'I WANT TO INSPIRE GENERATIONS AT THE QATAR WORLD CUP'

MLS_YOUNG PLAYER OF THE YEAR HOPES TO BE THE KIND OF LEADER 7 ASPIRING SOCCER PLAYERS LOOK UP TO

- Jesús Ferreira

I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A SOCCER player, but there was a pivotal moment when I was 5 years old and saw soccer fans in Brazil cheering for my dad, David Ferreira, who was playing for the club Atlético Paranaense in 2005. During winning matches, the Brazilian soccer supporters would celebrate like the team had won the World Cup. But when the team lost, it felt like the world was going to end. Seeing how much a soccer player could impact a human being is what made me want to do this as a career.

Watching my dad play football was special; I looked up to him and he inspired me. My father did a lot of great things when he played for FC Dallas in 2009. He also played for Colombia in a World Cup qualifier, but not the tournament.

When a family plays sports, there's often competition. I always try to beat my father, because it's exciting for our family when we speak about what we've accomplished. I hope my younger brothers will one day accomplish more than me.

My First Professional Game

I HAD TO WORK VERY HARD TO BREAK into the world of soccer. I made my professional debut at the age of 16 for FC Dallas, coming onto the pitch in the 71st minute of a match against Real Salt Lake in 2017.

During that game, there were players on the roster who had played with my dad and players who helped me when I first started out as a soccer player.

In the match, my teammate Víctor Ulloa came up to me and said, “Be ready because this might be the game that you come in.” Of course, I was panicking, because I had been on the roster for a few games, but had only watched from the sidelines.