At Mexico 70, Pele was at his best, but he infamously missed a goal after literarily dribbling and undressing the keeper during the semi-final match against Uruguay.
Roberto Baggio still remains one of Italy’s best players, but during USA 94, he missed the very last penalty during the final match between Italy and Brazil. His miss gifted Brazil the World Cup.
During the game against South Korea at the South Africa 2010 World Cup, Yakubu Aiyegbeni missed what could be described as one of the easiest goals of the tournament. It became one of the greatest misses in football history.
Yet, Pele was the best player ever to have played the round leather game. He scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for most career goals scored in football. He won three World Cups and is the only player yet to do so in history.
Roberto Baggio was named the World Player of the Year in 1993 and also won the Ballon d’Or. He is the only Italian ever to have scored in three World Cups. In 2002, he became the first Italian player in over 50 years to score more than 300 career goals.
Don't let a single missed opportunity define you. Success is not about never missing; it’s about never quitting after you do. Share on XYakubu Aiyegbeni is the second-highest African goal scorer in the English Premier League history with 96 goals. He is the third-highest goal scorer for the Nigerian national team. Yakubu’s 28 goals make him Portsmouth’s highest ever scorer in the Premier League.
David made a mistake by committing adultery. He even followed it up with murder. God judged him for his sins; and with a repentant heart, he went on to achieve greater things for God.
God was so impressed with David that He promised him that he would not lack a successor on the throne. In fact, many of the most important things in Scripture are named after David—the throne of David, the sure mercies of David, the key of David, and the root of David.
Don’t be too hard on yourself for a missed opportunity. Don’t crucify yourself for failing at a specific assignment. A single event of failure does not define who you are or what you can do.
A mistake is just an opportunity to get it right and better again. Get up and kick the ball again because even the best players sometimes miss goals. You will make history.
Bible Reading: Proverbs 24
Prayer: Father, help me to rise up each time I fall. I refuse to give in to discouragement. I will hug the headlines, and I will make history; in Jesus’ Name.
(Extracts from Champions Football Devotional written by Bayo Adeyinka and Paago Aleele, 2014)
Thank you so much for this beautiful reflection Sir