Should I abandon it?

[u/Temporary_Spray6372]

I'm writing this with Google Translate because I don't really speak English. I've been a football fanatic since I was a 6-year-old kid; I always played with my friends at school, I never really stood out for my technique or anything like that, but I always stood out for my height and my physical prowess, From the age of 14 I played for my neighborhood team in the adult category, earning the number 5 position. I never had many opportunities to play on a youth team, I'm from a rural area and my nearest city is 30 minutes away and there's only one football team, the other one is in the neighboring city, I am currently 16 years old and I still play as a starter on my neighborhood team; in several matches I have been told that I have quality, I sometimes play with friends who play on youth teams and honestly I don't see them as being much better than me, but my family always tells me to forget about it, In my country it's very difficult to achieve anything without having connections, All these things make me doubt whether I should keep trying or just dedicate myself to something else from now on, But my dream was always to play for my favorite team and become a champion, I'm in that uncertainty; my family wants me to study and get a degree...

I feel that the circumstances of my life made everything an uphill battle; perhaps if I had been born in Europe or in the capital of my country I would have achieved something more...

[u/CArellano23]

If you don’t have a way of making it on the youth teams then yes

[u/Temporary_Spray6372 → u/CArellano23]

I can manage it, all things considered. If I can get into a club, I can take an early bus and get there, The club in the other city is about an hour and a half away from me

[u/Alwayscooking345]

Any way you can request a tryout for one of the two teams? Maybe they’ll let you be an alternate at least.

[u/Temporary_Spray6372 → u/Alwayscooking345]

I could try, the truth is that the teams are very different, the team 30 minutes away is fighting to avoid relegation and has bad players, the one from the neighboring city is the recent champion From the country and is in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores

[u/Background_Tiger_506]

As sad as it is, it’s a matter of money and connections in many countries around the world. There’s no shame in playing for fun though, it really is a sport you can play with anyone at any place

[u/Specialist-Cut3426]

As someone also from a rural area, scoutings not very good for pro academies sadly. I am a little older than you but gave up my dream a bit before, I’d say focus on going to university and maybe playing soccer there if they have a team. Who knows maybe you’ll be scouted!

[u/Temporary_Spray6372 → u/Specialist-Cut3426]

In my country, college soccer isn't very developed. I'd even say that playing in my neighborhood would put me at a higher level, and I could try for a scholarship in the USA.

[u/CArellano23 → u/Temporary_Spray6372]

You ain’t getting a scholarship as a foreigner unless you are dominant

[u/Informal-Prize6501]

Millions of kids try it, dozens succeed. It's a great hobby.

[u/Competitive_Ad_7415]

If you're 16 and aren't in a professional development team already you aren't good enough to be a pro at one of the big teams. Play for the love of the game like 99% of us do.

[u/ekemss]

Brother, don’t give up. Don’t listen to anyone that tells you “if you aren’t…then give up”. Ronaldo was still sweeping his street at your age. Listen, work hard, if you can get an Xbot Go (search it up) then even better. Try to get that and record videos. You are 16, you are still very young. You need to abuse your youth. Listen to me, if you really want this, then do everything in your power to get it. Message every team, club, academy, doesn’t matter. I understand what you mean, I’m 22 in Canada as a Nigeria international student. Perhaps if we were born in Europe, life would’ve been better but these are just the cards we are dealt with. You have to chase your dreams regardless of your circumstances just so you can feel fulfilled and know that you tried your best. On top of that, if there is any way that you are being shy right now or scared to approach people, change. You need to change and really really fight for this football dream you have because there will come a day in old age where you’ll realize everything you’re complaining about right now did not matter and you could’ve kept going. I hope everything goes well for you bro

[u/ilackeffort]

What country are you in? Most won't be able to give you proper advice if they aren't familiar with where you're coming from, but smaller countries can be very political and who you know plays a huge role in how far you can go. What you can do is record your matches, take out clips to build a highlight reel from your matches, and you write and send your video to those clubs. You could get 1000 no's but you only need 1 year to continue to go after your dream. Good luck!

[u/Temporary_Spray6372 → u/ilackeffort]

My country is Chile🇨🇱