Humans of AISB: “Scoring in the Spotlight”

Grade 12 student Laurentiu R. is pursuing a professional football career while balancing the DP, injuries, and his family’s public appearance in Romania as famous football coaches and agents for Bundesliga teams and FIFA agents.

He currently plays for Vointa Crevedia and has signed a professional contract at only 18 years old while also having experience playing football for the national team. 

What follows is Laurentiu’s story, in his own words:

Recently, I signed professionally, so obviously there’s way higher dedication and way more time. I think, for me, the most important thing it taught me is how to allocate my time efficiently and mostly how to get into a correct routine to ensure that my grades and my football both balance out.

I think 11th grade was a little harder for me, but I had a meeting with [Principal] Ms. Kempe and [Vice Principal] Mr. Kaufman and I discussed my situation, and I am allowed to miss a couple more classes, and the teachers are helping me out a lot more. They would send me extra work. Obviously, the teachers and support staff really helped me, and I put in a lot of time ensuring that, outside of school, what I would miss in class, I would catch up on, and in class, I would always pay attention.

Growing up around football, I’ve always really wanted to fill my dad’s shoes to become a football player and then a coach.

I think my mom [is my  most powerful motivator because of] the sacrifices she’s made behind the scenes, especially for me and for my sisters, for the whole family. It’s really important for me to make it and make sure that she can relax a little bit, because for the past 20 years or so, she’s had no vacations, she’s had no time off, and the constant work and sacrifices she’s put in continue to drive me.

I’m in League 2. I’m close to League 1, the highest level in Romania. I’m playing, so hopefully in due time I’ll make the jump and continue pursuing my dream.

Obviously, growing up, no matter what achievements or what things I would do in the football world, everything would be put on, all my parents helped me or somebody gave me the opportunity to. From last year, captaining the national team to this year signing pro.

Every year, everybody has said that it’s not me, that it’s my parents [my opportunities and talent in football]. But what can you do? There’s so many other people in my situation. For example, Ianis Hagi. His whole life, his whole career, he’s been in the shadow of his parents. And anything he would do was attributed to his parents’ influence. But the pressure’s there. I like pressure. I’ve grown up in an environment, especially my parents; my grandparents were also well-known. So I feel, like, pressure has been something normalised and it’s something we thrive under.

I’ve always been a positive person. So I’ve always tried to look at the good aspects of bad situations. So I would say being positive all the time and ensuring that my goal stays clear of coming back and being stronger. 

And also because of my parents, my support system, everybody pushes me. And I never really have a moment where I can just sulk because they notice and they make sure to lift me up and ensure that mentally I’m okay.