Twice, football has tried to take him abroad. Once he said no himself. Once the world said no for him. Both are worth remembering — because neither was really a failure.
Germany, and a no we're proud of
In early 2025, he trialled for DFI Germany at U-8 — and was selected. We wanted to at least explore what it was, and eventually got invited to meet and talk it through (more detail to come).
His own read on it was the surprise. He felt it was too early — let's wait, he said; if he's still playing and still loves the game, maybe next year. An eight-year-old choosing patience over a shiny invitation told us more than the invitation itself did. If anything, it made us trust the whole thing more, not less. We decided to keep training that year and let it come to him.
Poland, and a no the world made
Then came the Smoka Cup in Kraków — his first shot at real European grassroots football. The hopes were high, and the preparation was real: months of training, the Coco Cup deliberately used to help the boys gel, the visa-and-documents checklist worked through, the appointment confirmed.
And then the Iran–US tensions flared, and travelling into that uncertainty stopped making sense. Collectively, the parents decided not to go. The tournament was called off for us before it began — but the preparation happened, the learning happened, and that's why it still sits on the record rather than being quietly deleted.
Two trips abroad that never happened, and neither one wasted. Sometimes the most telling moments in a young career are the ones where the answer was no.