More Than A Game : How Football Shaped My Life - Basith Ibrahim Bava

Football has been a part of my life since my 9th standard. It became a passion for me when I watched football matches, and I was attracted to Cristiano Ronaldo. I started watching Cristiano's lifestyle videos, which made football a passion and my profession. 

I started playing football on the streets when I was in 6th standard. After two years, I learned about the rules and regulations of football. Now, I have entered the field of professional football and consulted many coaches for training. One of my closest friends invited me to train under the guidance of his coach Javed. Through consistency and hard work, I managed to join the Panampilly Football Sports Council.

After joining the Panampilly Sports Council I continued to work consistently and as a result, I played at the district level, securing the second runner-up position. My greatest achievement was getting a selfie and a conversation with I. M. Vijayan. After that, I entered the senior-level college football team and am still aspiring to push beyond my limits.

My passion for joining the Indian football team remains unfulfilled, but I will do my best to achieve it, just as I did for my previous milestones. It is not talent that brought me here but hard work and consistency. I am a firm believer that I can achieve anything under the sun through hard work and consistency.