both aspects of his life. Now surrounded by similar minds it was more than just surviving the day at school. It was besting his friends both on paper and on the pitch. By the time he was 15, he was considered one of the best Italian talents and several professional clubs had approached him (and his parents) to get him signed to their academy, something Del Pirlo’s parents weren’t so thrilled as they believed his education was more important. With a lot of discussions and convincing by all parties, they were eventually swayed that he could get his high school diploma before turning pro at 17. All there was now was to choose where to sign. Taking a good part of his 16th year on earth, Del Pirlo, his parents and his brand-new agent looked and analyzed every single offer on the table. As the media awaited with anticipation, already putting him in starting XIs across the country, the bombshell announcement came. “I will be joining the SSL and will be headed to the academy team in Stockholm” (324 words) APPROVED

Bartimaeus · 2023-10-22, 01:39 PM - Word count:

Word count: 390 Born as offspring to mythical giants or grown in a lab; the heritage of Rui Santiago Texeira was always unclear. Rui was reminded of this whilst heaving his socks as far up his calves as the already straining socks would allow, individual fibers stretching to breaking point. Satisfied with the effort Rui rose to turn to the mirror taped precariously to the back of the door and abruptly cracked his head on the ceiling. Rubbing his head, Rui sighed as he caught his hulking reflection. "XXXL, yeah right …” resigned Rui. Despite their valiant effort Rui’s groaning socks had barely made themselves halfway up his calves. To be fair to them, the shorts had hardly done much better but were at least saving his modesty … much to the disappointment of many of the local players' girlfriends who would attend matches. However, it was the shirt that was perhaps most embarrassing. ‘Bone-tight’ was perhaps a more appropriate term than the ‘skin-tight’ fit that many players in Rui’s high-school preferred, possibly to improve aerodynamics but more likely vain attempts to secure themselves a girlfriend. Throttling Rui’s arms and finishing halfway up his torso the local high-schools shirt more closely resembled a tank top worn by body-builders down at the muscle beach in Rio. Out here in the favela’s though Rui stuck out like a sore thumb. “Rui - Ru!” came the shrill cries of his aunt Maria in the next room having just burst through the door. “Where are you?!” Normally keen to avoid the unnecessary attention of his aunt prior to a match, Rui could sense an unusual urgency in his Aunt’s voice. Cautiously Rui pushed the door open to the shared living room come kitchen come entertaining space of the favela hut. Due to the haphazard construction of the hut the ceiling of this room was higher than his bedroom and allowed Rui to fully stand up, dwarfing the doorframe from which he had just emerged. “H- h- have you seen this …” stuttered Maria staring in disbelief at the piece of paper in her hands. “What is it Maria?” asked Rui, lumbering closer to the dumfounded Maria. As Rui got closer he made out the brightly coloured crest of Atletico Medellin on the thicker than usual paper. Maria turned, tears of joy glistening in her wide eyes. “It’s your ticket out of here baby boy!” APPROVED

Oozegirl · 2023-11-22, 08:35 PM - Word count:

Neslihan Genckal is from Turkey and the sport is really big there as is the case with all the rest of Europe. Her grandfather, being a huge soccer fan and a retired soccer referee, influenced her to go after her dreams of being a soccer player. Having met with her grandfather's friends and the soccer players that he had trained and influenced back at the time, she grew a confidence in herself that she can succeed in the sport. Neslihan started playing soccer at a very young age. First, she started playing with friends from school and her neighborhood. After she was sure that she wanted to get in a team for soccer, she joined the local team Antalyaspor's youth squad. She played there for a couple of years during her middle school years. She had to leave the team for personal reasons when she proceeded to high school. During her break from soccer, she focused on playing basketball and running half marathons with friends. She wanted to go back to soccer in her sophomore year in high school. It didn't take long until she remembered her soccer skills and how much she loved the sport. She went back to the local team and started playing soccer again until she graduated from high school. She had to leave the team once again, because she had to move to another city for college and couldn't play again until she graduated from college, because she wanted to put all of her effort into her studies. This time, she stayed fit by training for and running marathons. Having graduated from the school and wanting to go back to playing soccer for a team, she started to train again, this time including the soccer based practices as well as running. She wanted to have an adventure in life and move to a different country, which is what took her to US. This time, she wanted to take soccer more seriously and talked to a couple of teams. She was told that she was a good runner and with her skillset it shouldn't be too hard to be an important player for a team in a couple of years. She decided to take it to the professional level. APPROVED

LachlanisA · 2023-11-30, 06:09 PM - Word count:

In the heart of Western Sydney, where the cityscape seamlessly blends into the tapestry of urban life, lived a boy named Lachlan Martinez. Raised in humble surroundings, his childhood was marked by simple joys and the camaraderie of his tight-knit community. Growing up, Lachlan had never played soccer, and the sport seemed like a distant echo in his life. It wasn't until his last year of high school, at the age of 17, that Lachlan's journey took an unexpected turn. In a serendipitous encounter, he crossed paths with a fellow student named Alex Bennett, a passionate soccer enthusiast who had been playing the sport since he could remember. Alex, noticing Lachlan's curiosity, invited him to join a casual game with friends after school. Reluctant at first, Lachlan decided to give soccer a chance, lacing up a pair of borrowed boots and stepping onto the dusty field. Little did he know that this impromptu decision would alter the course of his life. As the game unfolded, Lachlan discovered a latent talent within himself, a natural ability to maneuver the ball with an innate grace that surprised everyone, including himself. Encouraged by the positive response from his friends, Lachlan continued to explore this newfound passion. With each passing day, he dedicated himself to learning the intricacies of the sport, honing his skills in the dusty alleys and open fields of Western Sydney. Soccer became more than just a game for Lachlan; it became a calling that resonated deep within him. In a matter of weeks, Lachlan's transformation was nothing short of remarkable. His commitment and dedication caught the attention of his school's soccer team, and he soon found himself playing in organized matches. Despite being a novice, Lachlan's raw talent and determination shone through, leaving spectators in awe. It was during his third official game that fate intervened in the form of a local soccer scout named David Anderson. David, attending the match to scout potential talents for the prestigious Simulation Soccer League, couldn't help but be captivated by Lachlan's prowess on the field. The young boy from Western Sydney, who hadn't kicked a soccer ball until a few months ago, had become a standout player in just a short span. After the game, David approached Lachlan with an offer that would change his life forever. The scout saw potential in Lachlan's untapped talent and invited him to join the SSL academy, a stepping stone to professional soccer. Overwhelmed with gratitude and excitement, Lachlan accepted the offer, ready to embark on a journey that transcended his wildest dreams. Now, within the confines of the SSL academy, Lachlan faced new challenges and higher expectations. The transition from a humble upbringing to the structured environment of a soccer academy wasn't easy, but Lachlan's determination remained unshaken. Day in and day out, he trained tirelessly, pushing himself beyond limits he never knew existed. As the still-youngster navigates the demanding path towards professional soccer, he carries with him the dreams of a community that believed in his potential when he himself doubted it. Lachlan Martinez, the boy from Western Sydney, is on a quest to achieve something he once deemed impossible – to rise from the academy ranks and become a professional soccer player, a testament to the transformative power of passion and perseverance. APPROVED PS - You apparently used AI to write. Please, don't do that.

Valpix · 2023-12-05, 02:13 AM - Word count:

Stara Zagora. The sixth largest city in Bulgaria behind Sofia, Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, and Ruse. Capital of the Stara Zagora province. Home of the largest coal producer in the nation in Maritsa Istok, and the largest brewery in Zagorka. It's not exactly a city known for being a footballing powerhouse. The hometown club, PFC Beroe (a reference to an old city name), last won the league in the 1980s, with the country still locked behind the Iron Curtain. A decade before that, the team had its best run in Europe, reaching the quarterfinal of the 1974 Cup Winners' Cup before falling to East German side Magdeburg. But it was here, on the Thracian plains of southeast Bulgaria, that two twins were born, to parents Aleksandar and Nadezhda. Their parents weren't footballers. Aleksandar worked at the coal plant, and Nadezhda was a stay-at-home mom. Very humble beginnings. But the siblings, Lyubomir and Ljubica, fell in love with football immediately. They started playing the minute they were old enough, they attended plenty of PFC Beroe games, and they frequently played together. Their play styles complemented each other rather well. Lyubomir was a deadly offensive force. A clinical goal scorer with a burst of pace that frequently caught defenders napping. His youth coaches were constantly in awe of his clinical finishing and his work ethic. Ljubica, on the other hand, did the stuff he didn't do. Many of his bursts of pace were to latch onto crosses from his sister, who was also able to torch opponents on the dribble and lock down attacking wingers. They won plenty of youth tournaments working together. As they got older and separated into gender-segregated teams, their games remained the same. Lyubomir entered the Beroe youth teams and quickly worked his way to stardom. Ljubica entered their women's youth wing, but when the first team folded, she saw a new opportunity. The SSL was open to all genders and was quickly gathering attention for its worldwide tour. Instead of playing out her career with Lokomotiv, the phoenix club that replaced Beroe, she elected to enter the academy program and starred in the academy for Stockholm. And now...the draft awaits her. (Lyubomir is a player I had on my FM22 Bohemians save. In this canon, he is the twin brother of Ljubica.) APPROVED P.S. - Got a friend who has family in Beroe, hope you did well with them!

Parriyah · (This post was last modified: 2024-01-18, 04:31 PM by Thunfish.)

Misagh Khabiri, a remarkable young talent in the world of football, was born on December 25th, 2001, in Tehran, Iran. Despite a late start to his football journey, Misagh's passion, determination, and natural abilities quickly propelled him to prominence as a skilled shot stopper. Growing up in a modest family, Misagh was introduced to football at a young age but never pursued it seriously until later in his teenage years. At 19, he made the decision to fully commit himself to the sport, recognizing his innate talent and the potential it held. With his family's support, he began training rigorously, determined to make up for lost time and achieve his dreams. Local scouts took note of Khabiri, but ultimately no one wanted him due to his age and the fact he's a late starter, thinking he won't reach his full potential by the time a teenager who started as a kid would. Khabiri, with all that still wanted to pursue the career of being a professional football player so he made a decision and with his family's support, moved to Sweden to put himself in a better situation, when it comes to pursuing a football career. After playing in local parks for fun with some people, a member of IFK Eskilstuna's B team took note of Khabiri and recommended him to come abroad, and Misagh couldn't refuse such an incredible opportunity. Khabiri would help them get promoted to the first division of sweden, and kept them from being relegated back down with incredible performances that the team could not be anymore grateful for. After gaining some pro experience under his belt, he had to make another rash decision but believed it would pay off, as he would travel to the United States and put his name as an academy member of the SSL. With a solid resume to start, he was accepted into the academy and now eagerly awaits for when a team will come knocking in need of his talents. Until then, Misagh will be in the gym every day working hard on his skills as the shot stopper that his future team will need.

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