By Daily Sports on September 27, 2018

One important demographic in the rise of every grassroots footballer who becomes a successful professional is the youth coaches of these players. They are the ones who exude passion, fidelity, trust and compassion towards the young players in their care as they endure mockery and doubts from many in their bid to nurture kids to become something great in life through the avenue of football.

While many players, for one reason or the other, do not go on to the professional level,  some do. And it is remarkable to see successful professional footballers continue to speak publicly in good terms about the sacrifices made by their grassroots mentors in making them great, years after they have turned pro.

That’s what English Premier League player Isaac Success of Watford FC has just done for Douglas Idahosa, the youth coach who nurtured him to the big stage of football.

In a Facebook post with the picture of Mr Idahosa, Success wrote: “Thank you for believing in me and taking me out from the street to your house where I was able to focus more on football God bless you sir aka world Coach. “

It is a short message but a powerful one. It’s one that speaks to the virtuosity of Idahosa in taking talented footballers who were from, to put it mildly, economically challenged backgrounds and providing shelter and food for them in order that they more fully concentrate in their sporting activities.

Idahosa once told me: “When players are bothered by hunger and the worries of what to eat, they usually are not able to do their best. That's why I provide these players with shelter and make sure they are not bothered about food, and so they can think more about their football and how they can improve.”

There’s something that can be said about these acts of philanthropy being motivated by self-serving desire. But making yourself great by making others so is a good thing after all.

The Facebook post also is a Testament of the genuineness and longevity of the appreciative heart of Success. Success showed a huge dose of loyalty to Idahosa in 2013 when his star was just starting to shine, around the period when he was making appearances for the under 17 National team, the Golden Eaglets.

A number of people circled then to lure him to dump Douglas Idahosa-owned BJ Foundation Club and sign for them with an eye on the huge sign on fees they could make from his transfer to a European club.

Some came with loads of money and reportedly approached the mother of the then teenage Success to convince his son to agree to their desire of having him come under their management. But the young man stood firm and made sure that the likes of Douglas Idahosa reaped well from where they sowed when he was transferred to Udinese in 2013.

That loyalty is still very much alive and kicking.

Today Douglas is cooling off in America, a happy man. He responded to Success tribute on Facebook by commenting: “WorldCoach is very happy to produce a great player like you. Among many You remain my true Son Forever.”

•Photo shows Isaac Success and coach Douglas Idahosa while the former was with Granada of Spain.

Source Daily Sports

Posted September 27, 2018

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