A one-armed teenage footballer has made his professional debut in a Colombian league match
Lorenzo Orellana, who was born with the physical defect, came on as a second-half substitute during La Uniautonoma's 1-1 draw with FC Junior in the Baranquilla derby.
Speaking ahead of the game, Orellana said: “I have always said that I was born this way for a reason. I have always accepted myself like I am, which is why it doesn’t bother me that they [his team-mates] call me shortarm. I have no kind of complexes.
“[The loss of] my forearm was from birth and as such, my body has compensated for not having that limb from the beginning. I can move as easily as any other able bodied player.
"Nothing stops me performing in a natural way. It’s very easy to lose your hope which is why I never stopped in the search for my dreams: playing football and completing a university degree.”
However, despite defying the odds to make a professional appearance, the 16-year-old returned home after the match to be greeted by some terrible news - his best friend and neighbour had died.
“I couldn’t tell him how I did [in the match],” he wrote on his Facebook page. “Who’s going to come and watch la U [La Uniautonoma] with me when I’m not selected? Who will say goodbye to me in the mornings like you did?”
0 comments:
Post a Comment