My mother and father came from working-class environments, and we were a working-class family. My father constantly worked night shifts, and at weekends he took the team I played for. My mother was always around, and also worked two or three jobs just to look after my sister and me. She had a work ethic to look after a family and do the very best for us, like all mothers have, he went on.
"I wanted to go out and enjoy my time with my friends and having a night out," Rooney told former United team mate Rio Ferdinand. "It got to a point where I went too far, of course it did. That was a moment in my life where I was struggling massively with alcohol. Massively struggling and I didn't think I could turn to anyone. I didn't really want to because I didn't want to put that burden on anyone."
In the final moments before Saturday's match, Tyrhys Dolan will pick up his phone and look at the photo of Jeremy Wisten, the best friend for whom he would give it all up. He will touch the No 24 on his shirt, chosen to commemorate the day Jeremy died, aged 18. And then he will head out to where it all comes to him and it all leaves him too. I feel nervous every game, Dolan says, but when I'm walking though the tunnel it's like it's all dropping off me, the shackles fall. All the graft, everything you gave to get here, this is it, now you're free.
"In December 2020, I got on FaceTime with [my mum], and I was sobbing. I was at my flat in Brighton, and she was back home in Buenos Aires. I had lost my head."
Lamine is so young, he can enjoy the life. He has to enjoy the life because everything, not only in football, but outside of it, is in front of him. Of course, that will be also a tough moment for him, how to handle it, all things around him. For sure, that will be not easy but he has to also enjoy everything.
"When you're doing what you love to do, you want to honor the game by being great, not in an arrogant way but in a way to show respect and gratitude for all those who came before you."
I made a decision and I listened to my heart. Santos is not just my team, it's my home, my roots, my history and my life. Here I was a boy who became a man, and I am truly loved. Here I can be myself, truly happy. This is where I want to fulfil the dreams that are missing in my career. And nothing's going to stop me.
Jefferson Louis's football journey is remarkable, stretching from his debut in 1996 until his final transfer in 2025, showcasing his resilience and adaptability throughout many club changes.
