Athletic Club defender Dani Vivian attended an event organised by Gazte Change last week, which was part of their action for the World Day of Infancy and Adolescence, where he was asked to speak about success. The 24-year-old defender gave an inspiring speech about what reaching his goals and achieving his dreams meant to him.
Vivian, who won his place in the Athletic first team two seasons ago, has become a regular for Athletic, starting every game this season. But he admitted that he goes through plenty of ups and downs throughout the season, every season.
“I’m there but there have been very hard days. What I am talking to you is not about a day, nor a week, nor a month. I am talking about many seasons, but a season is very long and in that season you have all the sensations, from the best to the worst, you suffer and you get angry. There are many days when you are broken, but those days when you are broken and you have something to do, that day when you don’t want to do it because you can’t do it anymore, you do it. Another day when you are in the same situation again, you do it again. Because I am fighting for my dreams and no one can stop me.”
The speech lasted for around five minutes, and he finished it with a quote from Nelson Mandela, as noted by ED.
“There is a quote from Nelson Mandela that says ‘I am the master of my destiny, I am the captain of my soul’ and for me the path is as important as the destination and yes, of course I have dreams but I try to have real dreams, not fleeting dreams and how do I get to those dreams, weññ through day to day work, through the journey.”
Vivian’s words go to show the remarkable dedication of an elite athlete these days for both good and bad. The giant central defender is just 24, but speaks as if he has years of experience doing his job, a result of the fact that for footballers, many are dealing with professional pressures throughout their teenagehood. The rewards are incredible, and lucrative, but the sacrifice behind it is the part seen least often by the general public.
