Adewole: Little Ronaldo who inspires coach

The most common thing about athlete-coaches relationships is the latter helping the former to actualise their dreams.

Conversely, athletes also make the dreams of their coaches come true, not necessarily until they become superstars.

The story of 13-year-old Kareem Adewole of White Soccer Temple Academy in Alimosho, Lagos, and his coach, Gbenga Oluwole, is a perfect example of the above scenario.

Four years ago, when the entire country was on lockdown due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adewole, who was just nine years old then, was taking personal football training under Oluwole.

Perhaps because schools were also shut, Adewole did nothing but play football during the lockdown, and what started as personal training inspired coach Oluwole to start White Soccer Temple Academy when the situation was relaxed.

“He was my first ever player in White Soccer Temple Academy. His brother brought him to me, where I was training my mate for fun, and from there, I trained only him for six months in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Oluwole, who is also a player, told PUNCH Sports Extra.

“He grabbed every skill I taught him immediately, and from there, I discovered that he has talent because he’s fully focused and determined. Through him, hundreds of youngsters have enrolled with us, marking the beginning of our academy after the lockdown.

“Now I have different categories of players at U-8, U-14, U-15, and even senior level.”

Four years later, the 13-year-old is now the captain of the team, leading them to victory in the Alimosho Coaches Council U-14 tournament a few weeks ago.

Typical of a player who carries the team on his shoulders, he scored five goals to become the highest goal scorer, one better than he did last year, when they finished third at the tournament.

Aside from the skills his coach has imparted to him, one of Adewole’s virtues is charisma, just like his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Being so young, Adewole didn’t have the luxury of watching the prime Cr7 at Manchester United or Real Madrid, but he has imbibed the skills of the 39-year-old Portugal captain, thanks to his older brother, who enrolled him at the academy.

“Whenever my brother is around, he always shows me clips of Ronaldo, and that inspires me to be like him,” Adewole told PUNCH Sports Extra.

“I love his goal sense, especially. I also like his footwork and dribbles. He is a fantastic player and the reason I also started supporting Manchester United.”

Despite being a virtual follower, Adewole has learnt a lot from Ronaldo, as affirmed by his coach.

“He is a weapon of destruction to opponents. He is skilled, intelligent, and has excellent shooting accuracy. His goal sense is bigger than his age,” Oluwole said while describing the lad’s ability.

Adewole is not just a leader on the pitch. According to his coach, he is also one of the brightest pupils in his class at Bestland Secondary School in Alimosho.

“The school he is attending, I was the one that told his mother to enrol him there. He is a brilliant boy, meek, intelligent, and outspoken. He is the most brilliant boy in his class,” the coach said.

Adewole and his teammates train on a sandy pitch in Ijegun/Ikotun, which hosts some of their matches and is usually marked out for such occasions. They have only had the chance to play on synthetic turf on a few occasions.

For the player, where they play currently is just a starting point, and he dreams of playing in the biggest stadiums in the world sooner.

“Every player started just like me. Some don’t even have sand to play on. I have seen videos of people playing in mud and hard surfaces. One day, I know I will als