I am Affan Ashraf from Karachi, currently a senior at LUMS. I have an irresistible passion for football, which, despite life throwing so many hurdles in my way, has not waned. This passion has been bequeathed to me, for I belong to a family where the sport is highly esteemed. 

Seeing my innate ability to excel in the sport, a football club in Karachi offered me a position. It was an era of my zenith, an era whose memories I would cherish for an eternity. Memories that still cling to me in a bitter-sweet manner. Our club was unparalleled. We won every match. People would often express their awe at how well we played. 

It was 25th June 2021. That match lasted from 11 pm to 1 am. We almost had it in our bag when this guy came, and without my knowing, tackled me from behind in such a way that my ankle twisted, and I was stranded there in a gut-churning pain. The game ended abruptly. Medical scrutiny concluded I had sustained injuries in my ligaments, but a bed rest of two weeks, and I was consoled I would be back on the field. However, that did not happen. 

Those two weeks stretched into a whole year. Each time I would try to walk on my own, unbearable pain would tear me apart, and I would again be confined to the bed. Frustration took the best of me, and I threw away my crutches and returned to the field. I would not care if the pain returned. I rebelled.  

First, the pandemic did not let me join the LUMS football team in my soph year, and then my injury happened in my Junior year. Although this dream of mine was finally realized in my senior year, soon enough, the repugnant truth dawned upon me – that it would never be the same again. Even if I gave my best despite the agony that wrenched me, I could never play the same again.  

Yet, this does not stop me. I can no longer be a part of the team, but I continue playing it with friends as much as possible. It took time to make peace with the truth, but it feels wonderful. My passion, however, would never fade.