As a young footballer / soccer player Ronaldinho was told to stop dribbling so much and he needed to be more serious if he wanted to make it as a professional. Funny to look back on that and see how far Ronaldinho got as a soccer player – as in the best player in the world.
Ronaldinho used that as motivation and always remembered to play the game with joy. In a sense, Ronaldinho never grew up. He always played like a kid in the streets and he remembered that: creativity will take you further than calculation. Never forget why you play soccer and what you love about it. Stick to that. Do things on the soccer field that bring you joy because it will always bring you success if you work hard.
There are always going to be soccer coaches who tell you don’t do this or that or cut you from the team or sit you on the bench. Don’t get upset, rather, use it as motivation to get better and work harder.
Do what Ronaldinho did as a young player.
Not everyone is going to believe in you, especially with the way you play.
There will be some coaches — alright, one in particular — who will tell you not to play the way you do. He will think you need to be more serious, that you need to stop dribbling so much. “You’ll never in your life make it as a footballer,” he’ll say.
Use those words as motivation. Use them to keep you focused. And then think about the players who did play the game beautifully — Dener, Maradona, Ronaldo.
Think about what Dad said, to play free and to just play with the ball. Play with joy. This is something that many coaches will not understand, but when you are on the pitch, you will never calculate.
Everything will come naturally. Before you have time to think, your feet have already made a decision.
Creativity will take you further than calculation.