There is a very good reason why athletes are loved around the world. Let’s face it; these professionals are living their dreams. They are paid huge amounts of money to play the sports they love and are also constantly under the scrutiny of the media. They have it all, money, respect and above all, they have fame which most celebrities can only dream about. A number of the most followed people on social media platforms are athletes. For instance, Lionel Messi has millions of followers on his Instagram account and these numbers just keep increasing.
However, these athletes did not become overnight successes. They had to shed their blood, sweat and tears to get where they are today. Most of these athletes were provided their first breaks form nonprofit organizations such the Premier Players Sports Foundation. This is a charitable organization which was founded in 2004; it offer numerous player awards to help fund its mission to help kids play sports. But not every athlete was lucky enough to get help on their way to achieving their goals. Here’s a list of the most inspiring athletes who went rag to riches.
Paul Scholes
Paul Scholes is a legendary soccer player who has an extensive list of accolades to his name. He has won English Premier League numerous times and has also won the prestigious champions league. However, life was not always sunshine and rainbows for the midfield maestro. In his autobiography, Scholes stated that when he first got an opportunity for an audition, he didn’t even have enough money to pay for new cleats. Now after a fantastic career, he is a sports pundit for Sky Sports.
Usain Bolt
Usain bolt or more commonly known as the fastest man on the planet is another athlete who completely turned his life around. Bolt has broken countless world records and has numerous gold medals under his belt. However, he was not blessed with the top training facilities or equipment and had to train himself.
Lionel Messi
Another soccer icon who started small and is now on the top is Lionel Messi. He was initially diagnosed with a growth deterring condition and was told that he could never endure the intense physicality of professional soccer games. However, his talent proved everyone wrong as he was soon signed by Barcelona. The rest is history.
Dwayne Johnson
Yes, you read that right; The Rock was not born with all of the luxuries he has in his life now. He is a former pro wrestling athlete and is now one of the highest paid actors in the world. He started his career as a wrestler and did not even have enough money to pay his rent. He was slowly losing everything and the only thing that kept him going was his dream of becoming a professional wrestler. Now the rock is a common household name as everyone loves the people’s champ.
These are just a few stories of the many different athletes who started small and are now on top of the world.