Anyone who knows me personally is well aware of my lack of interest, knowledge and ability in anything sports related. I was always the kid in PE running 20 paces behind the slowest kid in the class. Until recently, I thought that ping-pong and table tennis were the same thing (go on, Google it). And I still don’t know what “off side” really means. I watch the exciting sports matches, like tennis grand slam finals, World Cup finals, etc., but I’ve never sat down and watched multiple matches of a major sports tournament.

This year, however, I decided to watch almost all of the 2018 FIFA World Cup^TM matches. This was a drastic change from my usual schedule of watching Drew Barrymore rom-coms on Netflix while simultaneously complaining that nobody would go on five dates with me, let alone fifty (that’s an entire article on its own).

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed watching a football match, and how quickly 90 minutes passes. The professional football players’ skills were unbelievable. Goals were being scored from over 20 metres away. Players were using their feet, knees, chest—even their head—to score fabulous goals. Accuracy, speed, agility, and teamwork all came together to help teams secure victory.

At first I thought that some of the players were being a little bit dramatic during matches. Surely one doesn’t need to clutch their knee in agony when it was their foot that was impacted. I noticed that Brazil’s star player, Neymar Jr., was often falling to the ground and feigning excruciating pain in order to claim a foul. I noticed that other players did it too.

I watched closely. I inspected the players faces and noticed something that I hadn’t noticed before. They’re giving it everything they’ve got, I thought. That’s how committed they are to their team, their country and to the game. They would cry foul (knowing full well that it probably wasn’t) in order to advantage their team. I’m not saying that it’s the most ethical thing to do, but they were doing it for a cause greater than themselves.

I’ve never really seen anyone give their all before, but that’s exactly what these players were doing. Even when there was no hope for a team to win or qualify to the next round, they kept going. Even when they were already eliminated from the tournament, they kept running, jumping, defending. With sweat trickling down their faces and blurring their vision, lungs burning and knees aching –they kept going.

I wondered where they got their strength from. Did it stem from knowing that the entire world was watching them? The pressure of playing for their country? Even then, some teams that had already qualified to the next round (or teams that were already eliminated) could have just played “good enough.” They didn’t have to go ALL out. But that’s exactly what they did. Where did that strength and resilience come from?

“If football has taught me anything it is that you can overcome anything if, and only if, you love something enough.” – Lionel Messi

Many teams didn’t make it through to the Round of 16. Their heartbreak was evident. Players were kneeling on the field, with tears streaming down their cheeks. Four years. They waited four years to be here. Some waited even longer. Four years of training, practising, travelling. And in a couple of matches, they were out.

I imagined what it would be like to wait four years to have something, only to see it vanish before my eyes. That would be devastating. Yet, unlike a lot of people, these players would still try another four years to return to the World Cup and make their dream a reality. Maybe even four more years after that.

I put myself in their shoes (boots?). If I made it to my final year of college, and was told that my degree was invalid and that I had to study another four years to get my degree again, would I do it? Heck, I’d probably book a ticket to the Bermuda Triangle. These footballers weren’t like that, though. Sure, after losing a game, they’re absolutely crushed. Yet they still shake their opponent’s hand, wave to the crowd, sign autographs. They still…keep moving. And this doesn’t just go for footballers. It goes for many athletes and sportspeople. They lose but they’re never defeated.

Watching the 2018 FIFA World Cup^TM made me realise just how determined and committed human beings can be when it comes to their dreams. That the only true failure is the one who never tries. It taught me about resilience, about giving everything you have and then some, and about moving forward. Even when we feel defeated, we should never stop trying to finish what we started. After all – it’s not over until full time.