2024-10-26, 05:22 PM - Word count:
Adjustments these days are coming fast and frequent for George Shaheen.
When the Academy called, he uprooted himself from his family and life in Lebanon to literally travel halfway around the world to Medellin, Colombia – a place he did not even know existed before the Academy called.
The trip alone brought more change in a 24-hour span that Shaheen had imagined he would experience in a lifetime. The flight from Beirut was more than 11,500 kilometers; more than 7,000 miles. It took nearly 13 hours in flight from departure to arrival. And once he arrived, everything was different.
He had to adjust to the language. Shaheen knew only how to say “hello” in Spanish. And his entry to the academy did not come with an interpreter. Trying to find the words necessary to make his way from the airport to his hotel on that first day had been an adventure.
He had to adjust to the food. Middle Eastern food bears almost no resemblance to the Colombian fare. Gone were the comforts of the comfort food of home. In most cases, he had to resort to simply looking at what others had on their plates, pointing to that food, and then pointing to himself to place an order. And even then, it was a roll of the dice as to whether the spice level was something he could withstand.
He had to adjust to the climate. Sure, it was mostly warm in both places, but the humidity of Colombia was like nothing he had ever felt. He sweat constantly and through his clothes until he learned what clothes would wick the moisture away without fully bleeding through and embarrassing him. He also found the air harder and heavier to breath, which affected his endurance on the pitch.
And on the pitch, he is still adjusting. To this new level of competition. Talent the likes of which he has never faced before.
Shaheen had always been the best, biggest and brightest when he played this beautiful game. While playing in various circuits in Lebanon, he had earned a reputation as a physical wall who applied relentless pressure. Strikers feared to approach him, but he was always there lurking in the middle of the teeth of his team’s defensive formation. His name was known across the country. He was the pride of the nation and one of the mainstays of its international team.
In the Academy, however, he stands out only when he’s being beaten. And that has happened more frequently in just this first season than Shaheen recalls it happening in his entire career in Lebanon. It’s not something he is comfortable with.
But Shaheen IS adjusting. To the speed of the game. To the athleticism of the players. To the tendencies of his teammates. To the tactics. His feel is coming, and with it his confidence grows.
He is now second in the Academy with 6 shots blocked. He has 40 progressive passes and 13 successful pressures out of 41 attempted for a press percentage of 31.71 percent. Those numbers aren’t league leading. They aren’t top 10. But they are rising.
And as Shaheen continues to make necessary adjustments to this new life in Colombia and to this new professional career, for which the Academy is only the beginning, those numbers will only climb. As will his renown.
When the Academy called, he uprooted himself from his family and life in Lebanon to literally travel halfway around the world to Medellin, Colombia – a place he did not even know existed before the Academy called.
The trip alone brought more change in a 24-hour span that Shaheen had imagined he would experience in a lifetime. The flight from Beirut was more than 11,500 kilometers; more than 7,000 miles. It took nearly 13 hours in flight from departure to arrival. And once he arrived, everything was different.
He had to adjust to the language. Shaheen knew only how to say “hello” in Spanish. And his entry to the academy did not come with an interpreter. Trying to find the words necessary to make his way from the airport to his hotel on that first day had been an adventure.
He had to adjust to the food. Middle Eastern food bears almost no resemblance to the Colombian fare. Gone were the comforts of the comfort food of home. In most cases, he had to resort to simply looking at what others had on their plates, pointing to that food, and then pointing to himself to place an order. And even then, it was a roll of the dice as to whether the spice level was something he could withstand.
He had to adjust to the climate. Sure, it was mostly warm in both places, but the humidity of Colombia was like nothing he had ever felt. He sweat constantly and through his clothes until he learned what clothes would wick the moisture away without fully bleeding through and embarrassing him. He also found the air harder and heavier to breath, which affected his endurance on the pitch.
And on the pitch, he is still adjusting. To this new level of competition. Talent the likes of which he has never faced before.
Shaheen had always been the best, biggest and brightest when he played this beautiful game. While playing in various circuits in Lebanon, he had earned a reputation as a physical wall who applied relentless pressure. Strikers feared to approach him, but he was always there lurking in the middle of the teeth of his team’s defensive formation. His name was known across the country. He was the pride of the nation and one of the mainstays of its international team.
In the Academy, however, he stands out only when he’s being beaten. And that has happened more frequently in just this first season than Shaheen recalls it happening in his entire career in Lebanon. It’s not something he is comfortable with.
But Shaheen IS adjusting. To the speed of the game. To the athleticism of the players. To the tendencies of his teammates. To the tactics. His feel is coming, and with it his confidence grows.
He is now second in the Academy with 6 shots blocked. He has 40 progressive passes and 13 successful pressures out of 41 attempted for a press percentage of 31.71 percent. Those numbers aren’t league leading. They aren’t top 10. But they are rising.
And as Shaheen continues to make necessary adjustments to this new life in Colombia and to this new professional career, for which the Academy is only the beginning, those numbers will only climb. As will his renown.
